31/03/2015

MUST meeting with Greater Manchester Police ahead of Manchester Derby

A supporter engagement meeting was held today ahead of next week’s Manchester derby to discuss policing strategy and any supporter concerns. Committee member Geoff Pearson represented MUST who were invited to attend on behalf of MUFC fans. Also present were Greater Manchester Police’s derby day Silver Commander, their Head of Events and Head of Football Liaison, along with a representative from Manchester City and the MCFC Supporters' Clubs.

The good news for the vast majority of United fans attending the match is that they should see no changes to the normal match-day, despite the more civilised derby kick-off time of 4pm. With the exception of Level 1 Public Order units in blue overalls, police will be in normal uniform.

Alcohol will be served in the stadium as usual with the exception of the East Stand Tier 1 block next to the away fans, who will be restricted to two beers per person and will have all drinks decanted into plastic cups. The same restrictions will apply to the visiting fans.

Fans approaching the Munich tunnel from the forecourt should be aware of the pinch point by the away fan turnstiles and may like to allow a little extra time due to increased searches of visiting fans. MUST requested that any police briefing at which stewards were present expressed the need to take a sensible approach to dealing with persistent standing for such a high-profile match.

Other points to be aware of:

• At this stage there are no plans for either s.60 CJPOA Stop and Search powers or s.35 ASBCPA Dispersal powers to be in place for this match.
• GMP will have patrols the evening before the match dedicated to preventing inflammatory graffiti.
• GMP are looking for feedback after the event from match-going fans so if you have any, please contact MUST and we will pass these on or add them as comments to this post