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Police radio in London Stadium is not a big problem

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police3ClaretandHugh have been told that the lack of the emergency services radio system inside the London Stadium has been exaggerated and blown out of proportion in the media.

We have been told the police and other emergency services can use their radios in the vast majority of the London Stadium and there are only a handful of blackspots which need to be addressed to provide full coverage within the stadium.

Earlier reports suggested the stadium was like a black hole which the police had refused to enter for fear of being cut off from the outside world but the reality is completely different we have been informed.

radioA policeman is always stationed in the control room on match days and he can call on police assistance at a moment’s notice. Police have no objections to enter the stadium on this basis when called upon to deal with any criminal behaviour or public disorder.

The Police have confirmed as much in a statement saying “The Metropolitan Police Service will fulfill its legal responsibilities in relation to dealing with matters of criminality.”

However the Met did confirm they will not provide paid for private police cover within hampshire-police-airwave-usersthe London Stadium which they called ‘Special Policing Services’ until there is full radio coverage.  The Met say: “The MPS is not able to provide Special Policing Services at this time as it would normally, as there is no satisfactory radio system across the ground.”

We have been told the Airwave radio coverage can resolved fairly simply in the short term by using temporary radio repeaters in the black spots within the stadium which are quick to deploy.

As with most issues involving public bodies such as the Met Police, Newham Council and the London Legacy Development Agency these problems often end up more about political point scoring and a blame culture rather then getting on and fixing the problem.

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I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called Moore Than Just a Podcast A Blogger on West Ham Till I die a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball,

I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh.

Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons!

Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter