What the heck were the police upto after the game?

[Napper]

The policing for the Palace game was an utter joke and despite what Clapham is saying the policing outside the Amex was crap as well. Numerous incidents and lack of policing meaning the horses and baton charges had to come out down a very thin walkway while fans qued for a train.

Last night wasn't great.

Pompey will be much much worse.

Sussex Police do seem to be clueless is has to be said.

 

[ManxSeagull]

As I posted elsewhere, I'm pretty sure the next Palace game at the Amex will be early lunchtime on a Sunday.

Makes sense. I always feel putting a game on the evening doesn't eliminate trouble as fans take the afternoon off, spend all afternoon in the pub and are probably in a worse state than a 3pm Saturday kickoff.

 

[gjh1971]

Glad to see tht those who actually witnessed the events outside the south stand agree with me. It was frightening. There were elderly folk and parents with young children being compressed into an ever diminishing space with Millwall fans pushing into the melee. The police did not seem to understand that they had trapped Brighton and Millwall suppoerters together or that you cannot access the P & R from the coach park steps. Overall not a good night.

Totally agree - me and my wheelchair bound father got caught in this as we made it from the West Stand to Bennetts Field - I had to push and force a gap between two policeman in order for us to get to our car. Inept policing and could have been a very dangerous situation

 

[sydney]

sussex plodd ..........clueless.

 

[APACHE]

As I posted on another thread, the Amex design is a problem with any away support causing trouble as they must exit with the home support. The police can't funnel the away support either way out as they either go into the parking area or train station. If they come out at the same time or late they must mix together. T he coach area steps are a real problem as they are right opposite the away gates.

 

[DanielT]

very poor policing , forcing 2300 millwall fans up 2 rows of steps , then getting arsey when people start pushing . Massive bottle neck . Keep em inside for 15 minutes job done everyones happy . Brighton police really do amaze me sometimes ...

OK, what idiot gave them a bottle?!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

OK, what idiot gave them a bottle?!

Hope they took the top off.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Same disaster as the Palace game. Millwall fans down the ramp, Brighton down the steps and then all merge at the bottom on the corner. Who's bright idea was this? Gives everyone a chance to pick each other out and then goes off at the bottom. God help us when Cardiff and Pompey come calling! Been lucky so far, but it wont last forever...

it's all come home to roost

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

You have 2,500 away fans here, give or take. I don't know what the exact numbers are, but there are nothing like that number of police at a game. There's only about 3,300 officers in the whole of Sussex Police at any time. I see what you're saying about some offences being ignored, but if every football supporter- of either team- was arrested for everything that constituted an offence last night then there would not be a single officer left in the ground, I absolutely guarantee it. There would simply not be enough cells in the county to take them all either. Fact.

So you're left with a situation where the people committing the more serious or flagrant or persistent offences are the ones who are nicked, or ejected, whereas others will, inevitably, get away with certain things. And that, I am certain, applies to Albion fans too, you know that as well as I do. Don't tell me you didn't hear any Albion fans giving it large last night, or swearing in an unacceptable manner, or trying to start stuff (just in case you actually didn't: trust me, there were a few).

I am genuinely intrigued to see what you think a police commissioner- some eager local worthy with no experience of either public order situations, football or the legal system- might be able to do about that. Makes no odds to me who gets the job, it's all just a government PR stunt if you want my opinion: I just can't see how you expect it to impact on the Albion games.

Darren must be so pleased .

 

[honey boy zimba]

Dont think Darren gives a hoot really, all thoose orders are from the match commander and we all know how much they are in touch with the real world

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Dont think Darren gives a hoot really, all thoose orders are from the match commander and we all know how much they are in touch with the real world

think your wrong their mate , he likes to be the DB ,likes to know his "boys" are in check .

 

[Dover]

I left the ground a little later than most, and the Police were winding up for the night.

I do think that due to staying behind most us that did, simply missed any trouble at all. The only issue, and it is minor, is the buses need to be a little more regular.

As for Sussex Police having no idea re public order, I nearly chocked on my ham sandwich. If that is the case why do the big conferences come to Brighton. It's not just for a jolly at the seaside, and a visit to the pier, it because Sussex Police are adept at handling large and possibly violent crowds.

 

[honey boy zimba]

Keeping a ring of steel around the Brighton center such as operation otter is not the same as 2000 milwall fans looking for as fight as I said policing withdean was a stroll compared to the amex lot of difference 5.5k to 20k and bigger elements looking for trouble

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Why can't away fans simply be kept in for 15 minutes, at these high risk games.

Get the bulk of home fans away first.

This is a successful policy at ManU-LFC and many other similar fixtures.

Does it take a stabbing or someone in a coma for Sx Police to learn the lesson?

All very well trying to make the Amex experience a friendly affair, but for say c. 4 fixtures a year, that will be proved to be naive in the long run.

human rights seemly

 

[Lord Bamber]

Could have been but wasn't. Note the completely different approach to policing at the Palace home and away games. Effect ? probably the same.

Point is, there would probably been the same amount of trouble, if not more if you separate groups of pissed men into tribes. The police are attempting something different and for that I applaud them.

Tonight ? Wasn't there, but I'm probably more aware of the antics of Millwall fans than most. But - don't use the example of Palace because the trouble was minimal. Possibly the approach to Millwall fans needs to be different, possibly the police need to learn from tonight for next time Millwall visit... but please...

.. don't criticise them for not resorting treating football fans like animals by default. Anyone go to the Wimbledon game BEFORE the palace 5-0 defeat away. Not only were there a handful of Wimbledon fans at the game (at the height of the protest) - we were giving a police escort back to the station as a trial to the Palace game.

I'm sorry, something from not only another era, another country.

The decision to try and do something different has been one of the best things about the Amex generally and I wouldn't want them to change that because of over the top reactions to "trouble" that in reality was nothing when everybody got home safe and well.

How would you feel then if you had been on the receiving end last night, say put in hospital, would you say then, oh well, it was a police experiment?

I think this shows that for high profile games (those clubs with nob ends) we need a midday k/o on a weekend. Its all made worse for the mad dashes for the trains. Was the friday game with leeds ok I stayed behind till bars shut so by then it was all clear? We also have cardiff on a weds any idea if they will sell out?

Pompey is a saturday so it will be interesting to see what happens there with a 3pm k/o.

Totally agree with TMLS here, wise words.