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Viking Chat => Viking Chat => Topic started by: Dabby on February 24, 2018, 12:45:35 am

Title: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Dabby on February 24, 2018, 12:45:35 am
Armed police will be on standby and more than 100 officers will help keep rival football fans apart at tomorrow's South Yorkshire derby between Rotherham United and Doncaster Rovers.

Read more at: https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/armed-police-on-standby-for-rotherham-united-and-doncaster-rovers-clash-1-9033405
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Bristol Red Rover on February 24, 2018, 01:18:06 am
Hope they have legs too.  :coat:
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Padge_DRFC on February 24, 2018, 06:46:00 am
Bit extreme
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: DearneValleyRover on February 24, 2018, 08:10:04 am
When did this become a war zone fixture, seems to me that SYP are the only ones bigging this up, if there is trouble they will have gone a long way to contributing to it.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Donnywolf on February 24, 2018, 08:26:08 am
Seems a bizarre message "to send"

Armed Police - really ? The Police who do a great job get enough flack if they shoot someone who is armed and particularly if they are "fooled" by a Replica weapon - so there would be zero chance of them opening fire on an unarmed crowd surely

There were bigger crowds than 11500 years back and a bigger percentage of those were actively seeking "aggro" and the Police did what they could with Horses Dogs and Man power so this seems to be just "sabre rattling"

There is more chance of us winning 10-0 with all goals in the last 10 Minutes than a single shot being fired
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: bobjimwilly on February 24, 2018, 08:36:35 am
why the f*ck are armed police needed? No fans there will have guns. And if any officer dared to fire their weapon against an unarmed member of the public they would face severe consequences - this isn't the f*cking USA!
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: RedJ on February 24, 2018, 08:38:18 am
We're hardly going into some ultra infested war zone hahaha, this is a massive overreaction.

Yet nothing anywhere near this scale was put on in Doncaster when they came.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Super Colin Cramb on February 24, 2018, 08:57:28 am
The article does say that armed police are on standby so we will only see them if really needed. If that’s what is needed to keep women and children safe say so be it.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: IDM on February 24, 2018, 09:01:42 am
They also say that Wednesday are at home too.

Maybe the armed police on standby is a precautionary thing that police do these days whenever there are large crowd public events. As far fetched as it sounds, it could just be an anti-terrorist contingency plan, and nowt to do with football per se??
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Donnywolf on February 24, 2018, 09:03:46 am
Personally they are as I said above just "sabre rattling" - letting people know they are not messing about BUT seriously are they going to brandish Automatic Weapons to break up a few fights ?

Better get Sabre the Alsatian on the job and let him and his Pals loose !
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Donnywolf on February 24, 2018, 09:05:46 am
They also say that Wednesday are at home too.

Maybe the armed police on standby is a precautionary thing that police do these days whenever there are large crowd public events. As far fetched as it sounds, it could just be an anti-terrorist contingency plan, and nowt to do with football per se??

Thats quite possible - and makes more sense - because whether we as Fans like it or not sooner or later someone will target a "soft" Target where there is a biggish Crowd for their gratification / to further their cause (which it never does)
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: IDM on February 24, 2018, 09:08:22 am
Lets just hope that the only battles are on the pitch this afternoon.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: RedJ on February 24, 2018, 09:09:50 am
They also say that Wednesday are at home too.

Maybe the armed police on standby is a precautionary thing that police do these days whenever there are large crowd public events. As far fetched as it sounds, it could just be an anti-terrorist contingency plan, and nowt to do with football per se??

Thats quite possible - and makes more sense - because whether we as Fans like it or not sooner or later someone will target a "soft" Target where there is a biggish Crowd for their gratification / to further their cause (which it never does)
Always amazes me nobody has ever decided to try and attack Old Trafford. Biggest (club) ground in the country and the biggest crowds in one place too (aside from maybe Spurs at the moment?).
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: IDM on February 24, 2018, 09:10:47 am
That is probably why the police have such plans?
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Friendly Miller on February 24, 2018, 11:14:15 am
I'm only guessing but I think it could have something to do with the Asian grooming gangs in Rotherham being headline news again this week.

They've had armed police at a few games before when the news first broke.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Padge_DRFC on February 24, 2018, 11:24:33 am
Well they’ve sent 80 Rovers fans home already with tickets and they’re not allowed back to Rotherham
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Glyn_Wigley on February 24, 2018, 11:27:01 am
I'm pretty sure there are armed police available - if needed - pretty much all the time, whatever the circumstances. Having said that, what the copper is quoted as saying in the DFP is an 'armed response nearby', which might not mean firearms but tazers and/or tear gas.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: roversontheup on February 24, 2018, 12:45:17 pm
I have been to quite a few events in recent months where armed police were visible. None of the events would normally justify such precautions but then these are hardly normal times. I doubt it has anything to do with it being a footie match just a large congregation of people in one area.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: graingrover on February 24, 2018, 02:20:52 pm
The article on DROS describing Rotherham FC's anti terrorist safety precautions explains the armed police presence.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Filo on February 24, 2018, 02:33:03 pm
The only terrorist around today are the SYP armed with dispersal orders
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: southwestexile on February 24, 2018, 02:45:45 pm
Lets hope that the only shooting is into the Rotherham goal 💩
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Bristol Red Rover on February 24, 2018, 03:26:00 pm
It is a ridiculous and amateur statement even if for the purpose of sabre rattling. Are they meaning armed with rubber bullets or is there a shoot to kill policy in South Yorks these days?

If the reaction to that is a "we'll behave then", maybe that can be seen as a good thing, BUT what if just one nutter sees it as a challenge and decides to tool up with something more extreme, or even uses a knife before getting the feck out of the place. Madness. Hopefully the press will chase this up and call them out on it.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: German Rover on February 24, 2018, 03:28:13 pm
It's 100% a counter terrorism thing, not a football thing. No need to get excited. They aren't going to be mowing down football fans indiscriminately.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Bristol Red Rover on February 24, 2018, 03:36:38 pm
It's 100% a counter terrorism thing, not a football thing. No need to get excited. They aren't going to be mowing down football fans indiscriminately.

That may be the case, but they mentioned it in relation to the footy.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: ian1980 on February 24, 2018, 03:53:52 pm
No beer on sale at half time. Wtf
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: nortikorner on February 24, 2018, 05:33:16 pm
Have there brought Duckenfield  out of retirement
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Chris Black come back on February 24, 2018, 05:34:50 pm
No beer on sale at half time. Wtf

Nowt different from trying to get pint at half time at Keepmoat!
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Jim Dobbin on February 24, 2018, 06:15:00 pm
Its terrorism and an event with a crowd. Most of the derby games have had them.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: silent majority on February 24, 2018, 08:41:04 pm
At a meeting with SY Police earlier this season the officer who is responsible for football told us that he was in Barcelona with his family at the time the terrorists struck there.

For that reason he has made armed Police available at all major games this season. This has been discussed on this forum before and was pointed out then that this would be for our safety, and if spotted it would be preferable if we didn't engage with them.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: big fat yorkshire pudding on February 24, 2018, 08:50:32 pm
A few things I found strange though. Why show match ticket to get outbthe station? What if we were just random people going to Rotherham?

Secondly how poorly designed is that exit from the stadium?  It just didn't work.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: silent majority on February 25, 2018, 09:44:06 am
A few things I found strange though. Why show match ticket to get outbthe station? What if we were just random people going to Rotherham?

Secondly how poorly designed is that exit from the stadium?  It just didn't work.

You don't have to have a match ticket to exit a station, there is still freedom of movement in this country.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Filo on February 25, 2018, 11:25:35 am
At a meeting with SY Police earlier this season the officer who is responsible for football told us that he was in Barcelona with his family at the time the terrorists struck there.

For that reason he has made armed Police available at all major games this season. This has been discussed on this forum before and was pointed out then that this would be for our safety, and if spotted it would be preferable if we didn't engage with them.

But why make a point of it in the local press for this particular match?
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: silent majority on February 25, 2018, 11:42:48 am
At a meeting with SY Police earlier this season the officer who is responsible for football told us that he was in Barcelona with his family at the time the terrorists struck there.

For that reason he has made armed Police available at all major games this season. This has been discussed on this forum before and was pointed out then that this would be for our safety, and if spotted it would be preferable if we didn't engage with them.

But why make a point of it in the local press for this particular match?

Its politics. SY Police are playing a bigger game than just yesterdays derby clash.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Filo on February 25, 2018, 11:50:12 am
At a meeting with SY Police earlier this season the officer who is responsible for football told us that he was in Barcelona with his family at the time the terrorists struck there.

For that reason he has made armed Police available at all major games this season. This has been discussed on this forum before and was pointed out then that this would be for our safety, and if spotted it would be preferable if we didn't engage with them.

But why make a point of it in the local press for this particular match?

Its politics. SY Police are playing a bigger game than just yesterdays derby clash.

There's eight South Yorkshire derby's this season, why chose this one to play politics?

If you mean they are trying to squeeze more money from clubs for policing, there are two much bigger derby's in Sheffield to play politics with
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: RedJ on February 25, 2018, 11:54:50 am
A few things I found strange though. Why show match ticket to get outbthe station? What if we were just random people going to Rotherham?

Secondly how poorly designed is that exit from the stadium?  It just didn't work.

You don't have to have a match ticket to exit a station, there is still freedom of movement in this country.

They made a point of getting everyone on my train and I hear the one after to show their match tickets on the way out of the station.

And then held everyone up for about 45 minutes - but let random people go through (that were wearing Rovers stuff, so no, it wasn't just random commuters). I mean I see the point of a police escort but that was a bit weird. And the policeman at the top of the stairs told us where the away pub was in relation to the station - only for nobody to actually be allowed to leave if you ended up where everybody was being held.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: silent majority on February 25, 2018, 11:55:56 am
At a meeting with SY Police earlier this season the officer who is responsible for football told us that he was in Barcelona with his family at the time the terrorists struck there.

For that reason he has made armed Police available at all major games this season. This has been discussed on this forum before and was pointed out then that this would be for our safety, and if spotted it would be preferable if we didn't engage with them.

But why make a point of it in the local press for this particular match?

Its politics. SY Police are playing a bigger game than just yesterdays derby clash.

There's eight South Yorkshire derby's this season, why chose this one to play politics?

If you mean they are trying to squeeze more money from clubs for policing, there are two much bigger derby's in Sheffield to play politics with

Does it matter? They've adopted this position all season and our game was just another one in a long list.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43140824?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_sport&ns_source=facebook&ns_linkname=sport

Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: silent majority on February 25, 2018, 12:00:02 pm
A few things I found strange though. Why show match ticket to get outbthe station? What if we were just random people going to Rotherham?

Secondly how poorly designed is that exit from the stadium?  It just didn't work.

You don't have to have a match ticket to exit a station, there is still freedom of movement in this country.

They made a point of getting everyone on my train and I hear the one after to show their match tickets on the way out of the station.

And then held everyone up for about 45 minutes - but let random people go through (that were wearing Rovers stuff, so no, it wasn't just random commuters). I mean I see the point of a police escort but that was a bit weird. And the policeman at the top of the stairs told us where the away pub was in relation to the station - only for nobody to actually be allowed to leave if you ended up where everybody was being held.

The problem is our fault. What I mean by that is that as football supporters we allow ourselves to be treated this way. If half the laws that apply to football supporters were foisted on the general public the country would be in uproar and claims of living in a Police state would be justified.

At the FSF we call it 'accept and expect'. We continue to accept that our freedoms are tossed to one side when we attend games of football and we also expect to be treated that way.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: RedJ on February 25, 2018, 12:15:08 pm
Yeah but there's f**k all you can actually do about it at the exact time it's happening to you if you actually want to see the game you've paid to go to. Doesn't make it right but you don't have much choice in the moment.
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Filo on February 25, 2018, 12:26:11 pm
Yeah but there's f**k all you can actually do about it at the exact time it's happening to you if you actually want to see the game you've paid to go to. Doesn't make it right but you don't have much choice in the moment.

I agree, but afterwards there is, if only a handful of those that got dispersal orders yesterday came forward and allowed a case to be built by organisatiins such as the FSF around the way football fans are treated then maybe there could be change. While football fans bleat and accept such treatment things will never change
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: Filo on February 25, 2018, 01:33:18 pm
At a meeting with SY Police earlier this season the officer who is responsible for football told us that he was in Barcelona with his family at the time the terrorists struck there.

For that reason he has made armed Police available at all major games this season. This has been discussed on this forum before and was pointed out then that this would be for our safety, and if spotted it would be preferable if we didn't engage with them.

But why make a point of it in the local press for this particular match?

Its politics. SY Police are playing a bigger game than just yesterdays derby clash.

There's eight South Yorkshire derby's this season, why chose this one to play politics?

If you mean they are trying to squeeze more money from clubs for policing, there are two much bigger derby's in Sheffield to play politics with

Does it matter? They've adopted this position all season and our game was just another one in a long list.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43140824?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_sport&ns_source=facebook&ns_linkname=sport



That article mentions only football, it would be interesting to know who meets to cost of events like Leger week, particurlally Leger day when thousands of pissed up Geordies are given free reign of Doncaster Town Centre, should the racecourse cover these costs?
Title: Re: Armed police will be on Standby on saturday.
Post by: silent majority on February 25, 2018, 01:56:02 pm
Filo, they're after the many millions that football has. Its nothing new, the Met Police have been banging on about wealthy London clubs for the last few years, and the Mayor has joined in on that debate too. But every time it goes through the courts it quite rightly gets rejected.