A new scheme to help police continue to tackle potential football-related disorder before it has a chance to escalate is unveiled in Shrewsbury.
With Shrewsbury Town FC’s new stadium out of the town centre, officers policing games have come up with a new way of keeping an eye on the minority who sometimes attend to cause problems and may now visit pubs nearer the ground before and after the match.
Pubs nearer the ground are expected to see an increase in football fans when a game is on, so new radios have been bought by Shropshire Division and various partners to be the “eyes and ears” of the police outside the town centre.
These will be handed out on match days which require a large police presence to members of the existing PubWatch scheme, and will be used by licensees to keep officers up to date with the location of potential trouble-makers and at-risk groups.
Acting Sergeant Steve Walker, one of the people behind the idea known as EventWatch, said the response from licensees had been extremely positive, with all PubWatch members keen to sign up.
He said: “With the new stadium out of the town centre, the chances are that possible troublemakers may visit establishments in the surrounding area, rather than within the centre as they did before.
“This new scheme supplements the current measures we have in place, such as town centre CCTV and the successful PubWatch scheme, in helping us monitor where at-risk groups and known trouble-makers are and if any problems seem likely.
“The pubs will be given radios early on match days, which will have a direct link to the officers policing the game, and will be able to give real-time information with instant updates.
“The licensed premises we have approached are thrilled with the idea and are very keen to get on board to help us ensure football games are enjoyed by everyone in a safe environment.”
Acting Sgt Walker said it was important to remember that the vast majority of football fans were simply there to enjoy the game and never caused any problems.
“These radios are another tool to help us keep track of the small minority which only attend to cause trouble, and who are therefore not true football fans,” he added.
“Once the games are over and people have dispersed, we will collect the radios back in ready for the next match. People should be reassured that we are continuing to work to keep their communities safe now that the stadium has moved.”
Partners involved in the scheme include Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council and Safer Shrewsbury.
