Hi there, members of "The Football Family" (to quote Lord Mawhinney recently).

Just thought I would share a tale with you, which ties in with some of the recent stuff about policing of and around football.

I run a small company that runs Table Football Events up and down the country.
I was chuffed to land a booking in my own High St recently, which is about two miles from Villa Park. The local High St Partnership were holding a St George's Fun Day and we were asked to run a bit of our stuff in the shopping area - so far, so good.

As it happens, the event was taking place on Saturday 19th April, the day before the Blues -Villa match. A week before the event, the High St Partnership had a
meeting with all connected parties, including the West Midlands Police.

At this meeting, the police raised concerns that the Table Football Zone we were due to provide was vulnerable to hijacking by Blues/Villa hooligans, as it was "football-related" !! They were only willing to let it go ahead if our competition blackboard did not feature any Blues v Villa" games of Table Football and neither clubs' colours were on display.

We could laugh till next season at the image of Blues' "top boys" fronting the Villa firm at opposite ends of a football table, but it actually has a depressingly serious angle.

First, it shows how clearly the police want to deem anything to do with football as an imminent threat to law and order.

Secondly and more worrying is that these restrictions placed on us were apparently made as the police had "information" that hooliganism was planned in our town that day. Presumably, as they are not obliged to say what that information is, means that they can pull that stunt before any game and place all kinds of restrictions on people. No one will ever know if they had "information" or not, so they can call the shots whenever they fancy.

You'll be glad to know that the day passed off peacefully with several Blues-Villa table football showdowns, and strangely not one incident of table football hooliganism.

If you see us at any festivals or events this summer, come and say hello! Here's my website by the way

http://www.goaldenevents.co.uk/HOME.html

Bloody hell. I find this harder to belive than the Aprils fools about how we should celebrate a month back.

On one hand should laugh as the Police are pathetic but on the other its.. :(

tbf they can be lethal weapons unless you have a glass top and/or the no spinning rule

No spinning allowed, damn right too.

Smithie

Lost for words... so in theory, if you'd had Birmingham fans and Villa fans playing each other, you'd of been in breach of your conditions of licence?

There is actually a comedy sketch in that.. two "firms" organising a meeting at a table football competition! Or rather the comedy is in senior police officers seriously considering the threat of violence at such an event.

:lol: Table football hooligans...you couldn't make it up.

I wish it was made up, but it's unfortunately true. But like I say, this "we have information" line is pretty much all they have to say to control or stop things going ahead.

:lol: One of the stupidest things i think i've ever heard

presumably these table football hooligans can only kick or headbut each other and have to keep their arms at their sides?...

Similar to the 'Thousands' of terrorist cases that are foiled by the coppers each year? Emmanuel Goldstein if I ever saw him.

Ever noticed that we always hear of the police storming in to arrest people, but you hardly ever hear of convictions? You'd think that they'd want to make a song and dance about it, wouldn't you?

The Goldstein reference is quite appropriate.

Hardly surprising. These people seem to be able to do/say/obstruct anything to whoever they please.

West Midlands Police again...


Not football related but still very interesting.

Theres a brilliant youtube clip of a brummy fella filming two plodfrom his front yard. No crime at all in that (as he proves to them) however ths doesn't stop them trying to force him to stop and finding excuses to arrest him in the process

I'll dig it out if I can find it

EDIT: here it is - no idea about the fella but the film is rather amusing. I do love how they bowl up and then just walk off quickly when their argument gets blown out the water

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfQrDK9YHas

He sounds like a nightmare! Just because what he's doing isn't illegal doesn't make him any less irritating. A pound to a penny he's got the cops on his case 24/7 just waiting to pick him up on something trivial. And he probably deserves it for making such a pain in the arse of himself.

But why did the police have to come over and talk to him in the first place. Why didn't they just walk away?

My son was told by a police officer in Romford laat week that he couldn't take a photo of him as this was illegal and he could be arrested for photographing a policeman.
Being 14 he assumed that what a policeman says must be true.

If someone was filming me going about my job, I'd go and ask a few questions....wouldn't you?

Yeah, but there's a difference between that and threatening to arrest someone.

But people do exactly that, and the rest of your private life too - it's called CCTV and we are infested with it in this country. Many are privately controlled and are answerable to nobody... at least this bloke is being open about what he's doing and his motives.

I(and everyone on here basically) get filmed by the same group of people going to the football.