'Sorry' from Greater Manchester Police is not enough (From Northwich Guardian)
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Supporters deserve better treatment
11:41am Thursday 15th January 2009
POTTERS fans had two decades to dream about their recent trip to Old Trafford, so imagine being one of the fans that bought a ticket but was denied the chance to see the game by PC Plod.
What crime persuaded Greater Manchester Police officers to take these 80 fans from a pub in Irlam, near Manchester, stick them in the back of a van and drag them unceremoniously off home to the Potteries?
Murder? No. Assault? No. Nicking a bag of crisps? No, none of those. The fans were sent home because they might have been intending to cause trouble.
The law allows police who believe someone is going to cause trouble to do this. It’s allowed under something called section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act.
Never mind that these were people with tickets for the match, they were sent home.
Officers did not bother checking the facts of the “intelligence” which apparently was being acted on when the Bobbies unceremoniously told our supporters that ‘you’re nicked, son!’
It is humiliating for any fan to be treated this way and it’s time that the boys in blue stopped picking on innocent civilians and did what we, as taxpayers, pay them to do.
Ian Probert condemns the actions of Greater Manchester Police
The police have said they are sorry for ruining the fans’ day. Not sorry enough that it will actually compensate them for the cost of their legally bought tickets, mind. Just sorry.
Not sorry enough to refund them the cost of travel arrangements, which added to the exorbitant cost of a ticket (around £40 each, apparently) will have set back those supporters hundreds of pounds in total.
Fortunately the Football Supporters Federation and the human rights organisation Liberty are backing the fans, which deserve more than the police’s half hearted, after the event recognition that they made a huge mistake.
It is humiliating for any fan to be treated this way and it’s time that the boys in blue stopped picking on innocent civilians and did what we, as taxpayers, pay them to do.
That’s something called “catching criminals” in case they have forgotten.
For the full story of the police's aplogy, click here
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