LONDON - The number of arrests made in connection with football in England and Wales rose for the third consecutive year during the 2023-24 season, according to the German news agency (dpa), citing a report published on Thursday.
The UK Home Office report highlighted arrests made at international tournaments and those made for possession of Class A drugs were a driving force behind the increase.
In total there were 2,584 arrests made in connection with domestic football in England and Wales, as well as games involving the national teams abroad, representing a 14 per cent increase, while the number of football banning orders in force went up by 34 per cent to 2,172.
West Ham supporters had the highest number of banning orders with 93, followed by Manchester United and Millwall fans in second and third place.
The total number of new banning orders issued nationwide during 2023-24 was 825, an increase of 21 per cent and the highest number issued in a single season since 2010-11.
An overwhelming majority of the banning orders issued were for males aged 18 to 34, with 99.4 per cent of the 2,172 orders in force in August 2024 being against males and 68.1 per cent against supporters in that age range.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Lead for Football Policing, chief constable Mark Roberts, said: "While the total number of incidents is still above pre-pandemic levels, it’s encouraging to see them stabilising and going in the right direction, with a 12 per cent fall in the number of matches where football-related incidents were reported.
"That correlates with the proactive approach we have seen from police forces across the country.
"It is important that these figures are put into context. Last season around 47 million people attended men’s domestic and international matches, the highest number we have on record, and the vast majority of football fans are law-abiding citizens who want to support their team.
"However, there are a small number of fans who commit offences, and we will continue to work closely with the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) and our other partners to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.”
The most common reason for arrest was public disorder offences (43 per cent) with violent disorder offences second (19 per cent) and possession of Class A drugs third (13 per cent).
All of the 281 arrests relating to overseas tournaments came at Euro 2024, while there were 344 arrests made for Class A drug possession at football matches in England and Wales. Both sets of figures contributed to the overall rise.
For the third consecutive year, West Ham had the highest number of arrests, with 103 of the 2,043 recorded in England and Wales across the season, representing a slight increase from the previous campaign (2,037). Manchester City and Manchester United shared second place, while Arsenal ranked fourth. - BERNAMA-dpa