Has legislation changed then? My understanding was that police resources in the ground or on owned land is paid by the clubs, resourcing outside the ground is paid for by the taxpayer. Hence because more resource is required outside the ground than in it, (in it people are easier to control), then the tax bill is far way higher than anything the clubs pay, obviously I'm happy to be corrected on this. We had a similar situation some seasons back at my club when we played Swindon (rivals - long story) - The local authority threatened to call the game off, reason being is we always steward our own games with minimum policing. However, because of past history we were forced into having extra policing which became something of a dispute. The clubs are not responsible for policing away from the ground at volatile hotspots such as railway stations and pubs, that would come under general public disorder the same as any other incident. IF West Ham are calling for the additional policing then yes, they will need to pick up the tab inside the ground, likewise also if the authority is enforcing it due to previous events - which most games are accessed on, to refuse to accept any conditions set by those authorities or the police could result in the game being called off, this will in turn mean that actions could be taken against West Ham for not fulfilling a fixture, i would assume.
Hmm, good point I thought I remembered Chelsea having to pay for extra policing inside and out for some fixtures in the Bates era.
Always been my understanding to. Obviously there is nothing to say that the police could not ask for a contribution, but i don't believe there is anything legally binding to oblige them to. I certainly do believe it is a burden that should be picked up by the rich clubs (Prem) - I would not expect it to be picked up by lower league clubs as it would not be financially viable for them to do so.
Fair do's. The only reason i knew was because my club has had several run ins with the local authority and police over similar matters (as i mentioned earlier).
