Policing Operation at the Blackburn game

[BFC Supps Groups]

We are seeking views from supporters as to how they felt the policing operation went at Sunday's game against Blackburn, and any general observations as to how the day went overall (not the game or the result).

By all means add them to this thread but you can also email them to us at burnleyfcsg at gmail dot com

Thanks

[lakedistrictclaret]

I thought the cordoning off of parts of Harry Potts Way and Belvedere Road worked very well.

I didn't see any Blackburn fans either approaching the ground before the game, or leaving the ground afterwards.

An entirely trouble free day. Sometimes ( not necessarily at Turf Moor ) the Police can cause as much trouble as they prevent. Not on Sunday.

[Jimmymaccer]

I’d agree, the police in the town centre before the match and after we’re all very relaxed and happy to smile/chat. A softer approach rather than what sometimes appears confrontational certainly worked…..

The fact the majority of Rovers fans either came by bus or simply evaporated after the match probably helped.

[daveisaclaret]

Would have been much cheaper to not have a helicopter or have tens and tens of them stood watching us leave past the cricket club, I think.

Nice to have no trouble but it's hard to know if it was because of the incredibly overbearing police presence or just because not many people wanted trouble and the Rovers fans were bussed in.

[FCBurnley]

Would it have been as quiet if result was 0-3

[clarethomer]

Seamless.

Didn’t feel like my day was impacted negatively at all. They were happy to exchange pleasantries too.

[summitclaret]

It all appeared to go well from what I saw. Just a small point.

After the game it was hard to get into certain pubs to celebrate our win. It was obvious that there were only home fans from what I saw. On balance, there was probably more chance of trouble from stopping people going in.

[Nori1958]

Seamless.

Didn’t feel like my day was impacted negatively at all. They were happy to exchange pleasantries too.

I posted the below previously, which may explain the attitude of the police

The attitude stems from those in charge
ACC russ Procter comes from a family of footballers, including Andy who played for Accrington, they understand football and fans, and will police it accordingly

Many years ago Blackburn put a guy called Alan holt in charge of football policing. His dad had played for rovers, Alan was a good footballer as well and understood what fans needed... He organised the Fernhurst as an away pub a first for policing and made sure fans were treated respectfully, and it worked.... Looked like yesterday worked for the vast majority
[/quote]

[Smudger82]

I thought the police was fantastic handled it all very well

[claretburns]

Operations around the day I had no issues, all done very well, away from the ground.

At the stadium the searching every single supporter entering the CFS was very poorly executed. It caused an unneeded for crush where I saw a young lad around 9 or 10 years old get very upset due to being squashed. Luckily the fans around him so it as well and moved back and to the side to give him some room and a couple of older guys, presume one was his dad, tried talking to him about the game and how exciting it will be for him once we got inside and this seemed to calm him down a little bit.

I didn't have much of a problem that the search took place, as many idiots go in the CFS, but the execution left a lot to be desired, with the coaches which park there plus only 4 turnstiles, plus any extra TV camera trucks, the space then left for around 2,000 fans to filter through is very limited and there were, from what I could see, two women stewards searching all the female fans then 4 male stewards for everyone else, no where near enough.

As we got closer to kick off this just created more anger amongst the fans due to the queuing times in entering the stadium.

Not sure if the above is helpful from a policing operation as I am not sure if this was a police request or handled directly by the club.

[Leisure]

Operations around the day I had no issues, all done very well, away from the ground.

At the stadium the searching every single supporter entering the CFS was very poorly executed. It caused an unneeded for crush where I saw a young lad around 9 or 10 years old get very upset due to being squashed. Luckily the fans around him so it as well and moved back and to the side to give him some room and a couple of older guys, presume one was his dad, tried talking to him about the game and how exciting it will be for him once we got inside and this seemed to calm him down a little bit.

I didn't have much of a problem that the search took place, as many idiots go in the CFS, but the execution left a lot to be desired, with the coaches which park there plus only 4 turnstiles, plus any extra TV camera trucks, the space then left for around 2,000 fans to filter through is very limited and there were, from what I could see, two women stewards searching all the female fans then 4 male stewards for everyone else, no where near enough.

As we got closer to kick off this just created more anger amongst the fans due to the queuing times in entering the stadium.

Not sure if the above is helpful from a policing operation as I am not sure if this was a police request or handled directly by the club.

Were there any crowd barriers helping to funnel people single file to each turnstile or was it just one big crush?

[claretburns]

Were there any crowd barriers helping to funnel people single file to each turnstile or was it just one big crush?

Roughly with measurements about 10 foot or so away from the stewards barriers appeared funnelling people into single file before that it was just one big crush, I was probably in the crush for about 20 minutes or so before reaching the single file barriers.

[ClaretPope]

I think the police approach was “softer” and less intimidating than in previous years and therefore a more relaxed atmosphere overall. The traffic restrictions worked well.

[Leisure]

I think the police approach was “softer” and less intimidating than in previous years and therefore a more relaxed atmosphere overall. The traffic restrictions worked well.

Fully agree and I think that the presence of a significant number of female officers contributed towards this.

[Lancasterclaret]

No complaints at all from me

Thought it was great

Course, a 1230 kick off on Remembrance Sunday is perhaps the perfect cocktail to calm everyone down, but still thought the operation and the behaviour of both sets of fans was exactly how it should be

[bobinho]

The police get some proper stick, and sometimes it’s justly deserved. They can be antagonistic and downright aggressive on match days.

Not so on Sunday. Engaged with us the public very well and positively. Their attitude goes a long way to creating a good atmosphere. If they behave like thugs (which they have done in the past) then People become uncooperative and aggressive in return creating a poor experience for everyone. On Sunday I thought they were extremely professional and courteous.

Let’s be reyt tho… the result helped, but even so, the pre match experience was enhanced by good policing.

Well done Lancs finest.

[box_of_frogs]

Operations around the day I had no issues, all done very well, away from the ground.

At the stadium the searching every single supporter entering the CFS was very poorly executed. It caused an unneeded for crush where I saw a young lad around 9 or 10 years old get very upset due to being squashed. Luckily the fans around him so it as well and moved back and to the side to give him some room and a couple of older guys, presume one was his dad, tried talking to him about the game and how exciting it will be for him once we got inside and this seemed to calm him down a little bit.

I didn't have much of a problem that the search took place, as many idiots go in the CFS, but the execution left a lot to be desired, with the coaches which park there plus only 4 turnstiles, plus any extra TV camera trucks, the space then left for around 2,000 fans to filter through is very limited and there were, from what I could see, two women stewards searching all the female fans then 4 male stewards for everyone else, no where near enough.

As we got closer to kick off this just created more anger amongst the fans due to the queuing times in entering the stadium.

Not sure if the above is helpful from a policing operation as I am not sure if this was a police request or handled directly by the club.

Sounds like a club issue, not Police IMHO.

[G0foste]

agree the policing was great The stewarding and searches getting into the cricket field really scared me. I had 3 children with me aged 14, 12 and 9. I have not been that scared a a football match for a long time.

The issue was the searches were taking too long, not enough stewards and very intensive searches. The turnstiles were operating at less that 50% utilisation even at peak due to the searches.

The queue built up, as did the fan's frustration and it created a real melting pot.

I spoke to the lady who was the head steward and in charge. She was obnoxious and just brushed off my concerns and blamed the fans for not getting there in time.

Really poor, no qualms about being searched but you need to have the right measures in place and we didn't and it could have got very nasty and dangerous as a result.

[box_of_frogs]

*****Steward in over zealous power trip shocker*****

[Juan Tanamera]

Dare I suggest the head steward should be held accountable and reported to the powers that be.
I'm quite sure most people, especially those with young children arrived at what they thought was an appropriate time and not when the head steward thought they should.

[Culmclaret]

All very good. Think it was helped by Roves giving priority to the more sensible elements of their fan-base ,but let’s give full credit to the police. A really well run operation

[ICL]

I thought the day went very well. Were there any Rover’s fans in the town pre match?
After the match, the closure of Belvedere Rd at the Queens Park junction for 25mins, was a frustration. It was a long wait for the Blackburn coaches to come through.

[Swizzlestick]

I think it helped massively that despite not being a 'bubble game', it seemed a significant majority of Rovers came via coach, so everything could be controlled much better. I was shocked how quiet the M65 was on the way in from Preston. As I said on the other thread, the policing operation in my experience was excellent and there was a good, respectful rapport with fans, which helped significantly.

[claptrappers_union]

Only really experienced the police presence from inside the stadium. It’s seemed a bit OTT, but the match went by with incident. Hope as the years go by the police numbers will go down.

[Nori1958]

Only really experienced the police presence from inside the stadium. It’s seemed a bit OTT, but the match went by with incident. Hope as the years go by the police numbers will go down.

Why would you hope that when the vast majority say it worked well.... Lessen the numbers and the idiots will flourish again

[claptrappers_union]

I’m just saying it looked like a lot of wasted resources to me. Though, I wouldn’t know the first thing on how to Police such an event. The day went by without incident like I said, but it seemed that where were plenty of spare police officers without much cause.

[Jakubclaret]

I’m just saying it looked like a lot of wasted resources to me. Though, I wouldn’t know the first thing on how to Police such an event. The day went by without incident like I said, but it seemed that where were plenty of spare police officers without much cause.

The police won't be complaining it's probably a better money spinner than the speed cameras they'll be wishing it was derby day every weekend.

[Zlatan]

It was refreshing to be treated as a human as opposed to a hooligan which is quite common at some home games. As an away fan at other grounds we’re usually treated with respect and human too. On Sunday though, it was noticeable that an effort was made to be friendly and approachable and for me, that was absolutely the right approach.

Well done to all the police and stewards too (they also had a smile for this game) it’s how it should be.

[bfcjg]

Police were brilliant, not heavy handed, no shoving people away from the Turf as has happened in previous years, couple said to me comments along the lines of I bet you enjoyed that, that said as a middle aged bloke with a Burnley shirt and big smile I don't suppose I looked very troublesome.

[The Hung Juror]

I thought the day went extremely well, with the arrangements that were put in place. I felt the relaxed attitude of the police was refreshing and brought results. I also thought, as commented on by a previous poster, that the presence of a large number of female officers was significant.

On the way in I saw a few Rovers fans going through the police cordone to the away turnstiles and when we came out I saw a few coming back through and mingling with us.

To suggest there was an overbearing police presence, or it was over the top, or the helicopter should not have been deployed is absolute nonsense in my opinion. The very fact they were there in numbers together with the measures put in place, were big factors as to why there was no trouble from what I saw, and demonstrated the fixture could take place without it having to be a horrendous bubble game.

Nevertheless, both Burnley and Blackburn have got more than their fair share of idiots, and anything less could well have given them the opportunity to fulfil their desire to cause trouble. And on that point, I do think the result helped, if we had been gupped things could have been different.

So if it means we don’t have to go through the rigmarole of being bused in and treated like cattle, to attend a trouble free game, then I for one am all for a large friendly and understanding police presence.

So well done Lancashire police.

[Top Claret]

Police operation was made easy due to Rovers having a small allocation, Train strike and most of their supporters taking the buses from Ewood.

It will be different in the return fixture if they give us 5-7000 tickets. The police will have their work cut out with the majority organising their own transport and not via bus

[arise_sir_charge]

I’ll be going by bus to Blackburn, I’ve no desire to make my own way there and all that will entail. Bus from the Turf dropping me at the turnstiles will do just fine.

[wilks_bfc]

I’ll be going by bus to Blackburn, I’ve no desire to make my own way there and all that will entail. Bus from the Turf dropping me at the turnstiles will do just fine.

Tbh I’ve said I’ll be doing the same thing if going.

I’ve no issue with going by coach, the issue was being told that was what we we had to do

[Quickenthetempo]

agree the policing was great The stewarding and searches getting into the cricket field really scared me. I had 3 children with me aged 14, 12 and 9. I have not been that scared a a football match for a long time.

The issue was the searches were taking too long, not enough stewards and very intensive searches. The turnstiles were operating at less that 50% utilisation even at peak due to the searches.

The queue built up, as did the fan's frustration and it created a real melting pot.

I spoke to the lady who was the head steward and in charge. She was obnoxious and just brushed off my concerns and blamed the fans for not getting there in time.

Really poor, no qualms about being searched but you need to have the right measures in place and we didn't and it could have got very nasty and dangerous as a result.

It has always been hard to get in the CF end with only 4 turnstiles. When I was in there you would often miss kick off if arriving after 10 to 3.
But on Sunday the queue was 5 times as big as it used to be and that was at 30 minutes before kick off.

[summitclaret]

Tbh I’ve said I’ll be doing the same thing if going.

I’ve no issue with going by coach, the issue was being told that was what we we had to do

My main issue with coaches was/is having to set off ridiculously early for a 12 mile journey.

[BFC Supps Groups]

Thanks very much for your comments. We continue to be in discussions with the police regarding this fixture and the information provided is really helpful.

[dougcollins]

Certainly more helpful than hitting people with sticks like last time.

[Nori1958]

Certainly more helpful than hitting people with sticks like last time.

Just people walking to the game in a normal friendly fashion? Or people who's behaviour perhaps merited a bit of forceful persuasion

[ashtonlongsider]

The organisation was exceptional and credit to all parties who were involved in the planning and the Police and Stewards for the execution of duties. Result, no or very few problems. For some reason the traffic was flowing a lot better and it was a breeze getting into the town and to the car park. Same after the match with departing, traffic was particularly light going back up to the M65.

[Quickenthetempo]

Just people walking to the game in a normal friendly fashion? Or people who's behaviour perhaps merited a bit of forceful persuasion

It was in the CF end where a little bit of force might have been justified.

But the one copper went way over the top. If my memory is right it was something like 20odd strikes with his truncheon randomly but multiple (maybe 10 strikes) against one man who was cowering (bent over facing the other way).

It was way over the top.

[Nori1958]

It was in the CF end where a little bit of force might have been justified.

But the one copper went way over the top. If my memory is right it was something like 20odd strikes with his truncheon randomly but multiple (maybe 10 strikes) against one man who was cowering (bent over facing the other way).

It was way over the top.

So people, could have been replaced with person?
At least you've had your say about something that may or may not have happened, and was irrelevant to the actual question posed. If it keeps you happy, why not

[Quickenthetempo]

So people, could have been replaced with person?
At least you've had your say about something that may or may not have happened, and was irrelevant to the actual question posed. If it keeps you happy, why not

I haven't had a say on anything, I tried giving you a little description of the incident the poster would be talking about.