Stadium operators blame game
The statement by London Stadium 185 read: “The safety of the Stadium is paramount and all safety plans are agreed in advance by the police and if there were any significant concerns the Stadium would not be licensed.
“Saturday’s match was a Category A, low risk game and the police were based at the (Olympic) Park Headquarters throughout to monitor events at the Stadium. They were deployed in the Stadium when required, however the main pressure on the stewarding during the game was from infighting among the West Ham United fans.
“A decision to install Airwave was reached in March 2016. The procurement and installation is the responsibility of the police we have fully co-operated and will facilitate any access they require to carry this out.”
It is latest in a number of statements which appear to shifting blame from one party to another.
Earlier today Met Police released a statement which appeared to criticise the stadium operators for not acting sooner on the procurement of a radio system saying:
“This issue was highlighted to the stadium operators in October 2014 and the MPS has been in negotiation with stadium operators regarding the provision of Airwave radio inside the stadium. During this time, the MPS had spoken to the stadium operators several times to highlight the consequences of not installing such a system.”
Yesterday the club make it clear that LS185 are responsible for security in the stadium although they said they would do everything within their jurisdiction. The club statement make it clear there were just 10 ejections, 7 complaints about standing, 20 complaints about anti social behaviour and no arrests.