Met continues zero-tolerance approach to football fans found with drugs

The Met is working closely with football clubs to deal with fans attending football matches in possession of illegal drugs which leads to violence and anti-social behaviour.

A football banning order can be imposed for a minimum of three years for any football fan found with drugs on a matchday.

During Millwall’s Championship match with Preston North End at The Den in January, officers received a report through the anonymous text line of a man taking drugs and using homophobic language towards a Preston player.

Frederick Hardley, 28, (25/10/1995) from Worthing was arrested and subsequently plead guilty to using threatening or abusive words and possession of a Class B drug.

The Met applied for a three-year banning order which was issued by the court. He also paid more than £700 in costs and received a six-month conditional discharge for being in possession of cannabis.

Officers from the Met also successfully applied for three-year banning orders for two Manchester City fans who were found in possession of cocaine.

Timothy Blakey, 26, (02/02/1998) from Boroughbridge and Nathan Urmstone, 30, (02/12/1993) from Stockport, Manchester, will watch the remainder of Man City’s Premier League and Champions League title defences from their sofa.

They will also be banned from all football matches for the majority of the next three seasons.

As the Met’s preparations for the upcoming European Championships continue, all three men will also be banned from travelling to Germany for the tournament. Their ban is in place for all international matches which includes the World Cup in America, Mexico and Canada.

Superintendent Gerry Parker from the football policing unit said: “The Met is committed to reducing crime and anti-social behaviour at football fixtures. To ensure football fans have the best experience at matches, we are working hard to deter and detect drug related crime. This means we will apply for fans found with drugs to receive a banning order and will appeal court results if the ban is not imposed.

“People should be able to go to games, enjoy the match and come home safely. We want to support all fans and members of our community affected by negative behaviours that are exacerbated by drugs. We will work hard to ensure we keep people safe throughout the season and summer tournaments.”