Northumbria police have warned Sunderland and Newcastle United supporters that anyone caught provoking trouble during Sunday's derby at the Stadium of Light can expect to receive firm treatment from its officers.
The 4pm kick-off has prompted fears that violence could once again overshadow a fixture frequently blemished by ugly scenes. As part of an endeavour to minimise drinking time, all derbies since 2006 have been scheduled for lunchtime but this match was pushed back after being selected as Sky’s late afternoon game.
Ch Supt Steve Neill, the match commander in charge of police operations on Sunday said: "The majority of supporters are there to enjoy the game and soak up the occasion that is the Wear-Tyne derby.
“There are a minority who are intent on causing problems and our message to those people is that trouble will not be tolerated and anyone who puts the safety of supporters at risk on the day will be dealt with swiftly and firmly.”
Despite the game's often troubled history there has been a recent rapprochement between the two sets of supporters, facilitated partly by the shooting down of MH17 over eastern Ukraine last summer in which two Newcastle fans were killed. With Sunderland fans joining fundraising initiatives in memory of John Alder and Liam Sweeney, the mood changed and the pre-Christmas derby at St James' Park passed off peacefully.
That game featured “softly-softly” policing with officers sharing jokes with visiting fans who travelled independently to St James’ Park rather than, as in the past, arriving under compulsory police escort.
“After the reverse fixture in December we met with supporters and received positive feedback on our policing approach to the game,” Neill said. “We have decided to again adopt this approach, with supporters being able to make their own way to the game without the traditional escort.”
Martyn McFadden, editor of the Sunderland fanzine A Love Supreme, is optimistic this approach will work. “If you get treated properly, people will act properly,” he said. “I think it’s a bit of a test game; hopefully it will pass off well.”
Last month Northumbria Police failed in an attempt to bring forward the kick-off and Vera Baird, the force's police and crime commissioner, made known her reservations about football's willingness to dance to the tune of its broadcast paymasters.
“The danger is that there are some people who are not necessarily proper fans who are quite happy to get tanked-up before the game and cause trouble,” Baird said. “And the longer the pubs are open before kick-off the more likely it is that people will get carried away.”
Although the Premier League is responsible for scheduling matches, crowd management issues are considered by a club’s own safety advisory groups before the local authority then issues individual fixtures with mandatory safety certificates. “Sunderland have confirmed to the Premier League that they are able to host the match against Newcastle at 4pm on 5 April as scheduled,” said a Premier League spokesman. Sky declined to comment on the matter.
Security barriers used during previous derbies will be in place with their presence intended as purely precautionary. The plan it is to leave the barriers open unless closure becomes imperative.
“We are prepared for every eventuality,” Neill said. “We are all working together to make sure that all supporters get home safely. Although the 4pm kick-off brings with it some additional challenges our priority remains the same – the safety of the public.”
(Guardian service)
