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The number of arrests made in connection with football in England and Wales rose for the third consecutive year during the 2023-24 season.
Arrests made at international tournaments and those made for possession of Class A drugs were a driving force behind the increase, according to a Home Office report published on Thursday.
In total there were 2,584 arrests made in connection with domestic football in England and Wales as well as games involving the national teams abroad, representing a 14 per cent increase, whilst the number of football banning orders in force went up 34 per cent to 2,172.
West Ham supporters had the highest number of banning orders with 93, with Manchester United and Millwall fans placing second and third.
The total number of new banning orders issued nationwide during 2023-24 was 825, an increase of 21 per cent and the highest number issued in a single season since 2010-11.
An overwhelming majority of the banning orders issued were for males aged 18 to 34, with 99.4 per cent of the 2,172 orders in force in August 2024 being against males and 68.1 per cent against supporters in that age range.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Lead for Football Policing, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, said: “While the total number of incidents is still above pre-pandemic levels, it’s encouraging to see them stabilising and going in the right direction, with a 12 per cent fall in the number of matches where football-related incidents were reported.
“That correlates with the proactive approach we have seen from police forces across the country.
“It is important that these figures are put into context. Last season around 47 million people attended men’s domestic and international matches, the highest number we have on record, and the vast majority of football fans are law-abiding citizens who want to support their team.
“However, there are a small number of fans who commit offences, and we will continue to work closely with the CPS and our other partners to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.”
The most common reason for arrest was public disorder offences (43 per cent) with violent disorder offences second (19 per cent) and possession of Class A drugs third (13 per cent).
All of the 281 arrests relating to overseas tournaments came at Euro 2024, whilst there were 344 arrests made for Class A drug possession at football matches in England and Wales, with both sets of figures a factor in the overall rise.
As well as the highest number of banning orders, West Ham for the third year running had the most arrests with 103 of the 2,043 recorded in England and Wales across the season, a fractional nationwide increase on the previous campaign (2,037), with Manchester City and Manchester United joint second and Arsenal fourth.
Responding to the findings, a West Ham spokesperson said: “The club deploys a pro-active zero-tolerance approach to eradicate discrimination in our game.
“The club has improved and robust systems and procedures in place on matchdays at London Stadium, which sees pro-active tactics being deployed, including use of panoramic state-of-the-art CCTV, correlating with the increased number of arrests and bans for certain offences.
“Importantly, the club works closely with relevant authorities to re-educate supporters who have committed offences.”
Across the season there were 423 recorded incidents of online hate crime connected to football, up from 234 in 2022-23. The report highlighted that the rise was likely due to improved reporting and the use of more standardised methods of recording, rather than an increase in the number of online hate crime incidents.
