Safety at Football Matches — the Role of National Football Information Points — Poland and UK Example

• Authors: Jurczak, Justyna , Struniawski, Jarosław

Abstracts

EN

In the 21st century the security and safety of major events is one of the priorities of the European Union within the areaof freedom, security and justice. Particular attention is paid to football matches and the safety of their participants. In 2002,based on a European Union Council Decision, a mandatory requirement was placed on each Member State to either set upor designate a National Football Information Point (NFIP) — a channel for the international exchange of police information,intelligence and risk assessments. The main aim of the article is to describe and compare selected National Football InformationPoints and their roles while ensuring safety at football matches. The article describes the history of National Football InformationPoints in Poland and the UK, their main roles and responsibilities, as well as other issues related to football match safety e.g.Football Banning Order procedures. In the article the Police role in enhancing safety at football matches in Poland and the UKis described in detail. Although the task and responsibilities are similar, each NFIP is organized in a different way in accordancewith the domestic legal regulations in the sphere of football match safety. The engagement of Police representatives is described,starting from the National Police Chief, the Police Commanders, the Football Intelligence Officers and the Police Football Spotters.Key differences are also pointed out. The results presented in this article were collected during research conducted both in Polandand the United Kingdom in 2014–2015. The data was gathered using a variety of methods and techniques, both theoreticaland empirical.

Keywords

EN

Police; safety and public order; mass events; football related violence; UKFPU; NFIP

• Publisher: Akademia Policji w Szczytnie
• Journal: Internal Security
• Year: 2015
• Volume: 7(2)
• Pages: 125-142

Contributors

author

Jurczak, Justyna

author

Struniawski, Jarosław

Identifiers

DOI

10.5604/20805268.1212117