Derby football fans told to ‘keep passion on pitch’.
Police are urging football supporters attending the upcoming East Anglian derby to “keep the passion on the pitch”.
Ipswich Town will host Norwich City at Portman Road on Sunday, with approximately 2,000 Norwich fans anticipated to travel down.
The meeting will be the first between the clubs since last April, due to Town’s Premier League appearance last season.
Suffolk Police Chief Inspector Matt Breeze stated that 400 officers will be on duty for the event, adding that those who violated the rules would face consequences.
Stuart Howells/BBC“It’s a very passionate day without a doubt,” he told me.
“A lot depends on this for both teams and supporters, and it brings a lot of passion, which we want to keep on the pitch and in the stands rather than spilling onto the streets.
“We recognise that it is a day that we need to step up some of our plans, that’s why we’ve got additional resources in order to cover some of the eventualities that we anticipate.”
Suffolk Police will be assisted by cops from Norfolk, and mounted officers will be on duty during the match.
Stuart Howells/BBCAccording to Ch Insp Breeze, the force is aware that “the majority of people coming to the football want to enjoy their day”. “The message is for those who don’t want to do that and are intent on causing disorder, anti-social behaviour or criminality, we have a really good policing operation wrapped around this and we will deal with that robustly,” said the officer.
“The consequences could include court lawsuits, and we will pursue persons in those courts. “We can ask for banning orders that prevents somebody attending football matches, which I’m sure a lot of true fans will find really impactive.”
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