Keeping cops in crime-free stadia costs clubs dear

THE spirit of Joe Strummer lives on in British music if not in Scottish football.

Premiership football fans hardly fought the law last season but Police Scotland still won financially.

Sources at a couple of provincial clubs have been privately mumping and moaning at the cost of putting a thin blue line inside their stadia.

A Freedom of Information request to Police Scotland, based on three random weekends in September, January and March from this season seems to confirm their suspicions.

In 13 non-derby matches, including fixtures involving Celtic and Rangers, there was not one arrest made inside grounds. Excluding Old Firm games, in the 10 invoices from 18 matches played, Scottish clubs paid almost £30,000 and witnessed just one arrest.

That came at that hotbed of hooliganism, Hamilton Accies, during the local grudge game with Motherwell in March.

Police Scotland refuse to reveal how many officers they deploy inside our top-flight stadia, claiming it would prejudice the prevention and detection of crime.

You can assume, in the case of Kilmarnock at least, not very many – the Rugby Park policing bill for the game against Ross County in March was £178.20, with Killie’s costs for the visit of Dundee last September just £9 more expensive.

That’s in stark contrast to bigger clubs. Rangers hosted Celtic in September and it cost £63,386.40 for a police presence inside Ibrox when a total of 20 arrests were made – a cost to the club of more than three grand per apprehension.

For sure, if there were fewer police inside the ground there’s an increased risk of disorder but given the relatively good behaviour of football fans – inside our grounds at least – could police not be replaced by more stewards?

Celtic stumped up £8908.80 for a police presence for the visit of Hibs in January when no arrests were made. On the same day Hearts hosted Motherwell and forked out £3040.80.

The following day Ross County paid almost £7000 to Police Scotland for the visit of the Light Blues and again the cells in the Highlands remained empty.

Partick Thistle paid £1740 for the arrival of Aberdeen in March in a match that drew a crowd of 4000. Only 500 more watched the Dons at Fir Park in September but Motherwell’s policing costs were 50 per cent higher at £2546.40.

There appears to be an arbitrary calculation process, despite Scotland now boasting one police authority. How can they justify a bill to Killie of only £187.20 for the visit of Dundee – attendance 3452 – when Ross County were charged almost 10 times as much for the visit of Hibs with only 700 more fans?

Scottish football can’t become complacent and the recent increase in our higher-profile games of sectarian singing, offensive banners and vandalism deserves to be checked and offenders brought to book.

But maybe it’s time the police took a step back from many matches and allowed clubs to invest the money they’d save on better quality on the pitch. OUR TOP WRITERS GIVE THEIR FEARLESS VERDICTS EVERY DAY IN RECORD SPORT