12Feb

Too big a burden to bear

by Gary W

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With all the furore surrounding the resignation of England manager Fabio Capello this week, many of the usual headlines that might have previously stood out were diluted somewhat.  One poignant piece that stood out for me was featured on Late Kick Off on Monday evening and focused on the cost of policing football games.  It mentioned how the actual cost of having police at games up and down the country far outweighed the sums received by the forces from the club’s coffers.  It then speculated that the costs could be considered even more if crime was factored into the equation, crime that could not be dealt with due to less officers being available.

Obviously some work has been undertaken in regards to highlighting these costs but I find myself being more than a touch sceptical about the results.  With recent cases involving the slightly over-zealous tax executive seeking to grab as much money as possible; it almost feels as if football as a whole is seen as one massive cash cow with an almost obscene amount of money at its disposal.  Whilst that may be true of some Premier League clubs, that certainly cannot be levied at lower league clubs and yet they seem to still face the same challenges – ones where it’s very existence might be put in jeopardy.  I can’t help but feel that the whole issue of policing at games is somewhat stuck in the past.

Is there the same level of trouble at games?  A recent survey stated that arrests at ALL Premier League and Football League games in England and Wales were at an all-time low, down 9% to just over 3000 in total.  Some might argue that improved policing and stewarding were the catalyst and the cost is therefore justified but I feel it is more down to the work carried out by the clubs themselves perhaps almost eradicating the need for a police presence at all.

There are games that require a major visibility of officers but thankfully they are few and far between, matches such as West Ham v Millwall being highlighted to prove the point about the significant shortfall faced by the force.  As for the comment about crime, it is really hard to quantify.  Do fans really commit more crime just because they are attending a match or by someone just because one is on in their vicinity?  We might never really know, but I do know that now hooliganism is thankfully a thing of the past, many crimes were clearly evident in those dark days that no longer occur.

Thankfully some common sense came from the studio guest’s comments at the end of the article.  A bone of contention was that all policing costs fell on the public purse outside of the ground but this would be the case on any event being staged so why should football clubs foot a bill no one else were required to?  Club’s also put a lot back into the community through youth projects and the like potentially having an advantageous effect on crime by encouraging youngsters to do something constructive instead of committing offenses on the streets.

The final comment made reference to the fact that clubs not only pay large sums in taxes but also that the majority of football supporters are tax payers also.  If council tax has partly paid for police assistance when needed, then this should be available whether at home or not and you shouldn’t be expected to pay twice surely?

I have every sympathy for the cuts forced upon the police but they should not be looking to football to make up the shortfall.  Our recent game with Stoke began with a row over policing costs before the club were forced to relent in order for the game to go ahead.  A police escort led the team bus through almost empty streets and there was hardly the merest hint of any trouble.  I don’t believe it would have been much different had many of the numbers not been there so was the cost justified?

Perhaps the answer to the spending cuts is to not have police officers on inflated over-time rates being utilised at games instead of where they were needed.  That way being only partly paid by the clubs against their will when the game could have been more efficiently dealt with by their own staff would have a beneficial impact on the police budget and everyone would be happy.  Should this become a reality, this would be a cost too far – one that clubs like Gillingham could ill afford.

Posted by Gillingham fan Gary Wade

Follow Gary on Twitter at @Gills_Stats