Arrests for football-related offences have fallen for the third consecutive season.
The Home Office has hailed its and police action to tackle the problem of football disorder.
New figures published in October show arrests for football-related offences fell by seven per cent in 2005/06 to 3,462. This follows an 11 per cent decrease in 2004/05 and a 10 per cent decrease in 2003/04. For the second year running the total number of arrests at League matches were the lowest since records began. Some 43 per cent of all matches were police free, allowing police resources to be re-deployed elsewhere.
The 2005/06 season statistics also show a rise in current football banning orders, an increase of seven per cent from 3,153 on 4 October 2005 to 3,387 on 10 October 2006.
What they say
Home Office Minister, Vernon Coaker said: "I am very encouraged by the new figures. A seven per cent decrease in football-related arrests coupled with a seven per cent increase in football banning orders shows that tough legislation and targeted policing continues to be effective. I am particularly pleased to see a 96 per cent rehabilitation rate of individuals indicated by the low number of repeat banning orders. I’m also encouraged to see that arrests at European matches were low reflecting the commitment and hard work of the Home Office and the police to stamp out football disorder. This year’s World Cup in Germany was very much a policing success. Over 350,000 England fans travelled to Germany; the vast majority behaved extremely well and were praised by the organising committee. However, we are not complacent. Football disorder remains a lingering menace and will not be tolerated. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the police, the football authorities, clubs and the fans’ associations for their continued hard work with us to ensure English and Welsh football matches are measured on team performance not fan behaviour."
ACPO say
Stephen Thomas, ACPO lead on football issues and Assistant Chief Constable of Greater Manchester police, said: "These figures show another successful year which reflects the hard work put into reclaiming our national game, for true football supporters. This is the third consecutive year showing a fall in the number of arrests at matches, along with 43 per cent of matches being police free. This is a result of the collaboration between the police, Home Office, football authorities, clubs and their fans. This decrease in arrests coupled with the increase in banning orders shows that banning orders do work. We now have to take steps to deal with the drunken yob culture that we saw spoiling our participation in the World Cup in Germany." And FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick said: "The latest figures confirm a very positive trend over recent years. They reflect the positive impact of banning orders and effective policing in reducing disorder at football matches and the on-going culture change among the fans themselves. The huge number of England supporters that travelled to Germany was one of the stories of the World Cup. A large part of the credit is due to the fans for improving both their behaviour and reputation and making a massive contribution to the colour and atmosphere of the tournament. The vast majority embraced the friendly spirit of the tournament and positive initiatives in the host cities, organised by England fans and supported by The FA, built bridges with supporters of other teams. We will continue to work closely with the government, police and fans groups to ensure that everything possible is done to tackle trouble-makers and let the vast majority of genuine fans get maximum enjoyment from following England."
