Policing of PVFC - Chairman's Statement

[Memphis]

Statement From The Chairman

 

"You have no doubt read or listened to reports regarding my discussions with Staffordshire Police and Matthew Ellis, the Police and Crime Commissioner of Staffordshire today.

 

With the game being played tomorrow I am both conscious and uncomfortable that there is the potential for an emotional reaction towards the police during the game. That is not my wish. The details of why, again in my view, the relationship between the Club and Staffordshire Police has deteriorated so quickly will no doubt be reported in the next week or so. I would, however, like to point out what I consider to be aspects for further discussion contained within the OPCC’s press release.

 

I will contest the accuracy of many areas of Matthew Ellis’ statement, particularly given his role in relation to policing in this area. It was well reported that last year Leeds United went to Court (Leeds United V West Yorkshire Police) to challenge what they considered to be excessive charges levied against the Club. This resulted in the Club receiving a substantial repayment reported to have been around £1,000,000.00. Their case was based on the following extract from the Police Act 1996: “Pursuant to Section 25 of the Police Act 1996 the police cannot charge a private individual or entity for public order policing on the public highway or on land that is not owned, leased or controlled by that private individual or entity” or in plain terms, the footprint of the football stadium. I am well aware of the responsibilities of Port Vale Football Club but feel there is confusion in some areas when the joint responsibilities of the police and the Club are combined.

 

The game tomorrow between Port Vale and Doncaster Rovers was originally categorised as a 1 and 7 police game, a category that the Club was and continues to be happy with. However, late on Wednesday evening the police contacted the Club to advise that they had increased the match to a category B game following the receipt of some further intelligence which does not, in my view, warrant such an increase. Under these circumstances there is a process to follow which involves the Safety Advisory Group within Stoke City Council to review the categorisation if both parties cannot agree. I, by rejecting the police wish to upgrade the category of the game, triggered this process. I would point out that the actions of the officers of Stoke on Trent City Council were at all times carried out in a thoroughly professional manner.

 

I make no apologies for challenging the police and the whole process of policing at Port Vale Football Club. I am seeking advice from professionals to consider the timing and processes being dictated to the football club resulting in overcharging for police services.

 

There will be a video link to this statement and I look forward to an incident free and enjoyable match day experience for all attendees."

 

Norman Smurthwaite

Club Chairman

 

[bookworm]

fair comment norman, I and hundreds more stand behind you on this.

[mattyboy]

fair comment norman, I and hundreds more stand behind you on this.

 

Agreed

Sadly we do have more idiots than we used to have that don't help - I cringe leaving the ground some weeks to see some of our fans goading the opposition fans

 

I don't condone the police sections but I don't see fans at our away games treating us like a small minority of our fans treat our visitors

 

Must cost us for policing and also keep some visitors from visiting again

 

I don't have an answer and agree wholeheartedly with Norman, but some at each game have earned some of this problem

[ELDERBEZZA]

Maybe smurf could go across to the Railway Paddock,as he's done in the past,to have a little chat to the few morons in there;)

[Mario]

Without the knuckle dragging morons who live in the 70's this situation would never arise end of.

[Fuzzy Dunlop]

Without the knuckle dragging morons who live in the 70's this situation would never arise end of.

 

To be honest I do have some sympathy with the police, our reputation is to be frank shocking as evidenced by the amount of police at most of our away games. Unless something is done to address the behaviour of some of the morons that follow this club much as Stoke did a few years ago I fear that police and the associated costs will continue to be a feature a Vale games. A recent post by an away supporter likened the away experience at the Vale to be like something from the seventies, I for one agree. Those that regularly cause problems with their drunken moronic behaviour claim to be true supporters however it is them that cost the club thousands every year in policing costs. Let's be honest we can all pretty much predict which games there will be trouble at and those tend to be the games where there are the most police.

I will now don my tin hat and await the inevitable !

[Aussie Rules]

What a delight it is to have a Chairman who communicates with us, and with such clarity

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

What a delight it is to have a Chairman who communicates with us, and with such clarity

 

I'd echo those thoughts. First class chairman and communication after years of being treated like second class citizens.

 

Now if we can just remove the small number of idiots from supporting our club or indeed get them help we will prosper.

[onestepatatime]

I'd echo those thoughts. First class chairman and communication after years of being treated like second class citizens.

 

Now if we can just remove the small number of idiots from supporting our club or indeed get them help we will prosper.

 

100% REP.

 

Vast,vast majority of Valiants are decent minded people who want simply to watch their team in action. I attend many away games and the atmosphere in general is a friendly, voiceiferous one whereby we all enjoy ourselves safely and properly. For home games however there are a very small number of idiots who want to "goad" away fans/families/police etc and that is totally unacceptable. I lived through the 70's and experienced many acts of stupidity, violence and mayhem and do not relish any idea of repetition of those at Vale.

 

We are asked to pay increased police costs at home games purely because we do have a minute number of nutters who have to be policed. Simple as that. It's these undesirables that are causing Norman to have nightmares concerning police costs. Port Vale is a fantastic Club with brilliant fans but as usual the minority are spoiling it for us all. That said, I agree with Norm's stance and his explanation of matters regarding the whole situation about police fees etc. good old Norm, we are behind you.

[bertiepee]

Anyone bringing a decent away following can usually expect some kind of confrontation on the hamil after the game , the bigger the away following the more vale fans seem to hang about the hamil . I can, t remember the last time I went an away game and had this sort of confrontation after the game. The problem could be solved by holding the away fans in the ground for just ten minutes like they used to do, its as simple as that

[old sage]

I know that Norman reads this site and so I will echo what I suggested to Bill Bratt years ago. This was why not erect a 3 metre high fence from the corner of the club shop with big gates which would be locked on match days to the club's outer perimeter wall. Surely this would save many thousands of £ssss over a season as the number of stewards and police needed would be minimised. In fact the police wouldn't hardly need to be on the club's land at all so the costs would then be next to nothing.

Bratt said it wasn't allowed because of Council planning but I feel that he was talking as he usually did....piffle. If it is for safety purposes then why would the town planning dept object?

[clayton vale]

Well said Norman.

[Warren]

In the 1970s and early 1980s I used to watch Stoke and Port Vale. In those days there was no live television coverage and the only way to see the top teams was to go to a live game. I was able to see Stoke play well occasionally but particularly remember the Notts Forrest team and Liverpool teams of that era that were great sides of all time.

 

I digress. The downside of The Victoria ground and environment was trouble at say a third of all home games. It was an unpleasant place to go with racist chanting and gang chants between home and away supporters. There were frequent riots outside the ground and the area near the town hall in Stoke was a zone to stone away supporters on the way to the station. All this was a good reason to stop watching Stoke after relegation in the mid 1980s and I can count on one hand the games I have watched since.

 

Port Vale by contrast has always been a much more pleasant ground. Also interestingly despite lower level football it was often more entertaining possibly because if the big pitch. But Port Vale does have some problems with fans in the Railway Paddick who roam end to end and there have been unexpected fights outside the stadium in and outside the grounds for the police to deal with. I saw a woman officer walking away who had clearly been assaulted and was in minor distress.

 

So the police are entitled to be cautious. But the the police are also under financial pressure and the mechanism in place to challenge the cost of policing at games and the risk assessment is needed to stop the incentive to overcharge for policing at games to fund core policing.

 

It is essential that Port Vale remains a nice place to go. I would not drive 140 miles as I do to go and watch Stoke at the old Victoria ground and what used to happen there.

[geosname]

Statement From The Chairman

 

"You have no doubt read or listened to reports regarding my discussions with Staffordshire Police and Matthew Ellis, the Police and Crime Commissioner of Staffordshire today.

 

With the game being played tomorrow I am both conscious and uncomfortable that there is the potential for an emotional reaction towards the police during the game. That is not my wish. The details of why, again in my view, the relationship between the Club and Staffordshire Police has deteriorated so quickly will no doubt be reported in the next week or so. I would, however, like to point out what I consider to be aspects for further discussion contained within the OPCC’s press release.

 

I will contest the accuracy of many areas of Matthew Ellis’ statement, particularly given his role in relation to policing in this area. It was well reported that last year Leeds United went to Court (Leeds United V West Yorkshire Police) to challenge what they considered to be excessive charges levied against the Club. This resulted in the Club receiving a substantial repayment reported to have been around £1,000,000.00. Their case was based on the following extract from the Police Act 1996: “Pursuant to Section 25 of the Police Act 1996 the police cannot charge a private individual or entity for public order policing on the public highway or on land that is not owned, leased or controlled by that private individual or entity” or in plain terms, the footprint of the football stadium. I am well aware of the responsibilities of Port Vale Football Club but feel there is confusion in some areas when the joint responsibilities of the police and the Club are combined.

 

The game tomorrow between Port Vale and Doncaster Rovers was originally categorised as a 1 and 7 police game, a category that the Club was and continues to be happy with. However, late on Wednesday evening the police contacted the Club to advise that they had increased the match to a category B game following the receipt of some further intelligence which does not, in my view, warrant such an increase. Under these circumstances there is a process to follow which involves the Safety Advisory Group within Stoke City Council to review the categorisation if both parties cannot agree. I, by rejecting the police wish to upgrade the category of the game, triggered this process. I would point out that the actions of the officers of Stoke on Trent City Council were at all times carried out in a thoroughly professional manner.

 

I make no apologies for challenging the police and the whole process of policing at Port Vale Football Club. I am seeking advice from professionals to consider the timing and processes being dictated to the football club resulting in overcharging for police services.

 

There will be a video link to this statement and I look forward to an incident free and enjoyable match day experience for all attendees."

 

Norman Smurthwaite

Club Chairman

 

 

100% stand by smurfs statement.

[melv]

Well done Smurf.A good truthful and clear statement about police dictatorship.A dictatorship that needs to stop and police be more accountable for their actions.