Call for football clubs to cover more policing costs

Football clubs should pay the full cost of policing a wider area around stadia on match days, according to the sport’s most senior police officer in England and Wales.

Only the bill for policing inside grounds and the immediate vicinity is currently met by clubs.

Assistant chief constable Andy Holt, the lead on policing football for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), has said football clubs should pay for all costs related to a game taking place.

He told the BBC: “It’s my personal view that we should have full cost recovery.”

But the Football League has said fans pay taxes to cover police costs, and should not “pay twice for policing”.

Research commissioned by Acpo found that in four out of five clubs studied there were “significantly elevated counts of crime” on match days in an area covering one kilometre from each ground.

Mr Holt said: “Our experience in policing shows that football matches tend to lead to an increase in crime and disorder in the areas surrounding football grounds.

“This research supports this view and suggests that the area affected by increased criminality extends further than the area in which clubs contribute to the costs of policing.”