South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair joins officers at Steel City Derby

THE Steel City Derby is always a daunting prospect, with two fierce rivals going head-to-head to claim three points – and that’s just on the pitch.

Behind the scenes, police officers have seen a number of incidents of violence erupting between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday fans over the years.

In 2011, violent scuffles were aimed at police, with one officer being injured and numerous others being kicked and punched.

Despite this, Chairman of South Yorkshire Police Federation, Steve Kent, volunteered to return back to the streets to help his colleagues in policing the fixture.

Steve joined nearly 500 other officers, many of whom who were working on cancelled rest days, to ensure the safety of the 31,360 fans attending Hillsborough.

Steve commended his fellow officers, saying: “All officers involved did a great job in helping keep the public safe against a backdrop of pretty miserable cold and wet conditions.

“There were a few minor outbreaks of disorder between the minority of supporters intent on causing trouble, however, they were small scale and I believe the robust actions of South Yorkshire Police and mutual aid officers made a huge contribution in making the attendance of the game for the vast majority a safe and enjoyable experience.”

Some troublesome supporters decided to throw objects at Blades defender Jack O’Connell as he was taking a throw-in, but for the majority of the game, the behaviour of both sets of fans was good, according to Chief Superintendent Shaun Morley.

Six arrests were made on the night, representing a relatively quiet affair, much like the game itself which, for the third time in a row, finished in a drab 0-0 draw.