The UK Football Policing Unit has been criticised for wrongly linking the Hillsborough disaster to alcohol consumption in its objection to Andy Burnham's suggestion that a ban on drinking in stadiums could be scrapped.
Mr Burnham, a lifelong Everton fan, has said the existing ban on football fans drinking alcohol in the stands is discriminatory, unfair and should be lifted. The Prime Minister said it is unfair that football fans are singled out while drinking in the stands is allowed for other sporting and cultural events.
But the UK Football Policing Unit, a team of police officers and staff who work to support police forces to reduce anti-social behaviour, violence and disorder involving football supporters, has challenged the view of the Prime Minister.
Unit challenges proposed changes
The unit said they would welcome a meeting with Mr Burnham to "explain the challenges these proposed changes would bring to policing and the safety of staff and fans."
In a widely reported statement, a spokesperson for the unit added: "Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour. It would be irresponsible to fuel this by allowing greater alcohol consumption during games."
Taylor Report reference sparks anger
But it is the next section of that statement that has sparked anger, as it attempts to link the Hillsborough disaster of 1989 to alcohol consumption through the link of a 1990 report by Lord Justice Taylor into the causes of the tragedy and recommendations for stadium safety.
The disaster resulted in the unlawful deaths of 1989 Liverpool fans who were then wrongly blamed by police and the authorities for causing the crush at the Sheffield stadium. Fresh inquests in 2016 would see the fans entirely exonerated and the tragedy correctly blamed on police failings.
The UK Football Policing Unit statement today added: "Following a number of football-related tragedies, changes in legislation were implemented after the Taylor Report for good reason and we are currently in the longest ever period without a significant football-related disaster.
"It would be incredibly rash to make fundamental changes without a full examination of the evidence and meaningful consultation with police practitioners who have the expertise in this area."
Reaction from fans and officials
In his report, Lord Taylor acknowledged that while some fans had been drinking on the day of the disaster, he stated unequivocally that the great majority "were not drunk nor even the worse for drink."
The inquiry explicitly found that drunkenness played no part in causing the congestion at the turnstiles or the disaster itself.
The policing unit has been accused of "casually linking" the Taylor Report after Hillsborough and football matches to drinking in stadiums.
The Football Supporters Association, a supporters body for fans in England and Wales, called for a retraction in a post on social media.
The body said: "Arguably the most important point is that the UK Football Policing Unit's comments bringing Hillsborough into this debate have to be corrected.
"The disaster was not caused by alcohol. Full stop. Fans were "unlawfully killed and a catalogue of failings by police and the ambulance services contributed to their deaths."
This was followed up by Jay McKenna, regional secretary of the Trades Union Congress and a member of Liverpool FC's supporters Union, Spirit of Shankly.
He said: "This is low, even by the standards of the UK Football policing unit, casually linking the Taylor report post Hillsborough and football tragedies to changes in the law on drinking at matches Drinking in view of the pitch didn’t cause deaths or injuries - policing failures did."
Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne, a Hillsborough survivor, described it as an "appalling statement."
Other fans on social media called for: "A full retraction, apology and recognition of catastrophic policing failures causing the disaster is needed."
The UK Football Policing Unit have been approached for comment.
