FOOTBALL clubs need to do more to ensure the safety of fans at matches and leave police free to deal with anti-social behaviour and crime.
A review of the way football is policed has concluded that officers are being stretched by too many duties such as traffic and crowd control.
The review, by Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts of South Yorkshire Police, also said that fans attending matches could be at "significant risk" because of the way safety certification is managed across the country.
The report was commissioned by Police Scotland following a crush outside Celtic Park last year ahead of an Old Firm March.
DCC Roberts, The football lead of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said that Scottish football clubs should adopt practices used in England and employ traffic management companies outside grounds when roads needed to be closed, and also work to improve the quality of stewarding.
He said that many fans felt a large police presence was oppressive and were more receptive to advice from club officials than orders from officers.
DCC Roberts said: “The club is putting on the event so its primary responsibility is the safety of people in the ground, so that should include an effective stewarding operation which deals with the issues stewards can properly deal with.”
He spoke of witnessing first-hand stewards at “high-profile, high-risk” fixtures behaving inappropriately, such as celebrating goals in front of opposition fans or joking with supporters who had been repeatedly warned over their behaviour by police.”
DCC Roberts said: “We see the police being there [at matches] and people deferring to them when a lot of the time it’s stuff which could be done by stewards.
“I think it’s incumbent on anyone putting on an event -whether pop concert or football match - to steward it and make it safe.
“The police are there for when people engage in crime and anti-social behaviour.”
The crush at Celtic Park coinincided with the launch of the review
Meanwhile, the progression of Rangers from the third division to the top flight had served to "shine a spotlight" on safety practices around the country.
A number of "serious safety issues" across the country were highlighted, including clubs erecting unsafe scaffolding on terracing for the large numbers of away fans and the deliberate selling of more tickets than the stadium capacity.
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The review heard this was not confined to Rangers league games but also occurred at Scottish Cup matches where teams with large travelling support play at smaller grounds.
The review said the safety of spectators was put at risk and there could have been a "critical safety incident" at any of the grounds if not for the intervention of "committed pr
Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr, of Police Scotland, said: "It is important for a learning organisation such as Police Scotland to reflect on areas where we may be able to improve our procedures or learn from good practice elsewhere.
"Therefore, we will consider the recommendations relating to policing and report to the Scottish Police Authority in due course."
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