Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster revealed Hibs are ready to spend £100,000 on a new state of the art CCTV system to combat the recent rise in anti-social behaviour at games.
The Easter Road club have made headlines for the wrong reasons off the pitch as well as the right ones off it in recent weeks.
A bottle thrown at Celtic’s Scott Sinclair was followed up a week later by a fan entering the pitch to confront Rangers captain James Tavernier. The culprit has since been banned for ten years and jailed for 100 days.
And Dempster is determined to do everything practical to stop a minority of dragging her club’s name through the mud.
That includes improving how they monitor the crowd during games. The new set-up will see 11 high-definition cameras installed this summer that will cover every area of the stadium and ensure there are no blind spots, with one member of Hibs ’ hierarchy revealing “it can read a tattoo”.
“While we already have an excellent system, every CCTV system has its limitations,” she explained.
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“It’s important that, where we think technology can be improved and help us, we utilise that.
“Prior to the events of the last couple of months, the club were already looking at additional cameras to help with supporter safety.
Subsequent to the events of the last couple of months, we have decided to install a whole range of cameras.
“It will add, effectively, another 11 high-definition cameras into the stadium.
“That will give people extra assurance when they come into the stadium, knowing that we’ve added another layer for their safety.
“And I hope we don’t need to use them for this but, if there was another negative event in the stadium, we’re not in the situation where the traditional CCTV systems don’t catch it.
“It would be difficult for us – in terms of our reputation as a club – if that happened.”
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Hibs are far from the only club to have their issues, with their former manager Neil Lennon being struck by a coin at Tynecastle, while Tavernier was also targeted at Motherwell last weekend, this time having a lighter thrown at him.
The threat of strict liability has been held over clubs by politicians recently, but Dempster believes they can be trusted to tackle problems themsevles.
“I try to, wherever possible, highlight the things being done by clubs,” she said.
“There are so many professional people in the background responsible for detailed operations and plans. It is important we do talk about that.
“Sometimes it can look like we are not as organised as we could be and we need to get that more positive message over. However, where we can improve and be better, we must try to be better.
“If we can create deterrents, whether they are stewards or cameras or whatever it may be, we need to use them.”
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