Policing thread, apropos of next-to-nothing

[evilC]

A football-newbie asks...

The 'next-to-nothing' is actually this story, kindly shown to me by Ursus.

The thing is, this got me wondering: the 'policing' bill for ice hockey events can't be that large, but what if it were to move to a large outdoor stadium - who would fit the bill then. And then I wondered (and here's my actual point, folks) do football teams foot some of the bill for the policing at their games? I presume they do, but does the extent vary? Furthermore, I wondered if this left police resources thin on the ground in other (local) places and if legal action had ever been taken against the police or teams for damages caused in an incident that might not have otherwise happened were it not for alot of the local police being at a match?

Not strictly football, I know, but a contentious adjunct to it, I suppose.

[ursus arctos]

Policing thread, apropos of next-to-nothing

It's actually a big issue for British clubs, with a number of "smaller" clubs having complained vociferously when they were stuck with a huge bill by the local constabulary, particularly when the perceived "security risk" came from visiting fans.
For instance, I recall there being cases of non-League teams having to turn over a large part of their windfall from hosting "big time" opposition in the FA Cup to the local police.

My sense is that it is less of an issue on the Continent, in part because many police forces are national or quasi-national, rather than local. And I never heard of a US police force charging a club in similar circumstances, but it is also worth noting that much of North American stadium security (both inside and outside the ground) is provided by private security firms (i.e., "rent a cops").

I'm not aware of any legal action of the type that you suggest, but the possibility of such a problem is certainly used by the local police as one of the justifications for their refusing to allow "high risk" matches to go forward at certain times, which is why we now have local derbies kicking off at noon.

Though to be fair, the more compelling reason advanced for early kickoffs for "high risk" matches is to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed before the game.

[Gerontophile]

Policing thread, apropos of next-to-nothing

And the early kickoffs also help with the clubs not having to pay the policing bills, because, 45 minutes after the game has finished, the police are back 'on' as opposed to just on special duty, and ergo the clubs dont have to pay. Whether Sky know about this is a moot point, but the clubs actually like it (although the players fucking hate it)

[Sam]

Policing thread, apropos of next-to-nothing

Argentine clubs foot at least part of the bill, and from what I read it seems to be a substantial share, although the exact amount I'm not sure.

A match between Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy and Lanús in Jujuy back in March this year was postponed because workers in the provincial capital were striking to get better pay and working conditions, and the police presence required outside the province's legislature meant there were no forces left over to take care of the match.