Northumbria Police's football lead reveals plans for policing fixtures between Newcastle United and Sunderland AFC
Chief Supt Mark Hall
Chief Supt Mark Hall(Image: Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)
So called-fans that use the North East's famous football rivalry to cause bother are not welcome in our cities. That's the view of the top cop who will be at the helm of operations to police the always tense clashes between Newcastle United and Sunderland AFC this season.
And as Northumbria Police gears up for policing the first premier league Tyne-Wear derbies for a number of years, the force's policing lead, Chief Supt Mark Hall, has warned that anyone who sees the games as an excuse to commit crime could see themselves banned from games.
Matches between Newcastle United and Sunderland have historically attracted disorder and resulted in numerous arrests. But recent fixtures have passed more peacefully after Northumbria Police changed the way it handled matchday policing, and as rifts between the two sets of fans were healed following the MH17 plane tragedy.
While Chief Supt Hall is hoping this atmosphere can continue, he is warning that anyone causing trouble could face serious consequences, with both police and football clubs taking action.
He said: "We are really fortunate in the North East and we are renowned for being very loyal and passionate football fans. It's fantastic that this season we have Newcastle and Sunderland playing in the same league. With Newcastle getting back into Europe and Sunderland gaining promotion there's a lot of excitement, I think it's going to be a thrilling season.
A major police presence outside the Stadium of Light ahead of the Tyne-Wear derby
A major police presence outside the Stadium of Light ahead of the Tyne-Wear derby
"Those genuine fans want to come for a family friendly environment. The majority of fans don't want to see people fighting, they don't want to see disorder. It's a minority that use the opportunity to commit crime and anti-social behaviour. These people aren't welcome in our cities. The club's will not tolerate anyone using football rivalry as an excuse to cause trouble. These people could see the clubs carrying out enforcement action, including being banned from football matches. When you have got waiting lists for season tickets that risk is there. There's some severe consequences they could face."
Newcastle and Sunderland have not met in the top flight since Sunderland's relegation to the Championship back in 2017. But the two teams did come together in at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie at in January last year. This game passed without major incident, and just two arrests were made.
Northumbria Police set-up the country’s first ‘football neighbourhood policing' teams 10 years ago, which aimed to treat football fans as a 'community'. Police began meeting regularly with fans’ groups from both Tyneside and Wearside allowing supporters to get to know officers and give their views on how they would like to see matches policed.
Tyne-Wear Derby April 2013
Tyne-Wear Derby April 2013(Image: Mirrorpix)
Chief Supt Hall said this approach has continued and that planning for the two derbies this season is well underway.
"The planning for the season is a continuous process. After each match we debrief, we review what worked well and what could we do better next time," he said.
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"Obviously it's been a number of years since they were both in the same league. We can draw on experiences from the FA Cup last January, despite being a sell out crowd there was only two arrests. That shows the support from those law-abiding supporters. Our dedicated football officers are still in place. They go home and away with our teams. that has proved invaluable to building up that rapport with fans. We have seen increased links with our fans supporters groups that we engage with throughout the season. We do get people passing us information if there are people intent on causing disorder so our officers can intervene. That feel of neighbourhood engagement is what we are seeking to achieve."
Chief Supt Hall said that police recognise the passion and emotion tied to derby day. But he has warned fans this must not turn to violence or crime after the final whistle.
Police presence at St James' Park
Police at St James' Park after the Tyne-Wear derby in March 2016
"That excitement and that emotion is magnified for a lot of fans," he said. "We see our role as being part of that to make it as safe as it can be. We want the fans to have a safe, enjoyable time. We want to see that pride and passion during the game. But we don't want that emotion to spill out of the match and into people committing crime and anti-social behaviour. If they do we will be making arrests, or if we don't we will be conducting post match investigations."
There will of course be a huge police presence in Sunderland when Newcastle United travel to the Stadium of Light on December 13 and in Newcastle for the home fixture next March. And Chief Supt Hall said specially trained officers are ready to handle whatever happens.
"We need to make sure those people coming to our towns and cities have safe, enjoyable times and any disruption is kept to a minimum," he said. "We can't do that on our own and are working with our partners, including the football clubs and local authorities.
"Members of the public will see an enhanced policing presence on match days for that engagement and reassurance. Officers have the capability to police events such as this. We have officers that undertake specialist training and where necessary they have got further specialist kit and equipment to deal with events such as this. For the majority of our officers, to be involved in these large scale events is one of the reasons they joined the police. That passion and pride is represented in the officers. We want it to be as enjoyable an experience as it cans be for fans whilst minimising the opportunities for people to commit disorder and crime.
"We couldn't do what we do without that public and fans support and I thank the fans for that."
Chief Supt Hall has urged anyone with concerns on derby day in either city to approach an officer on duty.