:zzzzz: Are the mods asleep? What's this got to do with us? :zzzzz:
I don't pay my subscription fees for this!
Just thought that something affecting a game between a side four places above us and, more importantly a side four places and nine points behind aiming to push into the play-offs might be of interest.
More importantly is it setting a precedent which could end up effecting all clubs, and probably more disproportionately the smaller lower league clubs like ourselves?
Gills already had the same threat over their Cup game against Stoke when Kent Police refused to police the game unless the Gills paid for the extra level of policing that the police decided was required. Obviously Gills were faced with the choice of an empty stadium against a Prem side in the Cup and the loss of a large gate or paying up; they chose to pay.... Now Kent Police have decided that they need more officers for the Swindon game and are taking the same tack, backed up with a prohibition order from Medway Council.
There have already been mumblings being floated in the last week or so from various Police authorities that they would like to pass on the costs of policing not only inside the grounds as they already do but to an area around the ground, they have produced figures to back up the case for extra police being required within several miles radius of the ground.
Now, how could that impact on us?
Well on Monday we had a game which just happened to coincide with Easter Monday and Wimbledon brought 800 to town and, from their own comments on here, enjoyed a day out at the seaside to go with the game, and why not? We turn trips to Morecambe, etc. into a weekend away. :thumbsup:
It was a Bank Holiday Monday and no doubt a number of them would have gone to the Seafront where there were in excess of a 1000 bikes in town for the Shakedown.
Pier Hill is 1.5 miles from the ticket office at Roots Hall.....
On Monday it was Wimbledon and apart from a couple, or three, silly people at the game I understand they caused no problems in town or on the Seafront.
Now go forward 12 months and we are in League 1 and the fixture fairy has decided that Col U, Orient, Brentford, Coventry or Pompey are in town for the day and Essex Police decide that SUFC are not only responsible for the extra police they want in the ground but all the extras they want to deploy around the town for the day within a 2 mile radius of the ground. I would imagine that the bills for policing Southend on a Bank Holiday Monday are pretty steep and with the pressure on police budgets it would be very tempting to load most of the costs in as the extra officers 'required' for the football match with the bill conveniently being picked up by the Club; all backed up with the threat of, 'if you don't we'll get SBC to issue a prohibition notice', and let's face it no council in the country ever ignores police advice with regard to policing public events, just in case it goes pear shaped.
That's what I think it's got to do with us.
