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The Independent
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Met Police chief says football clubs should pay for their own policing
Football clubs should contribute more of their own money to the £70 million cost of policing their matches, Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has said. A 'polluter pays approach' should be adopted for policing football games, Sir Mark said, as he questioned why organisers of events which require policing do not pay for it. It comes after Sir Mark expressed disappointment in a Sunday Times article at Chancellor Rachel Reeves' decision to increase police funding by 2.3 per cent above inflation each year in the recent spending review. Appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Sir Mark was pushed on how the Met plans on cutting costs. He cited heavy job losses in the Met police force, but also pointed at other opportunities to cut expenditure. 'It also falls elsewhere. Policing of football matches across the country, mainly Premier League, cost policing £70 million it doesn't get back from football clubs. In London, it's more than a third of that,' he told the BBC. There should be a 'polluter pays approach', he said, adding: 'If you're running a profit making event that because of the nature of it, requires security, requires policing to support your security because of the criminality that is going to be experienced, why isn't the organiser paying for that, rather than local communities who lose their resources to go to football matches?' Sir Mark has also called for an uphaul of the UK's current 43-force policing system to help streamline costs. The creation of 12 to 15 bigger police forces would allow authorities to better utilise modern technology and would reduce 'expensive' governance and support functions. 'The 43-force model was designed in the 1960s and hasn't been fit for purpose for at least two decades,' Sir Mark wrote in The Sunday Times. 'It hinders the effective confrontation of today's threats and stops us fully reaping the benefits of technology. 'We need to reduce the number of forces by two-thirds, with the new bigger and fully capable regional forces supported by the best of modern technology and making better use of the limited funding available.' Asked about the cuts he plans to make to policing, Sir Mark said: 'So we've cut 1,600 over the last couple of years… 1,700 officers and staff this year, that 3,300 out of an organisation just over 40,000 is a big hit.' The Met has not got all of the details on the spending settlement but Sir Mark is 'nervous about whether we'll be able to make ends meet with that', he said, which is why he is calling for police reform. Put to him that he had warned he would have to de-prioritise some crimes, and asked what the force will not investigate, Sir Mark said: 'So I don't want policing activity to fall off the list, and I know that the mayor and the Home Secretary have pushed hard for the most police funding that we can get. 'We are determined to improve day in and day out experiences of Londoners on the streets. We can only do that if we focus ruthlessly on police work. 'When new recruits join they expect they're going to spend most of their time protecting the public, enforcing the law, catching criminals. Within a couple of years 80% of them are saying 'I spend most of my time safeguarding the vulnerable, that's critical work, but that's not the core work of policing'. 'So we need help to cut away some of these areas where other pressed public services have effectively pushed work to the police. There are 80,000 missing children from children's home a year in the country. That is really problematic.' Sir Mark said the police reforms are 'essential', adding: 'If we look at the spending on policing and public safety from the 80s through to the noughties, it was a much higher level than it is today. Over the last decade or more, the proportion that governments are prepared to put to policing is much lower. I don't see that changing dramatically. 'So we've got to make the best use of every pound that governments can give to us.'
BBC News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Football clubs should pay towards £70m policing cost, Met chief says
Football clubs should pay towards the £70 million cost of policing their matches in the UK, the head of the Metropolitan Police has told the Sir Mark Rowley, the country's most senior police officer, asked why organisers of events that require policing to support their security do not pay for it, and said there should be "more of a polluter pays approach".Sir Mark's comments came as he called for the creation of 12 to 15 bigger police forces as part of his plans for radical police told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme the current model of 43 forces across England and Wales needed to be reduced to cope with increased demand and overstretched funding. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a 2.3% annual funding increase for policing in England and Wales in last month's Spending Review. Many forces have criticised the funds as falling "far short".Sir Mark said reforms would help police forces, including the Met, "make the best use of the money we've got".As part of funding concerns, the commissioner also cited the £70 million cost of policing football in the UK, most of which is spent on Premier League matches in England."Why isn't the organiser paying for that, rather than local communities who lose their resources to go to football matches?" he said.A move to make football clubs pay was previously suggested to the Times by the head of the UK's football policing unit and later criticised by sports bodies who said it could threaten events and lead to increased ticket in the Sunday Times, Sir Mark suggested the number of police forces needed to be reduced by two-thirds and said bigger forces would be better able to utilise modern added the 43-force model designed in the 1960s had not been "fit for purpose" for at least two decades and hindered "the effective confrontation of today's threats".Speaking to the BBC, the commissioner referred to an "invisible spaghetti" behind police forces that was responsible for "sucking resources and costs"."Lots of the smaller forces can't actually do all the services locally and they're having to club together and run complicated collaborations," he said, adding that with "bigger local forces and one national body" they could "cut away" with a lot of that cost and waste. The commissioner was questioned by Kuenssberg on the likelihood of the reform going ahead, referencing similar Labour plans in 2006 which were dropped following significant Mark said reform was "essential", adding that spending on policing and public safety has dropped substantially over the last decade or more."I don't see that changing dramatically. We've got to make the best use of every pound the government can give to us," he to him that he had warned he would have to de-prioritise some crimes, and asked what the force will not investigate, Sir Mark said: "So I don't want policing activity to fall off the list, and I know that the mayor and the home secretary have pushed hard for the most police funding that we can get."We are determined to improve day in and day out experiences of Londoners on the streets. We can only do that if we focus ruthlessly on police work."
The Sun
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Premier League clubs should fork out for police at matches, top cop says – as he slams £70million costs
F OOTBALL clubs should foot the bill for the £70million cost of policing matches, Britain's top cop has demanded. Met chief Sir Mark Rowley slammed the system where taxpayers pick up the tab to keep Premier League games safe. 2 2 He called for a 'polluter pays approach' - warning local communities lose out on frontline policing while forces are stretched covering football. Sir Mark told the BBC: 'Policing of football matches across the country, mainly Premier League, cost policing £70 million it doesn't get back from football clubs. In London, it's more than a third of that. 'If you're running a profit making event that because of the nature of it, requires security, requires policing to support your security because of the criminality that is going to be experienced, why isn't the organiser paying for that, rather than local communities who lose their resources to go to football matches?' The Met boss also blasted Britain's outdated 43-force policing model - saying it's been 'not fit for purpose for at least two decades' and urgently needs ripping up. He warned that with disappointing funding from Chancellor Rachel Reeves, forces face brutal cuts - with 3,300 cops and staff already slashed. Sir Mark added: 'We've cut 1,600 over the last couple of years… 1,700 officers and staff this year, that 3,300 out of an organisation just over 40,000 is a big hit.' He's now pushing for radical reforms and bigger regional forces, saying: 'We need to reduce the number of forces by two-thirds… making better use of the limited funding available.' And he warned unless urgent action is taken, overstretched cops will be forced to stop investigating some crimes altogether.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Met Police chief says policing football matches across country costs £70m
Football clubs should contribute more to the £70 million cost of policing their matches, the head of the Metropolitan Police said. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley called for a 'polluter pays approach' and questioned why organisers of events which require policing to support their security do not pay for it. It comes after Sir Mark called for the creation of 12 to 15 bigger police forces as part of what he described as 'the first serious reform of our policing model in over 60 years'. Writing in The Sunday Times, Sir Mark said the current system of 43 county forces had not 'been fit for purpose for at least two decades'. He added that bigger forces would be better able to utilise modern technology and would reduce 'expensive' governance and support functions. Sir Mark said: 'The 43-force model was designed in the 1960s and hasn't been fit for purpose for at least two decades. It hinders the effective confrontation of today's threats and stops us fully reaping the benefits of technology. 'We need to reduce the number of forces by two-thirds, with the new bigger and fully capable regional forces supported by the best of modern technology and making better use of the limited funding available.' He also characterised Chancellor Rachel Reeves' decision to increase police funding by 2.3% above inflation each year in the recent spending review as 'disappointing'. Put to him on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that he did not get the money that he had hoped for in the spending review and was already planning to cut 1,700 officers, then asked how many he is going to have to cut now, he said: 'So we've cut 1,600 over the last couple of years… 1,700 officers and staff this year, that 3,300 out of an organisation just over 40,000 is a big hit.' Sir Mark said they have not got all of the details on the spending settlement but he is 'nervous about whether we'll be able to make ends meet with that' which is why he is calling for police reform. Put to him that he had warned he would have to de-prioritise some crimes, and asked what the force will not investigate, Sir Mark said: 'So I don't want policing activity to fall off the list, and I know that the mayor and the Home Secretary have pushed hard for the most police funding that we can get. 'We are determined to improve day in and day out experiences of Londoners on the streets. We can only do that if we focus ruthlessly on police work. 'When new recruits join they expect they're going to spend most of their time protecting the public, enforcing the law, catching criminals. Within a couple of years 80% of them are saying 'I spend most of my time safeguarding the vulnerable, that's critical work, but that's not the core work of policing'. 'So we need help to cut away some of these areas where other pressed public services have effectively pushed work to the police. There are 80,000 missing children from children's home a year in the country. That is really problematic. 'It also falls elsewhere. Policing of football matches across the country, mainly Premier League, cost policing £70 million it doesn't get back from football clubs. In London, it's more than a third of that.' He said there should be a 'polluter pays approach' adding: 'If you're running a profit making event that because of the nature of it, requires security, requires policing to support your security because of the criminality that is going to be experienced, why isn't the organiser paying for that, rather than local communities who lose their resources to go to football matches?' Sir Mark said the police reforms are 'essential', adding: 'If we look at the spending on policing and public safety from the 80s through to the noughties, it was a much higher level than it is today. Over the last decade or more, the proportion that governments are prepared to put to policing is much lower. I don't see that changing dramatically. 'So we've got to make the best use of every pound that governments can give to us.'
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wellington and Cullompton railway stations approved
The opening of two new railway stations has been given the go-ahead by the government. Stations in Wellington, Somerset, and Cullompton in Devon will be funded by money allocated in the government's spending Chancellor Rachel Reeves did not specifically mention the stations in her speech on Wednesday, the Treasury has confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that funding would be given to the Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, said he was "absolutely delighted" with the announcement. Wellington lost its station in the Beeching cuts of the mid-1960s.A project to reopen it was among dozens of transport schemes shelved last year because of financial the council and developer West of England Developments (Taunton) Ltd. continued to prepare the site for the station's to the new station, which will be built off Nynehead Road, will be provided via a new development of 200 homes, which secured outline planning permission from Somerset Council last year. The approval of Cullompton's new station, which will be built near the existing M5 services, comes on the back of agreements being signed in March to build a new relief road for the Amos said the combined Wellington and Cullompton stations project had already received £6.15 million to complete the full business case and most of the design is estimated an investment of about £45m will be needed to fully construct and delivery both stations. The government has not yet confirmed how much funding it will be providing for the project in the spending review.A Treasury spokesman said: "The spending review provides funding to support the reopening of stations at Wellington and Cullompton. Further details will be set out shortly."Mr Amos added: "If there is a need to raise further funds that is something we will look at with Somerset Council and Wellington Town Council but we'll have to wait and see the details."
