The Cost of Policing Football

Questions about the costs of policing football matches has been raised in Parliament. The subject is of particular interest to Hereford United given a recent bill received from the West Mercia Police after the visit of Swindon Town to Edgar Street last September.

Keith Vaz, the MP for Leicester East, asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the following questions.

(1) how football clubs are charged for the cost of policing during games; who is responsible for the level of such charges; and what criteria are used in such decisions;

(2) what her policy is on the scope of policing costs that football clubs should be liable for; and if she will make a statement;

(3) what estimate she has made of the proportion of costs of policing football matches and related fan movements not met by football clubs.

Alan Campbell, who is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Home Office, gave the following reply.

Policing at football matches in England and Wales is a special police services as provided for by section 25(1) of the Police Act 1996. That section provides that the local chief officer of police determines the need for and scale of any police deployment while the local police authority determines the scale of charges imposed for such deployments, section 25(1) is currently subject to judicial proceedings involving Greater Manchester Police and Wigan Athletic Football Club. We will consider carefully the interpretation of the court when it is available.

No record is held centrally of the cost of all football-related policing activity. 41% of all matches played in England and Wales during the 2007-08 football season were designated as 'police-free' on the basis of police risk assessment.

It appears that little progress is likely to be made in deciding whether West Mercia Police were justified in sending Hereford United such a large bill for policing the Swindon game until the Government makes a statement after considering the 'Wigan' proceedings.

Below is a rough guide for the cost of police presence at an event lasting up to four hours. (There is a minimum charge of four hours).

Police Constable: 229.51
Sergeant: 277.26
Inspector: 273.94
Chief Inspector: 276.40
Superintendent: 358.51
Chief Superintendent: 380.48

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