FOOTBALL clubs should foot the bill for the £70million cost of policing matches, Britain’s top cop has demanded.
Met chief Sir Mark Rowley slammed the system where taxpayers pick up the tab to keep Premier League games safe.
Met chief Sir Mark Rowley[/caption]
He called for a “polluter pays approach” – warning local communities lose out on frontline policing while forces are stretched covering football.
Sir Mark told the BBC: “Policing of football matches across the country, mainly Premier League, cost policing £70 million it doesn’t get back from football clubs. In London, it’s more than a third of that.
“If you’re running a profit making event that because of the nature of it, requires security, requires policing to support your security because of the criminality that is going to be experienced, why isn’t the organiser paying for that, rather than local communities who lose their resources to go to football matches?”
The Met boss also blasted Britain’s outdated 43-force policing model – saying it’s been “not fit for purpose for at least two decades” and urgently needs ripping up.
He warned that with disappointing funding from Chancellor Rachel Reeves, forces face brutal cuts – with 3,300 cops and staff already slashed.
Sir Mark added: “We’ve cut 1,600 over the last couple of years… 1,700 officers and staff this year, that 3,300 out of an organisation just over 40,000 is a big hit.”
He’s now pushing for radical reforms and bigger regional forces, saying: “We need to reduce the number of forces by two-thirds… making better use of the limited funding available.”
And he warned unless urgent action is taken, overstretched cops will be forced to stop investigating some crimes altogether.
