Violent incidents have decreased in the 2023/24 sporting season, the PSP said in a statement warning of a significant increase in the use of pyrotechnics in a statement released ahead of the start of Football League One.
A PSP report released on Friday said there were 9,285 violations recorded last season (up 22.5% on the previous season), with the most common violations being fireworks ignition (52.1%), fireworks storage (9%) and damage (7.9%).
While incidents have increased globally – largely due to an increase in situations involving the storage and detonation of fireworks (up 94.4%) – the PSP says it has seen a “strong decline” in violent incidents, with crimes against physical integrity, insults and threats and involvement in fights down 62%.
Of the 9,285 violations recorded, 8,076 occurred in the PSP zone, which is home to 13 of the 18 stadiums where First League football matches are held.
As for UEFA competitions, the police say they took place almost exclusively in their area of responsibility and that a “large number of violations” were recorded – 763 in 22 sporting events, which equates to an average of 34 violations per game.
In 2023/2024, security forces were present at 22,199 sporting events (all types, competitions and categories) involving 135,483 police officers, ensuring the safety of more than 9.3 million spectators.
Of the total number of violations identified in the PSP’s area of responsibility, 6,167 occurred inside sports facilities, “continuing the trend recorded in previous sports seasons,” the note said.
In the 2023/2024 sports season, the PSP registered 767 administrative violation reports and detained 86 people during police actions at sports events.
As for fans, 129 people were banned from attending sporting events and 300 people were ejected from sports grounds for unlawful behaviour.
According to data published this Friday, between July 31, 2023 and June 30, 2024, 502 measures of restraint were reported to the PSP, of which 76 are the result of a judicial decision and 426 are additional sanctions imposed by the Office for the Prevention and Combating of Violence in Sport (APCVD).
There were also 15 violations of preventive measures recorded.
In the upcoming sports season, the PSP “will guarantee special control over the measures applied.”
Of the total number of preventive measures brought to the attention of this police, 329 are related to situations of storage/ignition of pyrotechnic products, 39 are related to cases of incitement to violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance, 36 are related to cases of throwing objects, 30 are related to situations of crimes against physical integrity and 25 for trespassing on the territory of a sports show.
In the new season, security forces call on all fans to say “no” to violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in any environment, including in the sporting context.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.