Armed police at Wembley with capital on high alert

POLICE patrols will be at an unprecedented level in London this weekend as thousands of sports fans arrive in the capital.

The Metropolitan Police will deploy armed officers in and around Wembley for this afternoon’s FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea and armoured police vehicles will be outside the stadium.

There will be similar policing for Blackpool and Exeter’s League Two play-off final tomorrow and when Reading and Huddersfield meet in the Championship play-off final on Monday.

The packed weekend of sport includes the Aviva Premiership final between Wasps and Exeter at Twickenham, where there will be armed police inside the stadium.

Chief Superintendent Jon Williams said: ‘We are working closely with both the Football Association and Wembley to ensure this weekend’s iconic football matches pass off without incident.

‘Together we have a long history of delivering safe and secure major sporting events.

‘ The focus is the safety and security of fans. Anyone coming to the FA Cup final or the play- off matches over the weekend will see an increase in police numbers in and around the stadium.

‘If you have a ticket for any of the matches, please help us out. Arrive earlier as there will be additional security and entry searches which may take a bit longer than fans are used to.

‘Our operations will include a range of highly visible but also covert and discreet tactics and this will run far beyond the final whistle and away from specific stadia. This will also apply right throughout the transport network.’

The FA say they won’t repeat the mistakes that allowed Millwall supporters to get on to the pitch following their League One playoff final victory last weekend to goad Bradford manager Stuart McCall and his staff.