Sheffield Wednesday complain about match policing following baton injury

Sheffield Wednesday have expressed their concerns to the South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner about the policing of matches at Hillsborough after an officer struck a young supporter with a baton following the derby match at Barnsley on Saturday, causing him a serious head injury.

The club have not commented publicly since, but the Guardian understands that a senior Sheffield Wednesday official discussed the incident, and the club’s general concerns about South Yorkshire police’s methods, with the PCC Alan Billings on Tuesday. Billings, whose duty as the elected PCC is to hold the local police force to account, promised to do so this week, after the video was posted on social media showing the 16-year-old supporter being struck on the head.

On Monday South Yorkshire police referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which Billings said was “the right thing to do”, saying he had asked the chief constable for a full account and adding: “The public can be assured that I will be listening very carefully to what the chief constable reports and that the force will be held to account.”

South Yorkshire police has not commented further on the incident since referring it to the IOPC, and a force spokesperson declined to respond to a question from the Guardian about whether the officer involved in the incident has been suspended or removed from frontline duties pending the investigation.

Concern has been rising within Sheffield Wednesday that the policing of matches is too heavy-handed, with officers in protective gear and helmets prepared for disorder, despite a policy change last summer to a “neighbourhood policing approach”. These concerns are understood to have been raised with Billings, who is arranging to meet the club to discuss them.

There has been public disagreement between the club and the police following problems at last March’s derby with Sheffield United, when home and away supporters leaving the ground found themselves in a crush outside the Leppings Lane turnstiles. Many people complained afterwards about the police actions, including that they had indiscriminately hit people with batons.

Last summer, following police advice, Sheffield city council issued a wide-ranging prohibition notice which prevented Wednesday from allowing home supporters to enter or leave the North stand via the Leppings Lane end. The club opposed the prohibition notice but did make some improvements to the arrangements at that end, and following a court action last month, succeeded in overturning it.