Way back in September 2018, Celtic brought in a group to conduct an independent review into a crush that happened at Janefield Street during a game against the Ibrox club. A report later found a number of contributing factors, including the fact that the game was played in front of an almost entirely home crowd, with only 750 away fans. This came after the Ibrox club had famously and ludicrously spat the dummy in March that year, following our 3-2 win, prompting them to cut our allocation.
A lot of things went wrong that day, but among them was a policing operation that failed at almost every level. I never thought Celtic should have had to conduct an independent review into that. I never thought the club itself should have had to step up to the mark and pay for that review. That should have been done by the Scottish Government. A major disaster was barely prevented, and that should have troubled people in the hierarchy. It should have raised serious questions about Police Scotland.
Last week, the club announced another independent review—this time into the policing of our fans at the last game against the Ibrox club. Two of these in the space of seven years might not seem like an awful lot. But tell me, how many clubs have had to conduct independent reviews into failures of policing in that space of time? And why is it down to us to bring in consultants to find answers to very simple questions? Why isn’t Police Scotland paying for the review? Why isn’t our government?
It shouldn’t be up to us to do this. If there’s been a major failure in policing, then that’s a matter for the whole country, not just one football club. We shouldn’t be the only ones seeking answers. Parliamentarians should be worried about this because it has implications that go beyond football.
We may face some form of civil disorder in this country in the next few years. We have a government in Westminster fully committed to its own version of austerity, once again demonising people who rely on the social security safety net. We have bad actors everywhere—from right-wing websites to right-wing organisations to politicians who want to ride that wave, stirring up hatred in various parts of the country. We should all have serious concerns about where this is headed.
In that scenario, it would be good to know that if the police have to handle serious disorder, they’ll be able to do it—and do it well. But let me tell you something: I’ve got no faith in their ability to do it. Police Scotland is a shockingly lax, lazy organisation whose version of hands-off policing is one of the most bizarre I’ve ever seen. Its leadership seems more concerned with building little fiefdoms and clawing as much public money as possible than with operational responsibility. I’ve never seen a police force so content to allow crimes to happen in front of them, only to wait until the aftermath before they do any serious work.
And you know what? Considering everything I’ve heard about this particular situation, maybe we should be glad they don’t do more hands-on policing. Maybe we should be glad they’re not more aggressive—because they don’t seem to know who their targets are. They don’t seem to know what they’re doing half the time. They didn’t just detain Green Brigade members and prevent them from getting down the street and into the ground. They detained other people too—lots of them. They inconvenienced a whole section of our fanbase.
To some extent, policing relies on consent and trust. Perhaps those are alien concepts to the people who run Police Scotland, but they shouldn’t be. If a community does not trust you, it will not listen to you, even when you’re trying to do the right thing. It will not cooperate with you, even when you are right to seek that cooperation. Worse still is when the public believes that policing has a double standard—that certain communities and groups are policed more aggressively than others. And even worse than that is when some sections of the community believe they can do whatever they like because the police won’t bother them at all.
Here in Scotland, we’ve somehow contrived to have every single one of those problems. Football fans, in particular, bear the brunt of Police Scotland’s contempt. I would be less concerned if I thought this attitude stopped at the police, but I know it extends to the Scottish Government as well. They are gravely mistaken if they think this incident concerns only our club or the wider football community.
This feeds into a general crisis of confidence in our police force, which erodes public trust. There should absolutely be an inquiry into this, but it should not be launched by Celtic. Because if that report, when it comes out, contains recommendations, we need to know they will be acted upon—not just ignored. And I have no faith in that either.
Twice in seven years, the club has had to conduct independent reviews into failures of policing involving this particular fixture. It seems to me that it’s only a matter of time before something very, very serious happens at one of these games. Police Scotland should be the ones trying to learn lessons, instead of having us do it for them.
I agree with you entirely James, But may I mention one thing. Nobody should be allowed to completely cover their face in public, or they deserve to be stopped by the police.
If a person is not intending to do any damage to innocent people they should not fear CCTV camera’s.
They are covering their faces because they are being profiled and targeted by Police Scotland with no crime being committed, do you agree with this?
Are you off your head? In public? Of course you fucking can mate! What next? Telling folk they cant wear the burka and sunglasses. ? Get a fuckin grip!! Its in public!. Freedom ect?
I arrived in glasgow after years away to see cop vans with google cameras and everyone shrugging sholders saying crowd control taking photos!! I dont give consent to that !! Am a cit from another country a dual cit now and am horrified i shamed my cousins by berating them about these vans and cameras how the fuck did you even allow these things to happen??? Asleep at the wheel? The left went to sleep i the 80s when maggie ran riot and never planned the next 40 yrs now look what you got.
“The innocent have nothing to fear”, eh?
That’s been the rallying cry of despots and dictators through the ages!
Very well put.
two riots in george square during the lockdown , a sectarian mob actually got an escort for the second one and no one in authority was held accountable. says it all really.
Wasn’t just an escort, some of the boys in blue actively joined in the entertainment with the boys in the other bloo uniforms complete with sashes.
There is a common thread here, a big bloody Blue Elephant in the room that our elected officials do not want to address, namely the Orange Order and the Masons. It’s baked into the system in Scottish Public Life. The Police and Judiciary are replete with their cosy exclusive private members Clubs and Associations and they are not just for ‘Socialising’. These ‘Organisations’ are by their very nature anti-Democratic Racist and Sectarian.Two tier Policing in Glasgow in particular has been the observable norm for most of my adult life and anecdotally during my Dad and Uncles lifetimes it was more blatant its disparity.
Drains all around for Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland for that one from The Covid Carrying Cunts (Sevco Fans)…
Certainly not from his poor rank and file officers though who were badly assaulted on the day of shame !
Fucks sake EDIT – Drams all round for Chief Superintendent !
It’s not a Police Scotland thing, it’s been a Scottish policing policy for as long as I can remember. 40 + years ago in a town near me, there was a full blown gang fight right outside the polis station. They hung out the windows and watched as guys with all manner of weapons knocked fuck out each other.
When it finished they went local hospital and lifted the injured.!!!!
Ingrained in them for years and hasn’t changed.
I reckon the board are not as naive as they often appear to be. An “independent review” will provide grist for their mill when they then go to the politicians and the police armed with a file of independently sourced evidence.
This won’t be the club greetin about the policing operation on behalf of the GB (That’s how the SMSM will try to portray it.) Whatever the outcome that is arrived at, a dossier of independently sourced evidence will carry more clout than the sevco dodgy dossier of a few years ago, when they brazenly wrapped up all of their grievances into a tirade purportedly showing anti ibrox bigotry.
If Police Scotland carry out a review, I would be gobsmacked if the findings were anything other than. “Nothing to see here. Move along!”
Whereas it is weird that one club has seen the need for two independent reviews of policing in such a short space of time, I welcome the move. I welcome the move because it demonstrates that the board want to be appropriately tooled up when they call those responsible, for this cack-handed affair, to account.
Agree with you here JimmyR – having a credible, independent review (presumably by a well-regarded legal counsel/firm) will give the board the right material to then ask questions. Harder for the authorities to ignore, especially if it includes the experiences of those detained for no reason.
Good ascertation that JimmyR !
We’d be guilty of everything that took place in relation to the events of the last Glasgow derby including a charge of enticing their players to throw objects into the crowd including the water showering.
The board have called this right on this occasion. Independence and objectivity is an absolute must.
dconway72. Yes I agree with you, I never thought of it that way.