Independent review into Port Vale policing to take place
Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis has commissioned an independent review into the way football matches are policed in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
The review will look into the policing of games at Stoke City, Burton Albion and Port Vale.
The policing measures at Vale Park have been subject to much criticism by both supporters and the football club in recent months.
The Doncaster Rovers game was only allowed to take place by the police after the club had erected a fence across the Hamil Road car-park and closed the Tommy Cheadle’s bar to home fans. Many supporters felt that the measures were totally excessive for such a match.
The review will be carried out by a leading, national academic on crowd safety who will look at the effectiveness of the arrangements for policing local football matches.
This review will look at how effective the current arrangements in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are…
Ellis told the Staffordshire PPC website: “This review will look at how effective the current arrangements in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are and what can be done to make them stronger and more transparent in the interest of safety, the clubs, supporters and taxpayers.
“It will be carried out by a leading national authority on the subject who is independent of policing and I have an undertaking from Staffordshire’s Chief Constable that officers will cooperate in every appropriate way.”
Assistant Chief Constable Bernie O’Reilly, from Staffordshire Police added: “We want everyone to be safe watching matches in Staffordshire, so we welcome this review.
“We look forward to working with Dr Stott and his team and hearing their recommendations.”