Police chief warns Burnham against bringing back drinking in football stands

Cheshire Constabulary Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the national police lead for football, has warned against lifting the ban on drinking in the stands at matches in England and Wales. He said it would be a “bad idea” to reintroduce drinking at football games after Prime Minister Andy Burnham claimed last month that the ban on football fans drinking in the stands was unfair and should be scrapped. The ban is rooted in legislation: the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol ) Act 1985 prohibits drinking in sight of the pitch in England and Wales in the top five men's leagues. Mr Roberts, who has been the national lead for football policing and covert legislation and guidance since 2014, was speaking ahead of his retirement. Mark Roberts believes bringing back drinking in stands would be a mistake (PA Wire) He said he would “absolutely” urge Mr Burnham against overturning the ban. Football, he said, had become much safer because of legislation, as well as improvements in stadia and engagement with fans. He told the Press Association: "The danger now is complacency because we haven't had tragedies or significant widespread disorder. You start removing one of those strands and it starts unpicking it all. "I would really urge policymakers to listen to the people who have to deal with this, that's the safety people at clubs, but particularly the police and the football policing unit. Football's in a pretty good way at the minute. It's safe. People feel safe to go. “In terms of the drinking thing, people can drink before, they can drink at half-time, they can drink after. I go to games. I don’t think there’s any great massive desire for it.” Mr Roberts, a Manchester City supporter, said getting a “beer shampoo” when a goal was scored was “not conducive to a great afternoon”. Andy Burnham said last month that banning fans from drinking in stands was unfair (PA Wire) He added: “The legislation and policy is to target behaviour, not groups of people, and, unfortunately, historically football had an issue with it.” His connection to the game is long-standing: he said he had been policing football since 2009 and watching Manchester City play since 1977. He said: “Everything I’ve seen in that period as a fan and in policing kind of suggests that it will be a bad idea.” Last month, a UK Football Policing Unit spokesman said police chiefs would welcome a meeting with Mr Burnham to “explain the challenges these proposed changes would bring to policing and the safety of staff and fans”. Mr Roberts will stand down from his position next month after 33 years in policing.