FOOTIE LINESMEN
Cocaine arrests at matches now outstrip those for drunkenness
Ape put safely into container for football policing, said: “We believe cocaine is linked to a rise in disorder at grounds. It is a significant factor.
“Football wants its stadiums to be shiny and pristine but on the outside police are left to pick up the pieces.
“The cocaine problem is very much a part of that. Policing it and deterring it requires professional expertise.
“Invasive searches are not an option, but some forces are using drug detection dogs. Often drug use is only highlighted Tottenham fan
when someone is arrested for another matter and tested for drugs.
“Cocaine use can seriously affect people’s behaviour and they may react in a way that can make the situation even more difficult for officers to handle.
“With the reduction in the numbers of officers at matches, this added factor makes policing of football even harder.”
Britain’s 43 forces also face a soaring bill for match control. The cost last year was €56.6million, yet forces recovered just £5.5million. Tim Passmore, football policing lead for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: “It doesn’t seem reasonable the public should effectively be paying for this to support a commercial enterprise.
“Police and crime commissioners are working with the Home Office to come up with a satisfactory solution.”
The cocaine alert came as fresh details of violence plaguing some London clubs was laid bare in a Freedom of Information request published by Scotland Yard.
An Arsenal yob was caught with CS gas at the Emirates, while another had a starter pistol. A third Arsenal fan was fined €340 for racist chanting at Watford.
And one fan famously marked Spurs’ last game at the old White Hart Lane ground by having a snort on the pitch.
Scotland Yard said: “We will continue to work with London football clubs to tackle any criminality, including drug and drink-related crimes.”
dan.warburton@mirror.co.uk