Pitched! Informants and the covert policing of football fans in Scotland

Abstract

This paper offers a new perspective on the policing of football fans by exploring the recruitment and use of 'informants', or 'Covert Human Intelligence Sources' (CHIS), in this area of police practice. Drawing upon semi-structured interviews with both football fans and police officers in Scotland we foreground fan experiences against a backdrop where intensive police surveillance has become a routine feature of football events. In particular, our research uniquely provides accounts of fans whom the police sought to recruit as informants, a process known colloquially in policing as being 'pitched'. In doing so we highlight the impact this tactic has on football fans, both individually and collectively. In understanding police perspectives, we note how the use of informants in football policing is frequently justified as a 'legitimate' means to provide intelligence to prevent violence and disorder amongst fans. Cautioning upon the dangers of further 'surveillance creep', we highlight that the use of informants in the policing of football fans and events raises both practical and ethical issues. In particular, we argue that the use of informants in the covert policing of football fans, if this tactic is to be used, must be grounded in a clearly articulated threat of violence and disorder that is accepted by football fans and the wider community. In the absence of this, the use of such tactics is likely to be considered unnecessary and disproportionate by football fans, feeding a wider narrative of criminalisation and a perception of illegitimate and disproportionate forms of policing.

Just ‘students, old timers, and sammies’? Exploring the role of stewards and private matchday security in the plural policing of Scottish football

“…Such shifts intensify existing trends highlighted previously in the literature on the safety and security of football stadiums and events in the post-Hillsborough landscape (see Frosdick and Chalmers, 2005). Moreover, however, the retreat of the public police and the rise of stewarding and private security in the policing of football also raises issues of accountability, particularly in a Scottish context where policing tactics and the criminalisation of football fans in recent times have been of significant public and political concern (see Atkinson et al, 2020; McBride, 2017). The rise of stewarding and subtle shifts in security governance can thus be understood as part of a wider process of re-configuration in the plural policing of Scottish football; a process that presents both challenges and opportunities.…”

‘Football fans are not thugs’: communication and the future of fan engagement in the policing of Scottish football

“…The introduction and implementation of the Act in 2012 transformed the way in which the police engaged with football fans; signalled by a significant shift towards the use of enforcement tactics by the police and an intensification of surveillance and intelligence gathering (Hamilton-Smith et al 2019, Atkinson et al 2020. There emerged a perception amongst some football fans that they were being criminalised (McBride 2020).…”

“…Andrew, and the ultras group to which he belonged, had previously had a very strained relationship with the police. In particular, the attempts by the police to recruit football fans as informantsin order to covertly provide information to the police on the movements, activities and intentions of fellow fans (see Atkinson et al 2020)resulted in the ultras group of which Andrew is part engaging in visual and vocal protest against the criminalisation of fans. Such protest was not isolated at this club: several other clubs in Scotland with an active ultras scene participated in similar protests at matches around this same period (prior to, and indeed following, the repeal of the Act in 2018), through the displaying of banners and the chanting of songs.…”

Examining Stakeholder Outlooks on Football Policing and Security: The Case of Euro 2020

“…Despite the work toward consistency and convergence on a policy level (Tsoukala, 2009), the policing of football still differs between European countries. Following Atkinson et al (2020, p. 3) it is important to recognize the “nuance of national contexts.” Further, SME hosts typically have “unique combination[s] of existing security capacity and arrangements, police and security culture, and potential threats to public safety” (Taylor et al, 2018, p. 10). This, again, can complicate the transfer of best practice—and indeed impact the actual degrees of consistency and the security realities as the event takes place.…”