European football has arrived in SE25: but Palace fans tonight won’t be searched by Invicta K9’s sniffer dogs, as the club has engaged a different contractor " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Fans-arriving-at-Selhurst-Park-Crystal-Palace-e1755773307547.jpg?fit=300%2C161&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Fans-arriving-at-Selhurst-Park-Crystal-Palace-e1755773307547.jpg?fit=640%2C344&ssl=1" class="size-large wp-image-210182" src="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Fans-arriving-at-Selhurst-Park-Crystal-Palace-e1755773307547-1024x550.jpg?resize=640%2C344&ssl=1" alt width="640" height="344" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Fans-arriving-at-Selhurst-Park-Crystal-Palace-e1755773307547.jpg?resize=1024%2C550&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Fans-arriving-at-Selhurst-Park-Crystal-Palace-e1755773307547.jpg?resize=300%2C161&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Fans-arriving-at-Selhurst-Park-Crystal-Palace-e1755773307547.jpg?resize=150%2C81&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Fans-arriving-at-Selhurst-Park-Crystal-Palace-e1755773307547.jpg?resize=768%2C412&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Fans-arriving-at-Selhurst-Park-Crystal-Palace-e1755773307547.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px">
European football has arrived at Selhurst Park: but Palace fans tonight won’t be searched by Invicta K9’s sniffer dogs, as the club has engaged a different contractor
EXCLUSIVE: Crystal Palace go into the new season having dispensed with the services of Invicta K9, the security firm which this website exposed as breaking the conditions of its operating licence with dog searches
Crystal Palace fans arriving at Selhurst Park tonight for the club’s historic first match in a European cup competition – albeit the UEFA Conference League play-off against Fredrikstad – might notice a sniff of a difference in their experience when approaching the turnstiles.
Because Invicta K9 have been dropped by the club as the security firm providing search dogs to patrol outside the ground before matches, screening supporters for pyrotechnices and drugs.
The move comes following Inside Croydon investigations which exposed the firm’s often slack approach to the law, and violations of the company’s licensing conditions over dog-handlers’ declaring their identity, searches conducted on members of the public who were not attending that day’s game, and one very concerning incident when a fan was falsely accused of carrying a Class A drug.
In May, Inside Croydon’s report on potentially unlawful security searches using sniffer dogs outside the stadium received strong backing from supporters.
On patrol: a sniffer dog search at a recent Crystal Palace game, where staff were properly identified. It has not always been the case " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/sniffer-dogs-Crystal-Palace-pixelated-version.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/sniffer-dogs-Crystal-Palace-pixelated-version.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1" class=" wp-image-203707" src="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/sniffer-dogs-Crystal-Palace-pixelated-version.jpg?resize=369%2C277&ssl=1" alt width="369" height="277" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/sniffer-dogs-Crystal-Palace-pixelated-version.jpg?w=680&ssl=1 680w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/sniffer-dogs-Crystal-Palace-pixelated-version.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/sniffer-dogs-Crystal-Palace-pixelated-version.jpg?resize=150%2C113&ssl=1 150w" sizes="(max-width: 369px) 100vw, 369px">
On patrol: a sniffer dog search at a Palace game last season, when staff were properly identified. That was not always the case
The National Training Inspectorate for Professional Dog Users confirmed that a search conducted by an Invicta K9 handler on our reporter was illegal under the Private Security Industry Act 2001.
The Security Industry Authority backed this up, telling Inside Croydon that a security firm “contravening licence conditions is a criminal offence under Section 9 of the Private Security Industry Act of 2001”.
They added that the company could be prosecuted by the SIA for this breach of the law.
With the national Football Supporters’ Association taking the matter up with the Premier League, Eagles’ fans own organisation, CPISA – Crystal Palace Independent Supporters’ Association – also lobbied the club about the use of Invicta K9.
The matter was discussed at the most recent CPISA meeting held with the club, last month, attended by Jonty Castle, the football club’s chief operating officer, and Nikki Gibbons, the club’s supporter liaison officer.
Inside Croydon’s reporting of the serious concerns of Palace fans was raised.
According to the minutes of that meeting, “Concerns were expressed by CPISA regarding the dog searching procedures associated with Invicta K9, who were employed by CPFC last season.
“Several incidents had been investigated and reported by Inside Croydon, who had also expressed their concerns to CPISA along with several fans.”
CIPSA listed the issues of concern as:
searches being conducted by handlers not showing proper identification or refusing to identify themselves when asked to do so.
pursuing non-match attendees for search purposes.
changes in search procedures throughout the season from Invicta K9 carrying out searches, the club stewards carrying them out, to lastly the police carrying them out.
The minutes said: “The club advised CPISA that they were in the process of reviewing security arrangements and were looking to a company who could deal with crowd safety, traffic management and dog searching.” This is understood to exclude Invicta K9.
Palace say that their change of contractor is in part due to compliance with a new law, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, which came into force in April.
A source at the club has told Inside Croydon: “The club needs some credible cover for dumping Invicta K9, and this provides it. But make no mistake, there was a lot of concern about the reputational damage to the club over the way in which some of those searches were being carried out.”
Read more: Something doesn’t sniff right as security firm breaks the law
Read more: Palace fans’ forums express outrage over dodgy dog searches
Read more: 83-year-old Palace fan shaken by Selhurst security shakedown
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