Minutes of Meeting with Dorset Police

Minutes of Meeting with Dorset Police

Please find below the minutes of the meeting to discuss Policing Strategies and Tactics at AFC Bournemouth fixtures held on the 17^th October 2018 at Dean Court. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know by reply.

ATTENDEES

• Liz Finney (LF) -AFC Bournemouth
• Anthony Marshall (AM) – AFC Bournemouth
• Simon Bice (SB) Dorset Police
• Tony Maycock (TM) – Cherries Trust
• Kerry Smith (KS) – Cherries Trust
• Gary Chapman (GC) – Cherries Trust

AGENDA

• PL Fixture v Southampton FC (20^th October 2018)
• Social Media – communications with fans and followers
• Policing levels at home fixtures and match gradings
• Policing regarding in stadia “excitable” behavior and knock on effects of prosecutions and football banning orders
• AFC Bournemouth’s younger “organised” fans

MINUTES

TM opened the meeting by explaining that this meeting was about Cherries Trust hoping to understand tactics and procedures used in the policing of AFC Bournemouth fans.

SB started with an outline of his history involved within football policing, and his most recent post which he’s been in for 4 years coinciding with AFC Bournemouth’s stay in the Premier League. SB also explained that his role covers Dorchester Town FC, Poole Town FC, Weymouth FC and Wimborne Town FC & Yeovil Town Ladies

SB Discussed the ongoing joint working approach between AFC Bournemouth and Dorset Police during the current Premier League tenure, and previous seasons as this has not changed since promotion. Understandably you learn from the experience of previous seasons and resources on some occasions are very low to almost completely police free (inside the stadium) fixtures at Vitality Stadium.

SB explained that matches are graded jointly with all information and intelligence shared being based on the central Police Reporting Database.

TM asked whether Football banning orders are always pursued. SB outlined that CPS guidelines are used for home and away fans with regards to football offences. CPS guidelines are that all fans arrested for football offences will be potentially prosecuted and football banning orders pursued. Football banning orders are imposed by courts, not by police or clubs.

SB discussed that clubs are now using ‘runners’, stewards in football boots, to help respond to pitch incursions a lot quicker. LF confirmed that these are in use at AFC Bournemouth.

SB outlined that there were no specific plans in place for the fixture v Southampton FC, other than BTP being present at Pokesdown and Bournemouth train stations. It’s just another fixture and they should all be considered big fixtures.

TM raised the question of social media usage and how Dorset Police communicate using various platforms. SB said that Dorset Police Football use Facebook, Twitter and, to a lesser extent, Instagram. The information provided is limited, and information regarding meeting venues, i.e. pubs, is limited for home games as landlords can vary which venues are ‘away fan’ friendly on a weekly basis. Any information supplied for travelling AFC Bournemouth fans will have been supplied to SB by the club or the relevant away police force.

TM raised the question of how exuberant behavior is handled in concourses at half-time and before the game. SB stated that this is invariably managed by stewards and CCTV, and that a police presence is only required upon request. SB went on to explain that AFC Bournemouth fans have a good reputation. LF outlined that the feedback is that AFC Bournemouth treat visiting fans well, and has had quite a few visiting fans contact the club to commend the stewarding, occasionally identifying specific stewards.

TM asked about the handling of any organised younger element at AFC Bournemouth. SB was quick to outline that there is a very small group that have always been quickly managed and that the emphasis has been on education rather than punishment. LF explained how in some previous cases fans received education through participation in Community Sports Trust programmes. There is also a current instance where a young person has been introduced to the Premier League Kicks sessions.

LF described AFC Bournemouth’s policy as to the issuing of stadium bans. LF outlined how the club banning process has been reviewed as part of the Premier League’s prescribed equality standard, and how the club have achieved the Preliminary and Intermediate levels with the Advanced level review due in January 2020. The panel for deciding stadium bans was explained, plus the appeal process. She stated that the club does not issue bans lightly. SB outlined that were 3 current Football Banning Orders and one stadium ban currently in place. LF explained that temporary bans are issued to fans who are under a police investigation that is very likely to head to prosecution. LF explained that an ejection from a ground does not necessarily lead to a stadium ban at AFC Bournemouth.

A discussion was had around the use of the club supplied Abuse line, and how it has been renamed as the Matchday Incident Line. TM asked about the visibility of the number, and it was explained that the number is in the matchday programme, on posters around the concourse, and also some of the fan facing advertising hoardings. TM asked whether maybe the number could be printed on tickets and LF agreed that it was worth looking into.

TM asked about relationships between police forces and also between police forces and football clubs. SB emphasised that the relationship between police forces was first class and data is readily shared. He was happy to explain that the relationship between himself and AFC Bournemouth was strong, but this was not the case with all police forces and football clubs.

MEETING CLOSED