The senior police officer in charge of monitoring crowds at England matches has expressed his concerns about “a deterioration in fan behaviour” as he prepares for the match against the Republic of Ireland next month.
The assistant Chief Constable Mark Roberts said the problem had been so pronounced during England’s games in Italy, Scotland, Estonia and Switzerland that “additional enforcement measures” were being re-introduced, for the first time in four years, before the match in Dublin on 7 June.
“It has been a point of pride in recent years that England fans’ behaviour has completely moved on from the dark days of the 1980s,” Roberts said. “While the majority of fans continue to behave themselves, in the last four England away fixtures we have seen a significant amount of drunken anti-social behaviour, unpleasant chanting aimed at provoking home supporters and a small number of people who seem to take every opportunity to create distress for others.
“Regrettably that means we have to increase our enforcement activity using tactics that proved successful in addressing these problems in the past.” Those measures will mean supporters who are the subject of banning orders have to sign in at police stations on the day of the game. Passports must be surrendered and the National Police Chiefs’ Council says it will be “running a national operation to round up those who fail to comply before and immediately after the fixture.” In addition, police “spotters” from England will be in Dublin to “gather evidence of any bad behaviour and ensure anyone who offends faces the consequences of their actions”.
The game was already designated a high-risk security issue because of the riot by England fans the last time the national team played in Dublin 20 years, when seats were ripped up at the old Lansdowne Road ground and the match had to be called off. Forty people were arrested that night.
The Football Association has already written to members of England’s official travel club to stress the need for good behaviour and urge them not to take part in the various songs that have been heard at recent games about the IRA. England’s fans will have to collect their tickets in person in Dublin with photographic identification and the FA has also made it clear to the travelling band that it should not play along with the inflammatory songs.
Roberts added: “While there is no specific intelligence as yet to suggest planned disorder, there is sufficient concern to take proactive action to ensure that fans are clear that bad behaviour is not acceptable and will face serious sanctions.”
