Security rethink as fans lash ‘overkill’

DOCKLANDS Stadium management will review security procedures after the venue’s chief executive Michael Green conceded s ome f ans f elt intimidated by the more visible security presence.

With crowd behaviour in the spotlight in recent weeks, stadium management has beefed up patrolling of the aisles by guards, but denies putting on extra security personnel as has been reported.

Either way, the move has caused a fan backlash.

Supporters took to talkback radio and social media over the weekend to complain about a heavy-handed security presence, with some reporting they were told by guards they were barracking too loudly.

Amid growing unrest, which peaked last week after a Carlton supporter was ejected from Docklands Stadium for calling an umpire a “baldheaded flog”, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan denied issuing a directive to crack down on fan behaviour.

Green backed that assertion when he spoke to Melbourne’s SEN yesterday, when he e xplai ned t hat t he new measures were part of the stadium’s response to incidents of crowd violence over the past 12 months.

“We haven’t had any direction or requests to increase our security or policing at AFL events, nor have we done,” Green said.

“But what we have done over the last number of weeks is increase our visual presence of our security.

“Clearly, from [the feedback] we’ve taken that too far.

“We don’t want our fans to feel intimidated by security. We actually want them to feel safe and secure.”

With some fans feeling like Big Brother is watching them, eyebrows were raised when pictures circulated via social media on Saturday showing members of the stadium security force wearing “behavioural awareness officer” bibs.