The arrests made by officers from the Operation Podium squad took place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 28 May as part of the Metropolitan Police Service’s determined and deliberate crackdown on organised illegal ticketing networks ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Working in partnership with Wembley Stadium and UEFA officials, the team of police officers carried out planned intelligence-led operations targeting touts illegally selling tickets for the prestige fixture between Barcelona and Manchester United, in which the former passed the 2010-2011 Premier League champions off the pitch to triumph 3-1.
They also carried out a public awareness campaign of the risks and legislation around both football and Olympic Games 2012 tickets.
The Metropolitan Police Service reports the arrests made were as follows:
- a 38 year old from Bow E3 was arrested on suspicion of touting, and later bailed until later this month pending further inquiries
- a 50 year old from Manchester was arrested on suspicion of touting and later bailed until this month pending further inquiries
- a 32 year old from Birmingham was arrested on suspicion of touting, fraud and money laundering, and was later bailed until June pending further inquiries
- a 35 year old from Germany was arrested on suspicion of touting and remains in custody at a north London police station
- a 36 year old Romanian was arrested on suspicion of touting (he too remains in custody at a north London police station)
- a 25 year old man from Crewe was arrested on suspicion of fraud, and later bailed until June pending further inquiries
- a 20 year old from Upper Holloway N19 was arrested on suspicion of touting [no further details are available at this time]
- a 34 year old from Italy was arrested on suspicion of money laundering, and he remains in custody at a north London police station
- a 24 year old from Italy was arrested on suspicion of money laundering, and also remains in custody at a north London police station
A further 44 people were arrested as part of the policing operation throughout the day for a number of crimes, including public order offences, criminal damage and theft.
Thankfully, there were no incidents of serious disorder or serious violence.
Ticketless fans attending the stadium
Despite advice from the police and the football authorities, a large number of ticketless fans did attend the stadium. They were refused access and, due to policing tactics and a robust stance taken against ticket touts and those in possession of fraudulent or counterfeit tickets, the Metropolitan Police Service was able to prevent their access to the stadium. They subsequently dispersed.
All-in-all, Operation Podium* was a hugely successful partnership operation orchestrated by the Met, the local authority, Wembley National Stadium and UEFA.
Speaking about the arrests, detective chief inspector Nick Downing from Operation Podium explained: “Ticket touting is an illegal business run by people to gain financially through the exploitation of football clubs and their fans. Genuine fans need to be aware they are not only fuelling criminal activity when they buy from a tout, but also putting themselves at risk as they could find themselves among opposing supporters.”
Downing continued: “If you buy tickets from unofficial places, you run the risk of paying over the odds for a non-existent ticket, ending up disappointed by not getting to see the game that you paid for and also risk having your personal and credit card details stolen for use in other crimes.”
In closing, Downing stressed: “Don’t let this happen to you. Only visit official sites for a list of genuine sellers who are authorised to sell legitimate tickets.”
Security at key events across London
In the build-up to May’s Champions League final at Wembley Stadium, Integrated Security Consultants (ISC) provided security for a number of key events that took place across London.
ISC enacted a detailed plan to protect both the men’s and women’s UEFA Champions League trophies on their numerous appearances, including a trip to City Hall, a display in the centre of Trafalgar Square, an appearance at Fulham FC on the evening of the game against Liverpool and, to finish off, appearances in Hyde Park for the UEFA Champions Festival that took place between 21-28 May.
Operations manager Graham Harris, who was tasked with co-ordinating security for the events, explained how ISC implemented plans to provide the utmost professional security for the trophy:
“With detailed schedules and forward planning discussed during daily briefings, we were able to ensure that the trophies arrived at the right location and at the right time,” said Harris. “We also ensured all members of our team were smartly presented in order to uphold the professional image of UEFA and of our own company.”
Such high profile jobs involve particular challenges and the protection of the UEFA trophies proved no different, highlighted Harris:
“On Custodian Day (4 May), the trophies were due for an appearance at Anchor House in Canning Town which is a Catholic-run drop-in centre. On that day many of the public in attendance wished to get up close and touch the trophies, which for obvious reasons we could not allow. This situation called for diplomacy and tact. Our approach ultimately enabled us to achieve our client’s wishes while ensuring the integrity of the trophies and visitor safety.”
Adapting security to fit the prevailing requirements
ISC provided the security for all of the trophy appearances, which necessarily required adapting strategies to suit many different situations. The trophies remained in London until the UEFA finals, with the women’s final held on 26 May at Craven Cottage and the men’s match on 28 May at Wembley Stadium.
Harris continued: “ISC is best placed for such a contract due to its strong relationship with the world of sport. I’m delighted to be part of such a well-run professional company that has a genuine interest in its clients’ businesses.”
*Officers from Operation Podium are working now, up to and during the 2012 Games to create “a difficult environment” for touts to operate in, and to give clear messages to the public on the safest ways in which they can buy Olympic tickets.
For full crime prevention advice on safe ways to buy your tickets visit the Metropolitan Police Service website at: http://www.met.police.uk/olympic_and_paralympic_games_policing (a dedicated link is provided at the foot of this page)
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