Police warn football hooligans

Reported by thewestonmercury.co.uk

August 5th 2009

TROUBLEMAKERS travelling to Amsterdam next week for the England game are being warned by police to be on their best behaviour.

Officers and officials at Bristol International Airport have joined forces and have carried out well rehearsed plans as part of a special ‘beat-the-hooligan’ operation.

The friendly international will take place on Wednesday and any football fans seen to be misbehaving or showing inappropriate behaviour will be prevented from travelling to the game.

The 59 holders of football banning orders (FBOs) in the Avon and Somerset force area will be required to surrender their passports by this Friday or Saturday.

They will also be required to report to their local police station on the day of the match.

Police football officer Roger Thayer said: “For this operation, we will also be checking passengers who may be travelling from outside the force area en-route to the England match.”

During the past month there were isolated incidents when Ajax visited Bristol City for a pre-season friendly game, which resulted in some arrests and football banning orders, in respect of three Dutch fans.

A FBO prevents attendance at any regulated match for a period of between three and five years – if the individual is not subjected to a custodial sentence.

For those who are imprisoned, the banning order extends to a period of between six and 10 years.

Other conditions requested on a FBO may include exclusion zones around stadiums before and after home fixtures, plus a day-long ban on travel to towns and cities, where away matches are being played

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Police to stop hooligans at Bristol Airport

Reported by thisisbristol.co.uk

Avon and Somerset police are teaming up with Bristol International Airport to stop football hooligans travelling to the England v Holland friendly next week.

The teams meet in Amsterdam on August 12 and in the past there have been problems when the teams have played.

There were also incidents when Ajax visited Bristol City for a pre-season friendly game last month, which resulted in some arrests and football banning orders for three Dutch fans.

The 59 holders of football banning orders (FBOs) in the Avon and Somerset force area will have to surrender their passports by Friday or Saturday. They will also have to report to their local police station on the day of the match.

And in the days before the game police will be running a special operation at the airport. Anyone failing to surrender their passport will be identified and arrested by police – under the conditions of their banning orders.

In the past year, a handful of fans have been intercepted at the airport and questioned or arrested after being identified for football-related anti-social behaviour.

Football officer Roger Thayer said: “We have in place well-rehearsed plans and operations, which we roll out for England’s away matches. This has a two-fold purpose – helping to provide reassurance to genuine fans travelling to support their national team, as well as others flying from the airport and secondly, to ensure that any potential troublemakers are stopped before flying out from Bristol.”

An FBO prevents attendance at any regulated match for a period of between three and five years – if the individual is not subjected to a custodial sentence. For those who are imprisoned, the ban extends to a period of between six and 10 years.