Gulp!

[Snake]

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambrid ... story.html

A clever way of encouraging fans to drink the over-priced fizzy crap served inside grounds perhaps?

[Kairdiff Exile]

Scandalous, isn't it. Not least because the police already have the power to arrest you for Drunk & Disorderly. This new gimmick is therefore completely unnecessary. Indeed, if you're not being Disorderly then is there really a good reason to arrest you just for being Drunk?

At least with D&D the test - however subjective - is whether you're being a nuisance; here, the (objective) test is whether you're twice over the drink-drive limit. And that's a poor arbiter - after three pints, some people (I'm one) might be a mess, but others might be perfectly fine. Not capable of driving, perhaps, but by no means a problem.

Still, who cares right? It's only us football fans. We don't deserve civil liberties.

If people DO feel annoyed by this, it's worth considering writing to your local Police & Crime Commissioner and seeking an assurance that they won't seek to extend this policy to their area of jurisdiction. Even if PCCs are wound up in the coming months/years, it's got to be worth ten minutes and a second class stamp...

[Snake]

This is now escalating into madness in Cambridge. For a start, I wonder how many people actually like the food at McDonald’s when you’re sober?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ald-s.html

[Kernow Yellow]

There are pubs and clubs in Plymouth that use breathalysers to help decide whether punters are too pissed to come in too. Not that I'd wish to visit an establishment that did that.

Seems a ridiculous idea to me - I wouldn't want to watch League 2 football without being at least twice the drink-drive limit! That's assuming I wasn't driving of course...

[SmileyMan]

League Two football is best consumbed with a bottle of whisky and a revolver

[Kairdiff Exile]

For what it's worth, I have today sent this to the Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley. By all means feel free to copy and paste or amend so you can send your own version. Who knows, if he gets a stack of them he may even respond before his post gets wound up by whoever wins the election on Thursday!

Mr Anthony Stansfeld,
Thames Valey Police & Crime Commissioner,
The Farmhouse,
Thames Valley Police Headquarters,
Oxford Road, Kidlington,
Oxfordshire, OX5 2NX

5th May 2015

Dear Mr Stansfeld,

Re: Breathalysing of football supporters

It was reported last week (see enclosed article) that Cambridgeshire Police were to begin routinely breathalysing football supporters at Cambridge United’s Abbey Stadium in an effort to reduce anti-social behaviour at football matches. Some reports indicated that the measures were being brought in at the specific request of the Police & Crime Commissioner for the area.

As a supporter of Oxford United in the Thames Valley Police area, I am writing to seek an assurance from you that no similar measures are under consideration here. It is clear from fans’ reactions to the proposals that there is widespread concern that use of such breathalysers unfairly victimises and criminalises supporters, and will undermine relations between supporters and the police.

As the Football Supporters’ Federation have pointed out in their response to the proposal, powers already exist to refuse entry to fans who are behaving in a disorderly manner (and the police of course already have at their disposal the power to arrest for Drunk & Disorderly (under the Criminal Justice Act 1967, c. 80, Part VI, Section 91). It is unclear, therefore, what these measures will achieve except to see fans suffering the indignity of being pulled aside and subjected to a breathalyser test whilst queuing for entry to games.

Indeed, it is questionable whether such steps are even legal. The Cambridgeshire Police approach will be to refuse entry for supporters found to have over 70 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath (twice the legal drink-drive limit). However, it is quite possible for someone to be above that limit and still behave in an orderly and lawful manner (provided, of course, they do not seek to drive) – in which case, it cannot be fair or right to prevent them from going about their lawful business and watching a football match.

It appears that Cambridgeshire Police are seeking to erode the civil liberties of football supporters and undermine relationships between the police and fans in an attempt to reduce anti-social behaviour, despite already having perfectly adequate powers to do so. I sincerely hope that you can provide a reassurance that Thames Valley Police will not be following suit.

I await your response with interest.

If I get a response (and I'm not holding my breath), I'll endeavour to post it on here in due course.

[slappy]

It's a nasty sounding headline but what is being suggested is that it would be used as a tool by stewards to assess presumably 'disruptive' fans rather than breathalysing everyone. It's the thin end of the wedge though as to the authorities' inbuilt assumption that all football fans are trouble, rather than law abiding citizens.

One fan might be twice the drink drive limit and behave perfectly acceptably, another stone cold sober and be a troublemaker.

[Snake]

It would make more sense in the Cambridge branch of McDonald’s if they had BMI tests on the door....

Or maybe turnstiles that are as narrow as in footy grounds, so if you’re too fat to get through them then you should not be eating in there.

[Kairdiff Exile]

Just a postscript to this, as I've now heard back from the Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner (who, given the General Election result, is now less likely to find his post abolished any time soon):

Dear [Kairdiff Exile],

Thank you for your letter dated 5th May with regard to breathalysing of football supporters.

Unless there are serious disturbances at the Oxford Ground [sic], I have no intention of introducing breath tests. However, if there were serious disturbances I might revisit the issue.

With kind regards,

Anthony Stansfield

Not an unequivocal response, but broadly encouraging. I did also write to my local P&CC (Alun Michael in South Wales) who responded to say he had no intention of copying the idea, saying it would antagonise fans and damage relationships between the police and clubs/supporters, which I thought was welcome.