Bristol City fan wants police to change their attitude to football fans

[tiger76]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-45469719 heavy-handed tactics by West Midlands Police,and shows how the police view footie fans.

[Sausage]

I must admit I haven't been to a match in the Birmingham area for a good few years but WM Police have always had a reputation for their heavy-handed approach. I recall years ago they were hoofing out Burnley fans from the Hawthorns for singing "Simon Garner is a w**ker." I would have argued that it came under the definition of fair comment.

[Leisure]

I'd recommend that he never goes to a game in Athens!

[GodIsADeeJay81]

You could probably make a reasonable argument that some fans need to change their attitude towards police.

[DCWat]

Some fans do yes, but the police don’t need to treat the vast majority in the way they would the dick heads

[GodIsADeeJay81]

No they don't and they do need taking to task.
Hopefully this court case starts changing things.

[ClaretTony]

There really is some dreadful policing at football matches in terms of the organising of it and then some of the police on duty. It's not always like that and the police last season at Stoke were very good, welcoming and keeping a low profile wherever possible.

We went to Aberdeen and, from what I saw, I thought the police were excellent. Seven days later at Burnley was a totally different story, it was horrendous walking up Yorkshire Street and seeing their in your face approach.

It does work both ways, undoubtedly, but there has to be more respect from both and the police could often make a more positive move than they do.

[piston broke]

Carry your phone, on camera, and you’ll be fine.

[tim_noone]

Preston v stoke ...shocking scenes by police using pepper spray at stoke fans.being investigated fairly.aye ok. I've always found the metropolitan police fine.lancashire police always looking for a fight and have been consistent since the sixties.

[BigRedrose]

Nothing surprises me with the West Midlands police force. Without doubt the most confrontational, unfriendly cops I've encountered in 45 years of travelling to away matches. (Closely followed by the South Yorkshire force).

[conyoviejo]

The police love their violence..You only had to see them all volunteering for overtime to attend the picket lines during the miners strike..Bastids

[Bin Ont Turf]

I must admit I haven't been to a match in the Birmingham area for a good few years but WM Police have always had a reputation for their heavy-handed approach. I recall years ago they were hoofing out Burnley fans from the Hawthorns for singing "Simon Garner is a w**ker." I would have argued that it came under the definition of fair comment.

Probably the same match where 3/4 of them waded into the middle of the terrace to take a Union Jack Burnley flag down, for some strange reason.

They got annihilated.

[conyoviejo]

Probably the same match where 3/4 of them waded into the middle of the terrace to take a Union Jack Burnley flag down, for some strange reason.

They got annihilated.

I certainly hope you weren't involved in any violence against the bastids in black BOT..

[Bin Ont Turf]

No comment Ociffer!

[Indecisive]

We went to Aberdeen and, from what I saw, I thought the police were excellent.

Very sensible policing in Aberdeen. Their approach made for a fantastic atmosphere in the afternoon. They chatted and mingled with the fans... basically making their presence known in a friendly and non confrontational manner.

There was clearly a directive to handle things a certain
way and it worked.

[tim_noone]

The most disgusting police violence I've ever seen at a football match was Burnley V Blackburn on the cricketfield end. Followed by Stockport away.cant comment on Scarborough arrived late left....bemused.

[RocketLawnChair]

I was in The Swan a few years back after a game against PNE. it was a good few hours after full time The pub was reasonably busy and a decent atmosphere, generally mates discussing the game and no more. Then three dayglo busies marched in barging past people and generally loitering with intent and all hell broke loose, within minutes riot vans and horses were outside It was probably one of the most unessacery things I’ve ever seen.

[cricketfieldclarets]

Burnley is a small town with a small town mentality generally.

But the police force have a small town police force mentality! Arseholes.

[ClaretTony]

Just seen this - it is a genuine letter sent to the police regarding their actions. Shows what goes on at times.

[conyoviejo]

His view is spot on ..The police have always been arrogant bullies and always will be..

[bobinho]

League tables. Quotas have to be met. Therefore people are provoked, then when voices are raised and swear words introduced, arrests are made. Trouble is, when you are arrested at a football match, you are presumed guilty.

Some people are easy targets. I have personally been treated disgracefully on match days, both in Burnley and in other towns. My crime? Being a football fan. Police treat football fans differently. Their attitude is disgusting at times. Shame really as the amount of respect they receive when they police properly must feel way better than the abuse they get when they behave like arseholes.

Aberdeen away was the model.

[houseboy]

The police love their violence..You only had to see them all volunteering for overtime to attend the picket lines during the miners strike..Bastids

The police have always had a fair share of lunatics in their ranks, more so in the past than now. Witness as you say their appalling behaviour of the striking miners as you say, but at football matches in the past I have personally had:
Thrown out of Bloomfield road for simply sitting on a mates shoulders singing before the game had even started and punched in the face as he did it with no provocation from me.
Arrested in Tottenham after a game for defending our coach from rampaging Spurs fans (even though they won 4-0) by a bunch of coppers who just randomly jumped on the coach and arrested 6 people with no evidence whatsoever, leading to me (and my dad because I was only 16) having to return to London on the Monday to be freed in court due to lack of evidence.
Been in a crush to get out of the Turf at the Bee Hole exit at the Bob Lord stand end when a copper, instead of helping ease the situation, simply pushed a group of fans that then caused a cascade of people down the terrace, including kids.
This is not to mention, outside of football, being harassed on the street at night on a couple of occasions when making my way peacefully home and being asked where I had been and where I was going whilst having my feet stood on, presumably in the hope that I would retaliate (which I never did).
The police have a hard job, and with the cuts it is getting harder, but many of them are no angels, even these days, and whenever I see a policeman on TV or social media getting grief and or attacked by someone I always ask myself 'did they do something to deserve it'. Mostly probably not but there will be cases when they do.

[italianclaret88]

really ****** off about police....especially italian police, fUckin retards mens full of nazi steroids...tipycally kind of peoples who beats normal fans and families, police at turf is more easy and with me no problems even like when i say to them that i'm a tourist and i can do everything i want hahahahahahahahha....even the situation against stoke fan at preston...wtf is that??....DIGOS BOIA

[tim_noone]

The police have always had a fair share of lunatics in their ranks, more so in the past than now. Witness as you say their appalling behaviour of the striking miners as you say, but at football matches in the past I have personally had:
Thrown out of Bloomfield road for simply sitting on a mates shoulders singing before the game had even started and punched in the face as he did it with no provocation from me.
Arrested in Tottenham after a game for defending our coach from rampaging Spurs fans (even though they won 4-0) by a bunch of coppers who just randomly jumped on the coach and arrested 6 people with no evidence whatsoever, leading to me (and my dad because I was only 16) having to return to London on the Monday to be freed in court due to lack of evidence.
Been in a crush to get out of the Turf at the Bee Hole exit at the Bob Lord stand end when a copper, instead of helping ease the situation, simply pushed a group of fans that then caused a cascade of people down the terrace, including kids.
This is not to mention, outside of football, being harassed on the street at night on a couple of occasions when making my way peacefully home and being asked where I had been and where I was going whilst having my feet stood on, presumably in the hope that I would retaliate (which I never did).
The police have a hard job, and with the cuts it is getting harder, but many of them are no angels, even these days, and whenever I see a policeman on TV or social media getting grief and or attacked by someone I always ask myself 'did they do something to deserve it'. Mostly probably not but there will be cases when they do.

cnuts!

[Burnley1989]

cnuts!

I had one bend my wrist back once so my fingers touched my inner arm and literally nearly snap it, he was desperate for me to resist so he could jump on me with 2-3 others, I just laughed which wound him up more, I was apparently drunk and disorderly (had around 5-6 pints). He then told the desk sergeant I assaulted him and his colleagues all laughed... I was released with out charge 1 hour later. Can safely say I’ve never been so much as spoken to by a police office previous to that, I understand some will say there’s two sides to every story, well I wish they’d caught all this on camera to put on one of their tv shows