Police at the Cricket

[Beny]

Originally Posted by Local cricket fourm

After attending the game on Friday night, I have come to the conclusion that Police are wrecking the game - for many people.

Police are now able to kick people out for just about anything. I personally got kicked out for skulling a few beers in the night session (luckily I got back in before been kicked out again for returning and then got back in again!!)
This has gotten worse and worse from year to year.
Last year my mum saw them kick out 2 lesbians for kissing each other. - You have to be kidding right?(Reason: Inciting the crowd)
This year
Kicking out BIG FISH(and anyone else) before the game had started for skulling a beer.(Reason: Inciting the crowd)

I don't know what else this guy may have been doing but he raises an iteresting point.

[Occasional Fan]

Where was that, Beny? During the last Ashes tour I went to three matches. The police in Queensland were extremely friendly and seemed to be as keen as anyone to enjoy the match and join in the banter. It was there that I saw Barmy Army members wearing QP caps having "swapped" them for English style coppers' helmets. There was a photograph on the front page of the Courier Mail, and it just summed up the atmosphere. In Adelaide, the SA Police were just invisible in the ground - to the extent that I can't even remember what their uniform looks like. In Perth, the WA Police were extremely heavy handed and, it has to be said, not all that clever all the time. They spent their time with their backs to the match so that they could watch the crowd for entirely non-existent trouble, chucked out people who had inflatable kangaroos with them, even though they were sitting on the grass and were in no-one's way, and at one point failed splendidly to chuck out a target as the crowd on the grass bank all started running around to create confusion so that the bloke in question could make his escape from the long arm of the law. (I've no idea what he had done, but there was clearly a difference of opinion on severity of alleged offence.) There were complaining letters to the Western Australian about heavy handed policing at the Perth test.

Point of all this is that the style of policing really can affect the atmosphere at the game. I've never been to a game where more than about four policemen have been needed in the ground, and those mostly to provide directions to the bar and/or toilet. We're not dealing with football crowds here. I do wish police forces would realise that.

[Zainub]

I've never been to a game where more than about four policemen have been needed in the ground

I've seen games on tv where no of security personell have outnumbered the actual fans.

Down here in the sub continent you need lots and lost of police for just about every other match, and that for the one and only game I have ever been to proved to be test of your patience to say the least - in the Ind vs Pak game in Karachi, the first ODI, we had to come to the ground two hours before the match started, get our selves checked, no mobile phones allowed, no food allowed, no drinks allowed, no soft objects allowed, no nothing allowed basically - and there were soooo many of them standing near the boundary edge (real scary ones too with big sized weapons even) that you don't even dare go near them

[Rahul_Dravid_is_No.1]

but india pakistan is a whole different case.

[Occasional Fan]

Somewhere else on the board there was a thread which dealt with the fact (at least, I assume it's a fact, and your post suggests that that may be so) that passions run pretty high at matches in India and Pakistan - and perhaps especially between India and Pakistan. So I'm not surprised to hear that you have a large police presence for matches in Pakistan. I've been to cricket in South Africa, England, West Indies and Australia, and I count myself very fortunate for that, and in all those places it was only at the one test match in Perth that I felt the police had any sort of real profile. I have to say I get very nervous of large crowds where passion for one's team goes much further than applause or cheering. For that reason, I have never been to a football match (and don't want to go). I much prefer the sort of crowd where you can have a chat with your neighbour without having to shout, and where people stay in their seats to applaud or cheer. You don't need many policemen in those cases.

Unfortunately, Zainub, the picture you paint is not one that attracts me to follow the England team to India and Pakistan at the end of this year and the beginning of next. It's a bit sad, but I think I'll follow that tour on TV or radio.

[Zainub]

OF, I meant to imply that we probably had more police than needed - that match I was talking about was watched by about 30,000 fans, and we all had a great time - there was no case of people shouting out to their neighbours or swearing the players/fans of oppositions or anything like that - in the end when we lost, the entire stadium rose to applaud the Indian team, and in general the fantastic cricket we had seen all day, nearly 700 runs scored in nearly 100 overs...just too hyped up security - a little understandable it was, because this was the first time after a long time India had played in Karachi and before that b/c of the whole controversy over the SA and NZ everyone had this impression of Karachi that bombs go off here every other day (which needless to say is categorically incorrect)...

I was just trying to point out that the authourities (and in most cases the touring team them selves) tend to be over afriad and hence they deploy far too many security officers in the ground than actually needed, which makes player-fan interaction a bit difficult. Crowds in this part of the world are often incorrectly potrayed, in recent times, we've been very appreciative of any good cricket, particularly the crowds in smaller cities, like Peshawar and Multan have been absolutely fantastic, we are no as mad or fanatical as everythinks, there are a few idiots present, but where don't we have idiots. Just that people have the wrong impression, and becaue of that even players are overty concered about their security, often our cricket board is left with no other option than to arrange for massive security, in most cases presidential level security, other wise teams threaten they won't tour, like did India, SA and NZ.

I had no intention to discourage you from visiting my country, and I'll disapointed if I have already done that. Please reconsider your thoughts.

[Chuck Palumbo]

I think we have to appreciate that crowd trouble is not as common in cricket than it is in Football. I'am an Arsenal supporter and I go to most London away games and when playing our nearest rivals-Spurs at their ground,White Hart Lane, you will be lucky if you get home unscathed- I have been punched on quite a few occasions when walking out of the Arsenal end at Tottenham and that sort of thing never goes on in Cricket and thankfully so.

[Occasional Fan]

Zainub - sorry, I think I may have misrepresented my views somehow. The thing that worries me is crowd mentality - the position where the crowd sort of develops a mind of its own, distinct from and usually rather uglier than many of the crowd members' mentalities. This can happen in all sorts of situations where crowds gather, and it is not in any way confined to sporting occasions or to any particular nations. One of the worst experiences I had in terms of really feeling that I just had to get out - not a real panic attack, but something of that sort - was right here in Prague when I found myself somehow in the middle of a crowd which was partying on New Year's Eve a couple of years ago. There was no-one there who individually meant to harm anyone else, but people did get hurt because of the way the crowd heaved. And there was actually no-one to blame for any of the injuries, as no-one individually caused them - just somehow 25,000 people not even consciously acting together managed it.

As to putting me off visiting your country - don't worry: you won't do it! I've never been to the sub-continent before, but it is firmly in my list of places to make sure I get to. Don't know when it will be, but I will have a Pakistani stamp in my passport eventually.

[Rahul_Dravid_is_No.1]

dont forget an indian stamp when england come to india next year

[Occasional Fan]

I think the India part of the tour is this year, isn't it, RD1, with Pakistan after the new year? In any case, I can't see myself getting out there for that tour, unfortunately. Will be a few years down the line, it seems.