HEARTS OF GOLD
Dempster hails rivals for identifying fan accused of racism
HIBS chief executive Leeann Dempster has thanked Hearts fans for helping identify a supporter who allegedly racially abused Marvin Bartley during last Saturday’s Edinburgh derby.
Dempster confessed that the ‘graphic’ language used against the Hibs midfielder had left her deeply shocked.
Footage of a man allegedly making racial slurs towards Bartley emerged on social media over the weekend.
But Dempster revealed that police had been notified of the incident even as it happened, using a text line set up for supporters to report offences.
‘When I saw the incident on Monday, I was very shocked by it, really shocked,’ she said.
‘Every incident of that nature is shocking, but that was particularly graphic in terms of the audio. To see that on film was really shocking.
‘It was great credit to the people of Hearts and the supporters of Hearts who recorded it and ensured the individual concerned was dealt with.
‘It was incredibly difficult for Marvin to see and hear. I felt he dealt with it really well, as did the people at Hearts.’
A 38-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with allegedly directing racist abuse towards Bartley.
Dempster also revealed Hibs plan to install a new CCTV system, at the cost of more than £100,000, as they strive to improve security at Easter Road.
There will be a price to be paid, too, if and when the Leith club press ahead with plans for sniffer dogs who can smell trouble — drugs and pyrotechnics, in particular — before would-be offenders can even make it past the turnstiles.
Hibs, it should be noted, already have a CCTV set-up that is better than many in the country; it knocks the Hampden cameras into a cocked hat, for example. They also plant ‘covert operatives’ in known trouble spots, with the intention of identifying and reporting fans who break the law.
Moving forward, they want the Go-Pro cameras installed over the home and away dugouts at Easter Road to become the norm across Scotland; there’s a bid to have it written into SPFL rules, so no club can refuse permission on data protection grounds.
And there are plans to add the kind of text hotline that allowed Hearts fans to report the racist abuse directed at Bartley during last weekend’s capital derby.
In the current climate, with politicians and pundits openly floating the idea of strict liability, punishing clubs for offences made by paying customers, it all makes perfect sense.
Dempster freely admits that, initially, the club were going to install a small number of new high-definition cameras for next season simply as a matter of course.
But recent events, most notably being unable to identify the culprit who threw a bottle at Celtic winger Scott Sinclair during last month’s Scottish Cup tie in Edinburgh, forced a change of tack.
Dempster explained: ‘There is a need for the club to enhance our CCTV.
‘The reason for that is that, while we already have an excellent system, like every CCTV system, it has its limitations.
‘Prior to the events of the last couple of months, the club were already looking at additional cameras to help with supporter safety.
‘Subsequent to the events of the last couple of months, we’ve decided to not only implement the cameras we were looking at, but actually to install a whole range of cameras.
‘That will give people extra assurance when they come into the stadium, knowing that we’ve added another layer for their safety.
‘And I hope we don’t need to use them for this but, if there was another event in the stadium, we’re not in the situation where the traditional CCTV systems don’t catch it.
‘I think it would be difficult for us. Being honest with you, it would be difficult for us in terms of our reputation as a club if we weren’t able to do that.
‘So it’s a worthwhile investment for us, a system that will already complement what we’ve got.
‘We’re spending now, perhaps not to the degree we had planned — but we’ve decided to go ahead and do everything possible now.’
The CCTV system going in on June 1 will be the kind used by UEFA and FIFA, able to focus on — and record, as well as track — individual supporters.
If a bottle or a flare is thrown, the cameras will be able to trace the trajectory right back to the starting point, into the hand of whoever did the throwing.
To give an example of the problems currently facing clubs, it was fairly easy to identify the fan who ran on to the pitch and attacked Rangers captain James Tavernier — because he was nabbed within seconds of the incident.
But police interviewed 37 different people, their names and addresses provided by Hibs, in relation to the bottle being thrown at Sinclair. And they still couldn’t nail down the culprit.
On other occasions, the procurator fiscal isn’t always willing to bring charges, even when an offender has been caught bang to rights — because it’s not considered in the public interest.
That’s a particular problem when it comes to pyrotechnics, with many considering the letting off of smoke bombs and flares to be a lesser offence.
Yet new research commissioned by UEFA has shown that many of the modern pyrotechnics burn hot enough to turn sand to glass, then finish with an explosion that sends razor-sharp shards flying.
That, as well as the use of controlled substances identified as a contributing factor to violence, is why Hibs see sniffer dogs as a good option.
They’ve spoken to police and even sounded out private security firms about bringing the canine specialists in on match days, with their presence intended to not only catch those intent on committing crimes — but to act as a deterrent.
Dempster stressed that all of the steps being considered are on top of hugely detailed safety operations already in place.
‘Where we can improve and be better, we must try to be better,’ added Dempster.
‘If we can create deterrents, whether they are stewards or cameras or whatever it may be, we need to use them.’