Sorry i know this is not Gills but it is partially related in sense of match day experience. I was just wondering what legal control the men in yellow have over civilians? It appears to me on many a journey and game in recent times, they are over zealous at least and bordering on bloody dangerous at worst in their actions. You only have to travel to away games to see the yellow perils board your coach like some little Hitlers, with a speech to match, but what laws give them the right to do that? Do we just allow them on board out of common courtesy or do we have a legal obligation to do so? Bag searches, what gives them the right to confiscate possessions from people that have never ever committed a crime? Who gives them the power of stop and search? How do we go about their FAILURE to do a job correctly, when they put supporters at risk, with over zealous controls that protect the home fans but places the away supporters at risk? What legal right under the road traffic act do they have to escort our vehicles on foot, along with what legal right do they have to prevent us from entering private football land in a coach, hence raising the risk of incident through coach manoeuvre's that could have been prevented. Gate controls at football grounds, give a person a yellow jacket and they will hurd you through one turnstile, while others remain vacant. Who gave these idiots untold control, after all is a person that performs such tasks as taking cans of coke off young kids, really qualified to perform such chaos...sheep need not reply At least one positive aspect comes of this, they wear a yellow jacket for a reason, so you can at least see the idiots coming, by heck watch out if its an orange jacket, it means they have history, probably dating back to 1940 Germany!
I would guess that it's all in the small print when you purchase a ticket, i.e.. you agree to abide by their terms and conditions which would specify agreeing to search procedures, excepting the direction/commands of the stewards, not attempting to carry banned articles (tin of coke) into the stadium. If you don't agree go away, harsh but true.
But some of these actions are outside of a football ground and some on public right of way, so what jurisdiction do they have? And again under human rights, what gives them the jurisdiction, regardless of ticket terms to treat you as though you are a criminal and hinder your movements? Just because yellow jackets carry out their duties and people accept them, does not make them beyond question. As for the coke, why should kids not be allowed to take in drinks, why do they have to purchase in a ground, they should at the very least be allowed free access to water and i don't mean in the toilets, when in a stadium for a minimum of 90 minutes on a hot day, even footballers get that basic requirement. After all if they want to make rules, they can't just be one way to suit the needs of a club and its caterers. To which i did find this article; Consumer campaigners Which? estimate that the number of plastic bottles sent to landfill each year would fill Wembley Stadium twice over. Which? describes bottled mineral water as an unnecessary drink that costs us £1.68bn a year. The good news is that sales fell by 9% last year, and in the credit crunch sales are expected to fall further. "Our reasons for buying bottled water are drying up," according to Which? United Utilities, one of the biggest UK water companies, has begun a campaign called "tap into water" that brings free tap water to events such as football matches and street festivals. Philip Green, UU chief executive says: "At a time when we are facing such huge environmental challenges, buying bottled water at the rate of 3bn bottles a year in the UK is clearly unsustainable. I hope the hospitality industry will recognise their customers are environmentally aware and offer them free tap water without prejudice." As i say just sometimes we need to challenge the rules.
brb The Hi Viz brigade have NO legal powers to stop and search. NO legal powers to confiscate ( outside the stadium ). They have NO legal powers to board coaches to give their performance ( failed Britains got talent contestants ). Their real authority is only inside the ground - when the Clubs' regulations state that YOU imply permission to be searched etc. Outside the ground the Hi Viz lot DO NOT have authority to search. They may ask - and if you agree - they may conduct a non-intimate search - and this can only be conducted by a steward of the same gender. If you refuse to be searched they DO NOT have the power to stop your progress in the public place. They can, however, prohibit you from entering the ground.- and the small print on matchday tickets will say that YOU abide by all conditions of the Club - which include a search before you enter etc etc. The Hi Vizzers do not have any power to detain or retain items - other than common law powers of arrest - if - they found a 'CRIMINALLY' ILLEGAL substance / item discovered during any search. - and these common law powers of arrest CANNOT possibly exist until AFTER an 'agreed' search has been conducted. So, they could find your can of fizzy drink - but they must give you the choice as to how you deal with it - rather than taking it into the ground - or handing it over to them. If you choose to hand it to them for their safekeeping - you have the right to have it returned to you after you leave the ground. ( take the name of the steward and make their life awkward at full time). We know that the confiscation of cans of drink is for COMMERCIAL reasons and the removal of tops from soft drinks is to stop you from buying outside the ground ( at sensible prices ).
alwaysright - thank you and exactly my point. Also regardless of football and including other events, when does a bag search by a yellow jacket become a personal intrusion. Some of these people, particularly guys I'm sure are looking for the lipstick. Yes, i jest but i just believe it has got to the stage now that it has become a big brother'ish and people just accept it - because its in the T&C's ! Extreme point i know, but thank god for people like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, otherwise people would still think its ok to segregate. Just because something is deemed as the norm does not make it right.
alwaysright - I didn't know that you could reclaim your item but it was another question raising in my mind but not put to type yet. So why do people not make there life difficult, at least it would cut out this stupidity. I fully understand the safety aspects, but the actions have become that of an ass! I dont think it takes a rocket scientist to work out if an AK47 is sticking out a bag, or an explosive device fits and is visible from a quick glance of a tiny bag, do u really need to rummage for items like them. Sometimes a quick feel outside the bag would reveal a can of drink, and as for blades, well why use a bag when your body is not searched generally! Do what we' ve always done, walk straight pass them, why form an orderly line to be searched like sheep. They won't challenge you if common sense prevails. You have a right not to adhere, how they choose to act upon that is their problem not mine. I know that is all a bit exaggerated but no more to the point then the actions of the YJ's.
brb I do walk past these 'people.' - and normally have no problem - hardly ever asked to be searched - but then I have been 'dissuaded' from taking bags with cans, bottles and aerosols ! -- and yet people with boiling hot tea / coffee in flasks are permitted to retain them ! I suppose a different point of view to the 'search' aspect is that if you are injured inside the ground by an idiot who uses a tin can, knife, gun etc, then the Club will be in serious trouble for not controlling the crowd - and you could use litigation against the CLUB...............anyway I have no real problem with being searched - but I do object to the attitude with some of the monkeys in Hi Viz --- you can sense that some of them have gone 'power mad' and are there just to cause your life as much misery as possible - but woe betide you if you ask them to exercise their powers to stop fans spitting on you from the stand above ( Wolves ) - then these uniformed monkeys inherit a yellow streak.
Some good points alwaysright to which i will clarify my stand; If someone injure's me in a ground...ie can, knife (i'll exclude gun as extreme or terrorism) etc then i have never thought of holding any club to litigation, however, if the event occurred because of a high viz presence/action then i would. So if they want to search and control and i still get injured then expect my wrath, they can't have it both ways. Like Wolves, the example you have given. The only time those yellow streaks stood up against the top tier is when we challenged them, before then they just picked on the little boys, it was a case you either deal with us or them, they chose the sensible option
