Police face ‘an impossible task’ if football kicks off again

THE Premier League should not restart football matches during the coronavirus lockdown because it could put at risk the health of the public and police, a crime commissioner has warned.

Football executives are due to meet tomorrow to discuss plans to hold games behind closed doors at neutral venues in an attempt to restart the season next month.

But David Jamieson, the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, said allowing matches to begin as part of the so-called Project Restart would be “fraught with risk”.

Mr Jamieson fears holding football matches could still see thousands of fans travelling to stadiums, even though they would not be allowed in.

It could also see officers being diverted from front-line duties as they tackled the “impossible task” of trying to ensure fans stayed apart to meet social distancing guidelines.

“Safety must come first and I can’t see how matches could take place without significant risks to fans, local people and, most of all, the brave police officers who protect us all,” Mr Jamieson told Wolverhampton’s Express &

Star newspaper.

Predicting disastrous consequences for the spread of coronavirus, he added: “The majority of grounds – certainly those here in the West Midlands – are in densely populated urban areas. This is the same for major clubs in the North West such as Liverpool.

“What happens if thousands of fans turn up outside a ground where a crucial game is taking place? How could the police enforce social distancing under those conditions? Why should the safety of my officers be put at risk by looking after large groups of fans?”

It is hoped football executives will be able to allay some fears by drawing up a workable solution at tomorrow’s meeting. A five-point resumption plan is understood to have been compiled.

Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that more people were using their cars and public transport over the last week, suggesting more were flouting lockdown rules.

Graphs showed the number of journeys made by all motor vehicles in the UK had risen nearly 10 per cent. On May 7, the number of all such journeys had risen from about 40 to nearly 50 per cent in a week, compared to normal levels before the lockdown.

The Coastguard also revealed it had 93 call-outs on Bank Holiday Friday, the highest since lockdown began.