I appreciate I’m not doing myself any favours with the ‘real’ media recently and I suppose an article based around the Lincs Police tweet from last night won’t do any more harm than I’ve already done for myself. They’re always quick to pen headlines about disorder and flash points, not so much to say ‘nothing to see here’.
In a week where relations between police and some fan groups has deteriorated to an all-time low, it is important to recognise when things do not go awry. There were 7,500 football fans at a game in the city last night and there were NO arrests, NO instances of disorder and NO reported flashpoints at all. Fans behaved as they should and it was policed in a sensible and friendly manner. Yes, police made routine checks in some drinking establishments, but I’ve been seeing that happen since I was a young boy not older enough to drink. I remember it clearly, because I always had to hide my pint.
I spent most of my time yesterday evening either on the High Street or at the new fan zone and the mood was very positive. The 617 undertook a peaceful and quiet protest at the perceived persecution of their group by wearing hi-viz vests with slogans on, but when the match kicked off they did what they always set out to do, support the club. Many on social media were quick to point out they felt the 617 hadn’t been explicitly mentioned in connection with the recent trouble, but as a group they feel they’ve been identified as a risk group. The issue won’t go away on its own, but for every match that passes without incident, the problem does get smaller.
Around the fan zone there was no police presence at all, unless you count serving officer and former Imp Paul Mayo who was on ‘former player’ duty. I think I saw two uniformed officers at the ground the whole evening, which is fantastic given the scenes we witnessed on Saturday. I rarely see anything untoward at the ground anyway, but that isn’t the point.
This comes on an evening where the club launched their own ‘Safe Text’ line to be used to report disorder or safety concerns around the ground. I think it is aimed at stamping out the use of pyrotechnics and aggressive drunken behaviour, both of which most fans want to see removed from Sincil Bank anyway. I like(d) a drink as much as the next man, but there is a difference between enjoying a few pints and a sing song, or chanting aggressively and throwing cans of beer at police. Remember, it is not just up to the Lincs Officers to police the game, we can (to a degree) self police to. If you come in a group and one of your number starts being abusive and aggressive, stop him. It’s your reputation he is affecting as much as his own or that of the club.
The club statement on the text announcement said; “We encourage any supporters to contact the ‘Safe Text’ line on 07384271937 to anonymously share information were they to experience any safety issues in or around the stadium.” Write that number down and don’t be afraid to use it in the right context. The recent issues put the club in a bad light, they put supporters in a bad light and by proxy the police also.
The truth of the matter is we do not have a serious problem on match day at Sincil Bank, 99% our supporters are (in the words of Supt. Lee Pache) ‘not in need of policing’. Last night’s game was a typical one at the Bank, lots of drama and tension but very little trouble of any description. It is a shame to see the negativity in the local press, but never the positivity. The headline ‘match passes without trouble’ does not draw clicks as some of the news outlets desire, but it deserves to be written anyway.
Nobody wants the troubles we’ve been having, the youths don’t want a criminal record and the police don’t want to work overtime, at least not 99% of them. Where 99% of the fans don’t need policing, 99% of the police do not need to approach things differently or treat people with more respect. Isn’t it a shame that the 1% on either side cause so much trouble for the remaining 99% of us?
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Gary but we do have problems away. I can vouch for that.
I’ve not witnessed problems home or away instigated by our fans for some years. I have been a football supporter since 1966 I have seen the very worst of football violence in the 60’s 70’s and 80’s. Lincoln city f.c. and 99% of fans would not want a return to those crazy days I am sure. The best advice is if trouble comes your way WALK AWAY the faster the better and let someone else get the bad reputation. We could be on the verge of a great period in our clubs history, lets all enjoy it as peacefully as possible.
The local press are of the same standard as The Daily Mail, Sun or Daily Record if you live in Scotland. The local rag spends more time on local mug shots and listing court appearances than any serious journalism and the other outlets didn’t even cover LCFC until recently.