Drug use at football stadiums is fueling a rise in disorder at matches

AN alarming rise in cocaine use at football stadiums is fuelling growing levels of disorder.

Police figures reveal a 10 per cent increase in drug-related arrests at grounds in the past year, including a doubling of arrests for cocaine possession — from 32 to 68. But police believe these figures grossly understate the true picture.

Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs’ Council football policing lead, told Sportsmail on Monday that cocaine was a major concern.

He said: ‘We believe it is linked to a rise in disorder at grounds. It is a significant factor.’

A study of 43 English and Welsh police forces has revealed the total cost of policing football last year was £48.5million. Yet the total amount of that cost recovered by forces was £5.5million

Police want clubs to examine contributing to costs of policing beyond the precincts of grounds and possibly commit to some form of direct funding for police. The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) on Monday called for a change in the law to allow forces to recover more costs for policing games.

Roberts said: ‘Football can’t just pick and choose the bits that look sweet for it. It wants its stadiums to be shiny and pristine but on the outside police are left to pick up the pieces. The cocaine problem is very much a part of that. Policing it and deterring it requires professional expertise.’

APCC’s football policing lead, Tim Passmore, called for a change in the law to allow forces to recover the full costs of policing football matches.

He said: ‘It doesn’t seem reasonable to me that the public should effectively be paying for this additional policing to support a commercial enterprise.

‘This applies to the extra costs incurred for policing around stadium and in public spaces surrounding the stadiums. Without a change in the law these costs cannot be recovered unless these is a local, voluntary agreement.

‘Police and Crime Commissioners are working as an association with the Home Office to come up with a satisfactory solution.’

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