Bill Leckie: Cops were damn lucky Hampden pitch invasion wasn’t a bloodbath

[ian1964 10,724]

MIDWAY inside the Rangers half, a police officer is closing in on a Hibs fan who’s staggering around challenging anyone and everyone to a square go.

 

The officer isn’t brandishing a truncheon, nor even a set of handcuffs.

 

But a video camera.

 

On the streets a numbskull this drunk and incapable would be huckled and slung in a cell, not captured in glorious Technicolor.

 

Yet this was Hampden in the midst of Cup Final chaos. This was Police Scotland’s ultra-softly-softly plan to defuse a potentially catastrophic situation — don’t nick ’em, film ’em.

 

And, sadly, this bizarre scene summed up the total under-reaction of just about EVERY key player on a day that turned the football clock back three decades and razored a scar across this country’s reputation in the eyes of the world.

 

The Perfect Storm, one top cop has called it. Really? From where I was standing, it looked more like The Perfect Cock-Up:

 

lThe Hibees hordes who stormed the barriers and swarmed across the turf cocked up one of the biggest days in their club’s history, not getting the damage they were doing even when their own kind were booing and yelling: Off! Off! Off!

 

The company who supplied the stewards cocked up in plainly not getting that they needed to hire something more effective than an army of low-paid patsies who couldn’t have kept weans out of a close.

 

lThe Hibs board, watching the mayhem unfold from their executive seats at the back of the Main Stand, cocked up by not getting that the invasion had taken about ten seconds to turn from joyous to threatening and that they needed to apologise there and then.

 

lEven Rangers, some of whose players and staff were assaulted by opposition fans and most of whose fans showed admirable restraint under intense provocation, cocked up by not getting that most neutrals were on their side over this one — until, that is, they followed up Saturday night’s perfectly acceptable initial statement by putting on their silver-foil hats and launching into full no-one-likes-us-we-don’t-care mode.

 

As for the police? It’s hard to know where to start with their industrial-scale cock-uppery.

 

Except to say that the average plod eventually sent into action must have been thoroughly embarrassed by the New Age, politically-correct planning behind their orders.

 

Because it’s all very well SFA chief executive Stewart Regan claiming to have had 1,000 cops and stewards on duty.

 

The inescapable fact is, though, that when the final whistle went and the Hibs fans poured over, there was nothing like that number ringing the pitch and the vast majority in position were stewards who had no intention of being trampled underfoot. Only once hundreds of the estimated 5,000 who came on had lurched well over the halfway line and the first of a couple of hundred Rangers fans had joined them for a scrap did police properly intervene.

 

Yes, the cops were calm. Yes, they were organised.

 

Yes, a battalion of officers on foot was followed by a team of mounties and, yes, order was finally restored.

 

They were too late, though, too damn late. And the truth is, their bosses are damn lucky they didn’t end up reacting to a bloodbath.

 

When I was growing up, we had the phrase ‘crime prevention’ drummed into us. Stop it before it starts. Keep the peace. Now, however, the job seems to be about crime management — as in, police top brass don’t see it as their place to intervene until something bad has actually happened.

 

Still, at least they’ve given us a lighter moment amidst all this anger and recrimination, thanks to this Perfect Storm theory, which says that as it was a sunny day and a 3pm kick-off, punters were bound to get hammered and cause chaos and trouble?

 

Sorry, but that argument has bigger holes than that so-called cordon of stewards, because the Cup Final’s ALWAYS at 3pm on a Saturday in May when there’s a chance of decent weather and pubs have been open for hours, yet there hasn’t been a pitch invasion since the notorious Old Firm battle of 1980. Then there’s their claim about “bitterness and hatred” between Rangers and Hibs, which falls down a tad on the grounds that they’d met 12 times in 20 months without anything like this happening.

 

Not to mention that it’s only a few weeks since a semi-final between Rangers and Celtic fuelled by so much bitterness and hatred the Jews and Palestinians sigh with despair, yet fans stayed in the stands that day.

 

But let’s suspend reality here and say the cops are right. Let’s just say this really WAS their Perfect Storm.

 

And let’s ask the question: Why did they wait until it starting peeing down before they put their wellies on?

 

Poor management, complacency, incompetence?

 

Your guess is as good as mine — just as it is about why it took until Monday afternoon before Hibs chairman Petrie stopped singing Denial On Leith and finally admitted some responsibility.

 

Regular readers know my feelings about this buffoon of a man.

 

Yet even by his mealy-mouthed standards, yesterday’s statement was a classic, claiming it was “now clear from various sources” that his fans being on the pitch “led to violence and disorder”.

 

Clear now? It was crystal clear within 20 seconds that the invasion would lead to violence and disorder. The only necessary sources were right there in front of his eyes, yet he had the gall to dismiss a near-riot as high jinks.

 

Had he done his job properly right then, Petrie could have prevented so much of the damage done to Hibs on a day that should have been all about celebration.

 

Though then again, had Police Scotland done THEIR job properly, there might not have been any damage in the first place.

 

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/7170651/Bill-Leckie-Cops-were-damn-lucky-Hampden-pitch-invasion-wasnt-a-bloodbath.html

[craig 5,199]

Leslie in "telling the truth" shocker

[Oleg_Mcnoleg 50]

Police got complacent. Prioritised catching bears singing naughty songs about papes.

[elfideldo 411]

Police got complacent. Prioritised catching bears singing naughty songs about papes.

 

One of those songs was sung by 1000's at Rugby Park on Sunday with just two words changed. "Killie" for "Billy" and "Ayr" for "Fenian".

 

What is the difference ?

[jhunter 0]

One of those songs was sung by 1000's at Rugby Park on Sunday with just two words changed. "Killie" for "Billy" and "Ayr" for "Fenian".

 

What is the difference ?

 

the difference is the word fenian - they claim it means Roman catholic - so if they catch someone singing it it gets registered as a sectarian hate crime and gets filed as fighting sectarianism and makes it look like the Government and polis are solving sectarianism.

Edited May 24, 2016 by jhunter

[ian1964 10,724]

Police say their response to Scottish Cup final fan trouble was 'proportionate and professional'

 

POLICE have described their response to fan trouble at the Scottish Cup final as "measured, proportionate and professional" as separate probes into the disturbance were confirmed.

 

Police Scotland said a full criminal investigation into the scenes that marred the end of the game between Rangers and Hibernian is under way, and warned that further arrests are likely in the days to come.

 

Meanwhile, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) has announced it plans to set up an independent commission to investigate the circumstances that led to the crowd trouble at Hampden Park, Glasgow.

 

Hibs have issued a statement condemning the violence on Saturday and said the club will do all it can to support the criminal investigation.

 

Rangers said players and staff were assaulted as thousands of Hibs supporters flooded on to the pitch following the Edinburgh team's dramatic 3-2 win at Hampden.

 

Fans of the Glasgow team also made it past stewards on to the pitch, leading to a period of fighting between the two sets of supporters before mounted Police Scotland officers restored order at the national stadium.

 

So far 11 arrests have been made and police are trawling through CCTV and online footage of the trouble to identify those involved.

 

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams said: "A full criminal investigation is now under way.

 

"We have a dedicated incident room established in Glasgow and I'd appeal to anyone who has information in relation to criminal behaviour at Hampden on Saturday to contact detectives on 0141 532 5457.

 

"Although we've made 11 arrests so far, I fully expect more to be made in the coming days as we sift through evidence from CCTV and other video footage and photographic images.

 

"Public safety is our number one priority and the pitch incursion was unacceptable and jeopardised that. Our response was immediate, measured, proportionate and professional. In a short period of time, we deployed mounted officers, public order and conventional officers to separate the opposing supporters."

 

He added that it is important to reflect on the match and work with the other organisations involved to see if there are any lessons to be learned.

 

SFA chief executive Stewart Regan said after the match that the incident was an embarrassment to Scottish football.

 

He has promised swift action with the governing body's compliance officer set to launch his own investigation while the independent commission looks into the causes.

 

In a statement, Mr Regan said: "I would urge all parties involved in the ongoing situation to demonstrate calmness, clarity of thought and responsibility as we proceed towards a satisfactory conclusion.''

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/14511499.Police_say_their_response_to_Scottish_Cup_final_fan_trouble_was__proportionate_and_professional_/

[aweebluesoandso 290]

Police Scotland have taken a lead from South Yorkshire Police when dealing with a crisis, lie, lie, deny, deflect then lie again. Don't they ever learn?

[trublusince1982 243]

Only bit I disagree with is everyone was on our side. Think bill is ignoring the fact nobody from hibs ,SFA or any footballing body had enquired about the welfare of our players. The majority of media reports where ignoring the player attacks and trying to paint it as over exuberance and fans fighting fans with both sets to blame. Not a single apology either just well done hibs

[alexscottislegend 2,325]

I must have missed the official Hibs statement; in any event it's too late and probably made through gritted teeth.

[trublusince1982 243]

The only statement I have seen accepts zero blame and just states will work with authorities . No apology , no condemnation or comment on players being attacked