Police cuts fear over club’s court victory on costs

United yesterday won a legal battle with West Yorkshire Police over the cost of the matchday services provided by its officers 
at the club’s Elland Road ground.

A spokesman for the force said that, during the forthcoming season, it had planned to recover around £62,000 of the estimated £80,000 cost of policing each high-risk United home game from the club.

“If the High Court’s judgment limits that further, the shortfall would have to be met by drawing up to 180 officers away from neighbourhood policing and patrol teams across West Yorkshire on a Saturday afternoon, just to police a football match,” said the spokesman.

It is thought the financial shortfall over a whole season could be around £1m.

Andrew Tempest-Mitchell, chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, also predicted the public would end up “bearing 
the brunt” of Mr Justice Eady’s ruling.

Mr Tempest-Mitchell, whose organisation represents rank-and-file officers in the county, told the Yorkshire Post: “We would have major concerns if frontline delivery of policing in the whole of West Yorkshire was affected by an event taking place in Leeds 
alone and for a minority of people.”

In yesterday’s ruling, Mr Justice Eady said the services provided by the police around Elland Road on matchdays fell within the normal constabulary duty of keeping the peace.

He added: “More generally, it seems wrong to discount the majority of well-behaved fans who come to Elland Road, whether club supporters or visitors, all of whom retain their status as members of the public.

In that capacity, they too are entitled to expect police protection.

“In any event, I consider 
that there would be insuperable difficulties in seeking to sub-
divide people, in public highways and other spaces, when trying to assess to whose benefit such duties were carried out.”

Mr Justice Eady said there was no single drain on West Yorkshire Police’s diminishing resources greater than that of policing the club’s matches.

“During the season, home matches take place generally once a fortnight.

“One can only admire the stoicism of such officers who are required to carry out these stressful duties, not because of some genuine emergency, but simply as a matter of routine.”

Mr Justice Eady added that it was likely steps would, if police funds became too stretched, have to be taken to limit the threat of violence at high-risk matches.

His judgment listed three suggestions made by officers who gave evidence during the case. They are:

n Reducing the number of fans 
allowed to attend games;

n Limiting the availability of alcohol;

n Switching to earlier kick-off times.

It is not clear from the ruling whether the suggestions refer to football in general or United games specifically.

Lawyers for West Yorkshire Police had said the policing provided around Elland Road was exclusively – or nearly exclusively – for the protection of those attending United’s matches and the benefit of the club, and not for the safety of the public at large.

They argued that the club’s claim was wrong in law, offended logic and was not supportable on the facts.

West Yorkshire Police’s legal costs from the case are understood to be less than six figures.