The internal investigation into Staffordshire Police’s handling of the Port Vale vs Wolves match in August has been concluded, according to the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner.
It looks at the circumstances which led to significant disorder after the game, the manner in which it was policed and whether the club itself could have done more to help avoid the problems.
This type of report is not usually made public because of the inclusion of sensitive operational information. However, following talks with Chief Constable Mike Cunningham the Commissioner says that a redacted report will now be made public.
Mr Ellis said: “Having seen video footage of the disorder it is clear that the atmosphere was tense and the actions of some supporters were wholly inappropriate. But it’s also clear that the way it was policed had to be examined in detail because of what happened.
“One of the most important responsibilities of a PCC is to ensure that police are open, honest and transparent about their actions and the way they go about their business.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing. As in the work police are doing around Stafford Hospital, I have senior officials from my team sitting in on the process to assess what happened at Port Vale.
“My officials are not there to interfere with the internal investigation but they are there to make sure the process the police use is appropriate and the outcomes from it are clear, accurate and honest in the final report.”
On the day of the match 23 people were arrested and since that time 11 additional arrests have been made making 34 in total. Of those arrested 22 have now been charged and are going through the courts process. Seven formal complaints in relation to dog bites were also received.
Mr Ellis says that whilst the police often find themselves in situations that are not only dangerous but difficult for individual officers, it is vital that lessons are learned and the actions of all officers of all ranks are scrutinised properly.
“The full report reflects what I expected having been comprehensively briefed by my officials as the process has progressed. There are significant issues for the police to consider now and in future operations of this type. The redacted version, which will be published this week, highlights them,” he said.
“Included is better use of specialist advice around the deployment of police dogs, the accuracy of information relayed over police radios and making sure that standard radio protocol is adhered to by everyone. There are also pertinent questions as to whether the club itself could have been more proactive in dealing with inappropriate chanting by parts of the crowd as well as the issue of investment in infrastructure which could assist with safety.”
In relation to the internal investigation process the Commissioner is concerned at the length of time it has taken to do. He has asked the Chief Constable to set out indicative timescales which should be adhered to by the force in any similar investigation in the future.
Mr Ellis says that the time taken to reach a conclusion in a situation like this has an impact on public confidence and perceived transparency: “It is important that an investigation like this is comprehensive but it’s also important that it is done in a timely manner. My view is that this has taken longer than it needed to and I have asked the Chief Constable to ensure greater rigor around timescales and he has accepted this needs to be addressed.
“The way the police have undertaken this work has been scrutinised closely by my office and the final report is an honest analysis of the policing operation and issues relating to it. There are clearly issues where lessons must be learned by the police or where further actions need to happen.
“Scrutinising this process so closely has been immensely useful and adds significant rigor to ensuring mistakes are recognised and the way policing is carried out is totally transparent.”
Staffordshire Police referred the Port Vale match issues to the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) and a separate independent review is underway by Greater Manchester Police that is due to be completed by the end of November. The seven complaints from members of the public are under investigation by the Professional Standards Unit of Staffordshire Police.
