Police warning after 200 people arrested over raucous World Cup celebrations

Police shared a picture of a blonde-haired woman wearing pink shorts on top of an ambulance car in central London
REUTERS
Olivia Tobin9 July 2018

Police have across the UK were called to hundreds of incidents of alcohol-fuelled disorder as revellers celebrated England's defeat over Sweden, new figures reveal.

Police chiefs say they received reports from 44 police forces across England and Wales, including British Transport Police, that show a “worrying level of, mostly, alcohol-related disorder”.

After England’s quarter final match, on Saturday officers attended 387 incidents and made 70 arrests, according to the National Police Chief's Council.

Police added there have been 1086 football-related incidents since the tournament began, with 226 of these involving domestic abuse.

Some 230 arrests have been made made overall.

A man is drenched in champagne in the street beside Borough Market
AFP/Getty Images

Incidents included an ambulance being damaged, flares being released and people jumping on the tops of London buses.

Some of the incidents attended by police

 

  • An ambulance was significantly damaged while parked on Borough High Street
  • In Northampton, crowds caused disturbances in part of the town, resulting in road closures while officers dealt with the disorder. Two people were arrested
  • At Clapham Junction, one man jumped off a double-decker bus and fell through the roof of a bus shelter
  • Flares were released in a street in Leicestershire, with a road blocked by hundreds of people
  • In Southampton, people blocked the roads with some climbing onto and jumping across the roofs of buses
  • A taxi received extensive criminal damage in Nottingham
  • Humberside saw disruption in Bridlington, Hull and Cleethorpes as people climbed on bus shelters and vehicles

 

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Football Policing, Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts, said “Saturday’s match was a great day for England and its right to celebrate it. The vast majority of fans do that without committing criminal and anti-social behaviour. It's incredibly disheartening to see over 300 incidents of alcohol fuelled disorder from a minority of mindless individuals.

Crowds of fans were seen surrounding the paramedic car
REUTERS

“This behaviour has real consequences. Numerous roads across the country were blocked stopping emergency vehicles getting to people in need and an ambulance is now off the road while being repaired. Shops were damaged, people were abused and assaulted and others climbed on buses and cars, causing damage to vehicles and in some cases, themselves.

“This is in stark contrast to the fans out in Russia, whose behaviour, apart from a couple of minor incidents, has been great.”

Ahead of England’s semi-final match against Croatia on Wednesday, DCC Roberts warned fans, “There is absolutely no excuse for this type of senseless behaviour. Emergency services resources are already stretched.

“We want people to celebrate and enjoy themselves but not at the expense of law abiding fans and emergency services’ resources.”

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