The Metropolitan Police force was first established in 1829 and consisted of roughly 1,000 men, many of whom were former soldiers or sailors. [1] Before its conception, informal factions of watchmen and patrols would be in charge of surveying the city streets and looking out for crime. Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Met Police services located in Westminster, is commonly used as an alternate name for the force itself. [2] Over the years, the Met Police have been instrumental in running interference in a variety of different situations. Although this station closed down in March 2019 (Appendix 2), there are 18 more located within London – excluding two offices for the City of London Police, which is an institution separate from the Met – staffed by over 43,000 men and women, ready to serve. The force also has a connection to football aside from its involvement in providing security and breaking up fights. Seeing as it is England's favourite pastime, in 1919, the organization established the Metropolitan Police FC, their own official football club, which still plays today and is currently located just outside London in Surrey. [3]

This destination is the fourth stop on the Football Hooliganism Tour

The Metropolitan Police have an extensive history associated with violence given their duty to uphold peace throughout their jurisdiction. In the mid 1980s, hooliganism was reaching a peak [4], and getting to the point where some officials were unsure if football should go on as a whole if matches could not be controlled and conducted in an orderly manner. It is a remarkably large job placed in the hands of the police, and though they try their best, things do not always go as planned and mistakes can be made. In a few cases, due to a lack of coordination, it was common for disturbances in the early years of hooliganism to end in some form of tragedy. To no fault of the police themselves, events beyond their control – such as the overcrowding during the Hillsborough Disaster – can result in injury and sometimes even death.

Police presence at venues and games was beginning to be increasingly imperative as the violence progressed. Not only were they charged with providing security for the teams and the patrons of the venue as a whole, but often extra recruits were brought in for the match officials, who were constantly under fire, typically by the losing team, for making the wrong call. [5]

The increased police attendance became both a cause for concern and rejoice. Not only was it starting to make strides to improve the issue of hooliganism, noted that in the last two decades there has been a drastic decline of violent outbursts [6], but as the years go on and the attendance of events grows bigger, so does the need for more security. 2018 saw record high numbers in terms police presence, up to as many as one officer per 50 attendees for Premier League matches. [7] Though increased protection and decreased instances of hooliganism are undoubtedly positives, the negative side is that it does not seem fiscally responsible when taking into consideration the amount of money that is funnelled into it, with a single event ranging from £20,000 to £200,000. [8] That being said, the police services are not even benefiting from this deal, as they are only generating revenue from any work done within the actual stadiums – any escalation outside of the venue's property or in the streets is not included as event coverage.

[1] "Met Police Timeline."

[2] Britannica. "Scotland Yard."

[3] "Metropolitan Police Football Club." Metropolitan Police FC

[4] Frosdick, Steve, and Peter Marsh. Football Hooliganism

[5] Dunning, Eric, Patrick Murphy, and John Williams. The Roots of Football Hooliganism: An Historical and Sociological Study

[6] Homer, Alex. "Premier League and EFL Football Matches 'over-policed'." BBC News.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Scotland Yard." Encyclopædia Britannica. November 07, 2017. Accessed March 21, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Scotland-Yard.

Dunning, Eric. "TOWARDS A SOCIOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF FOOTBALL HOOLIGANISM AS A WORLD PHENOMENON." European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 2000.

Frosdick, Steve, and Peter Marsh. Football Hooliganism. Devon: Willan Publishing, 2005. Accessed February 23, 2019.

Homer, Alex. "Premier League and EFL Football Matches 'over-policed'." BBC News. July 24, 2018. Accessed March 21, 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-44871578.

"Met Police Timeline." Met Police Timeline. Accessed March 21, 2019. https://www.metpolicehistory.co.uk/met-police-timeline.html.

"Metropolitan Police Football Club." Metropolitan Police FC. Accessed March 21, 2019. http://metropolitanpolicefc.non-league.org/.