Football should be safe for everyone, but some male fans don’t get that. Their bad behaviour means the police need a special programme to tackle violence against women and girls. VAWG, as it gets called, is a top priority and the lead discussion at the latest meeting of the Metropolitan Police special interest advisory group (IAG) for football.
PC Claire Argyle from the Met’s central VAWG team says adding a QR code to posters asking women for their experiences has led to a rise in the number of reports. And of the 216 responses that came in, eight were from men reporting what they had witnessed, one from a non-binary reporter. There are reports of incidents at other London football clubs but West Ham has a higher than most response rate. This may be because the survey has been better publicised and fans more active, but it may suggest more problems with male Hammers’ attitudes.
Identifying Problem Areas
Reported incidents sometimes identify locations where problems occur or the times they are most likely to happen. Outside the stadium, Safer Neighbourhood Teams can look at improving security at those locations. Inside, it’s down to the stadium owners and club stewards. The Safer Business Network strives to make communities safer through partnerships to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour. PC Argyle has arranged for it to send all clubs templates about safeguarding policies and risk assessments.
WHUST chair Rachel McFeridge has also done a local ‘Walk, Talk and Do’ event with the Newham VAWG officer, police sergeant Helena Besley, helping to identify areas of the London Stadium and approach routes where women have reported problems. The police are happy to do this with other fans, so if you have concerns, get in touch. Keep an eye out for the pop-up tent at the stadium two to three times per season. But all stewards and bobbies on the beat at matches know how and who to refer VAWG incidents to on the day. There’s always a specialist VAWG team at the London Stadium on match days.
WHUST and the Fight for Fan Representation
At the IAG meeting, fans from Brentford reported best practice that others might follow. A ‘One Stop Shop’ is held at Brentford to discuss local results, and council representatives are invited. Normally data is not specifically shared with local authority Safety Advisory Groups (SAGs), but the Met Police write an end of season report to share with clubs.
WHUST has recently written to local MPs about Newham’s continuing refusal to allow fans a direct seat on its football SAG. This is despite direct fan membership of SAGs being a recommendation of the Hillsborough report and the Sports Ground Safety Authority. Our MPs contacted the council, but it replied by cocking a snook at the MPs too. WHUST is about to up the ante in its campaign. The IAG was told that data from surveys has led to clubs taking action. For example, Brentford reported that a well-used pathway felt unsafe due to overhanging trees and shrubs – the council cut them back to make it safer.
Changing Attitudes and Restorative Justice
The VAWG team can only help to improve safety for women and girls if they are made aware of incidents or areas of concern. Use the QR code to complete the survey. The aim is to improve behaviour. White Ribbon is a charity working to prevent men’s violence against women and girls: ‘We work with men and boys to change long-established, and harmful, attitudes, systems and behaviours around rigid gender norms and masculinity that perpetuate inequality and violence.’ The Met uses some of the charity’s training resources when they feel they can change an offender’s behaviour.
The IAG also heard from Matt Simpson from the Met’s public order, resources and tasking team about the use of restorative justice. His remit covers crime linked to sport across London. Most cases arise through hate crime. When offences involve juveniles, there are alternatives available to prevent children ending up in the criminal system. A new system tags those who may be suitable for restorative justice if, during the interview process, there’s a clear lack of awareness and the person shows remorse.
Clubs tend to support restorative justice for these cases. Often young offenders are not aware their comments are hate crimes. Some have been signposted to organisations such as Kick It Out that run educational programmes. Other offences, depending on circumstances, could result in no further action, a caution or warning. Sessions might take place at the club. While parents have an obligation to take their child, they need not participate in the programme themselves. Part of the process includes writing a letter to the club or victim to acknowledge their error.
A Trusted Partner in Policing
The good news is that the IAG was told there are very few repeat offenders from the educational programme. WHUST is pushing West Ham to increase its use of restorative justice to give more people a second chance. The IAG discusses much more, some commercially sensitive, some subject to the Official Secrets Act. WHUST is a trusted partner. If you have any concerns about policing, particularly about violence against women and girls, please get in touch.
Be the first to comment