We're home next to Shrewsbury, maybe not the highest profile game but still one that has to be managed.

In the last home programme Howard Borrell gave us an insight into what effort goes into ensuring that each home fixture takes place as smoothly as possible. The relationship between the club and the local constabulary works well and that's thanks to enlightened management on both sides.

Read here the article that appeared in the Accrington Stanley programme

Football Matters

It's not as simple as you think

Crowd disorder is not something we're used to at Saltergate. Crowd frustration, lack of numbers, occasional elation - are all commonplace. However the recent crowd problems at the Grimsby game set me thinking about the background to such activity.

I suspect most of us hardly give a thought to what effort goes into making sure the matches remain as trouble free as possible - well here's a brief insight that will hopefully enable you to appreciate the work that takes place behind the scenes :

When the fixtures are published in June, the planning for the season begins. Matches will be categorised in terms of the risk and the potential for disorder as a result of various factors (local derby, history of trouble, intelligence provided by other forces etc.) and an initial plan for the season created with resource needed based on the initial categorization (which can change if circumstances change e.g. the opposition team is top of the table and the fixture is vital).

Even for a low risk game at Saltergate  there is need for a number of police officers to be deployed to meet fans at the railway station, escort supporter coaches, show a presence in both the town centre and at the main pubs for home and away fans and be available to assist with ground safety procedures should an incident occur.

Each Police Force has a Football Intelligence Officer who is crucial to the successful staging of any game, Their role includes liaising with their counterparts in other towns across the country and building a game profile that will form the operational plan. Early planning is crucial in order to ensure the appropriate staffing can be scheduled from normal duty; of course this becomes harder the higher the risk category and the greater the resource requirement. Bear in mind the same officers often are required to assist at Derby County games too hence the problems that would occur if both teams were drawn at home in the Cup on the same day!

The police keep a very low profile inside the ground; the agreement is that club stewards tend to keep the atmosphere more low key and  deal with breaches of ground regulations but are also able to call for support when needed. Colin Nellist, manages the day to day running of the Saltergate stadium, and plays a full part in pre-match planning.

Many of you will be aware that each away force deploys "spotters" to travel with the away supporters. These police officers provide vital knowledge and expertise that enables known away trouble makers (referred to as risk supporters) to be "weeded out" or potential problem fans to be closely monitored throughout the game via the CCTV in the Police room located underneath the main stand. Hand held video cameras are also used for this purpose. Chesterfield's own known risk supporters are similarly reviewed.

Constant monitoring of all of the ground and surrounding area takes place from the Police room. The town centre is now well catered for with CCTV and remote monitoring from Beetwell Street Police station allows officers to be effectively deployed to potential flashpoint locations in order to prevent disorder.

I think its fair to say that the approach to policing football today is much different to years gone by when little was understood about crowd dynamics and psychology. Nowadays, whilst not everything can be perfectly planned, there is so much more knowledge - in relation to both actual intelligence and the understanding of the less exact issues.

There is a UK Football Policing Unit which is now firmly established and integrated into UK Policing. The unit co-ordinates the football intelligence network in England and Wales, manages operations at railway stations, ports and airports (huge job when England are playing away) and similarly manages the Football Banning Orders Authority.

A recent study suggested that the issue facing the police is not exclusively one of handling known problem supporters but also of risk assessing and handling the dynamics of the crowd within which these people are present. Years ago fans would have been almost herded into the ground; today's more enlightened approach recognises that it is more productive for away supporters to be together in pubs designated for away fans. Officers now actively look to engage with supporters and build positive relationships as a means of lessening tensions and to gather information to assist the policing of the event.

Psychology is complex and people rarely react to order but with good planning, good relationships and adequate resourcing there's no reason why the distasteful scenes at the Grimsby game shouldn't be merely a blip in the generally exemplary record of good order that we are used to at Saltergate. Certainly when the next game passes off without incident don't ever think it happened by magic, it actually happened as a result of first class preparation and detailed, lengthy planning.

The police aren't perfect but it's not an easy task to ensure smooth running and yet remain generally in the background; we're very lucky that at Chesterfield we have a great working relationship and the club and the force both play their crucial parts.

Debbie Kelly, C (Chesterfield) Divisional Commander, summed it all up quite succinctly when she explained "I'm very proud of the success we've had over the years policing football in Chesterfield. The intention is to work, in partnership, to prevent disorder and keep the area safe for everyone, including non-football fans, and we look to achieve that in as low-key a way as possible. Sometimes a more visible presence cannot be avoided but that will always be based on intelligence and our response will be commensurate with the identified risk".