Just got an email from WYPCC... Thank you for your e-mail about the actions of West Yorkshire Police in connection with the above football match. The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire has issued the following statement in relation to this matter: Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire Mark Burns-Williamson said: "The publication, under the Freedom of Information Act, of emails between senior officers regarding the policing arrangements of the Huddersfield Town against Hull City fixture from March of this year has raised a number of issues for me. "Prior to the fixture I received a number of complaints from Hull City and Huddersfield Town supporters and their representatives following travel and other restrictions placed upon them as part of revised policing arrangements for a later kick-off. "The publication of emails in relation to the matter now casts doubt on the rationale behind some of those decisions. With that in mind I have asked the Chief Constable Mark Gilmore, who was not in post at the time, to conduct a rigorous review of the policing arrangements put in place for the fixture and to address the concerns raised. "To maintain the confidence of the public they serve, police forces must be able to clearly and justly support the decisions they make. It is with that commitment in mind that I have requested a thorough examination of the policing arrangements for the fixture. "If this review finds the Force failed to adequately consider the implications of decisions made at the time, I will seek reassurance from the Chief Constable that appropriate action to put matters right are taken, and ensure that lessons are learnt for the future. " Yours sincerely Karen Mrs Karen Grey Head of Casework and Accountability
I'm not holding my breath Conducting an internal enquiry ? Maybe in 18 months time they might say "sorry!" This is what we are dealing with: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2318203.stm
Let me guess, **** all happened to the thugs in blue. I bet they sent sporting emails to each other and high fives round the office.
An excellent statement from the club... Following the release of documents in response to the Freedom of Information request relating to the Huddersfield Town vs. Hull City league fixture on Saturday 30th March 2013, it has become abundantly clear that West Yorkshire Police were pursuing a specific agenda in their unwarranted imposition of the travel ‘bubble’. Indeed, their internal legal advisors recognised this in the run-up to the match. We are delighted that the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner has acknowledged that the concerns raised with him in advance of the match were justified and is now conducting a comprehensive review of the decision-making process that effectively led to Hull City fans being inappropriately labelled as hooligans. We look forward to the outcome of that review with interest and hope that, in future, West Yorkshire Police takes a common-sense approach when planning for football matches. The diligence of both the Football Supporters’ Federation and Reds Away in pursuing this matter alongside supporters’ groups representing both Huddersfield Town and Hull City is to be commended. Without their perseverance it is likely that West Yorkshire Police’s counter-intuitive approach to this game would have simply been swept under the carpet. Thanks to the fans’ continued indignation over a lack of consideration for away supporters, this has not happened, and West Yorkshire Police’s flawed decision-making process has been exposed. Speaking on behalf of Huddersfield Town, Chief Executive Nigel Clibbens added: “Throughout the ‘New Era’ under the Chairmanship of Dean Hoyle, Huddersfield Town has had a good, professional working relationship with West Yorkshire Police. The safety of our fans and visitors is a top priority for the Club. “The Hull City game was the third time the Police refused to sanction a change of fixture at Sky’s request, which put Huddersfield Town in a very difficult position. “Huddersfield Town understands the Police has to protect the ‘public purse’ and the challenges that can bring, but when saving money infringes on the ability of people and businesses to go about their everyday work and enjoy a day out at football, something is clearly wrong. “The Club was disappointed to read some of the comments in the documents and now hopes the Police reflect upon and learn from what has taken place.” http://www.hullcityafc.net/news/article/official-statement-huddersfield-891924.aspx
Read that earlier, once again it's clear that we're much more willing to have a go than the udders are. Can't resent them too much for that of course as they have to maintain a working relationship with WYP but it's still a bit frustrating. I wonder how long this report will take to come out? At least we don't have to deal with them for this season and hopefully a few more on top of that!
Will the review also consider the decision to stop and search a Hull City coach en route to the Burnley game, which I understand was carried out by WYP?
Same statement on Udders' OWS now = joint statement: http://www.htafc.com/news/article/club-news-joint-statement-hull-891854.aspx?
We dealt with that subject at the time on here. My understanding was that it was the coach driver who instigated the action.
Good to see they've done that, I specifically meant the actual quotes from each club that's in that statement but I don't doubt they're holding their tongue in order to not piss off WYP knowing it may bite them later. To your earlier comment, I don't think there's much danger of Udders or Leeds coming up, so if we stay up we'll avoid these dodgy coppers for another year!
Somebody just posted that statement on FoxesTalk. Congratulations, always good to hear that the the supporters still have a voice. Although obviously it's too late now.
It was immediately obvious that the fans were right and that the WYP were motivated by budget issues. They made the mistake of inventing a 'reason' for moving the game to suit their own resources rather than their masters, us, the public. Now the cat is out the bag as the wider world is taking an interest in the murky world and weasel words of the WYP, as they smell a rat. Unfortunately some people think the battle is won now that there is to be an enquiry. A hand-wringing internal enquiry with a belated "sorry!" is of no value. Heads must roll and compensation must be paid. **** your 'sorry'. One thing deserving scrutiny is exactly what is was that resulted in this new development. Was it the email leaks?
Through his Legal advocate Louis (15) released the following statement to media outlets today:- Response to FOI revelations. When I heard the original announcement that our game with Huddersfield was to be a category A+, and to be a ‘bubble’ match at first I was confused. I actually thought the West Yorkshire Police had made a mistake. I had already followed Hull City home and away for years so could not believe that they were talking about the same club! I was with my grandma at the time and as the news started to sink in I said “this is just wrong there must be something we can do about it.” She used to work as a legal executive so she said… “You can do something about it, you can ask for a judicial review of the decision.” That’s what started my legal challenge and I asked the FSF for help. I wanted to do it for all fans because I knew that if they succeeded with us they could then do it to any club. It was only due to a technicality that we had to drop my case but now the real information is coming out at least I know now we would have won. Still it feels like disallowed goal after a final because they have taken so long to release the e:mails. If we had known earlier what was going on inside WYP we would have uncovered the inconsistency of their decision and, better still, we would not have had to hear lies about why they made it. Now I know it was all about money I am angry because in the end I missed the game (my only one of the season) but what made me most angry was finding out that while I was on TV, radio, and the internet defending my club and my fellow fans, West Yorkshire Police were searching Facebook and You-tube to find anything they could to justify their made-up story. In reality they wanted to save money and when we questioned them they lied again and again. I am proper cynical about them now but as a young person you are taught to respect the truth and look up to people like the police. When you see them making a bad decision, then trying to cover it up by trying to dig dirt on ordinary people then taking ages to release documents it just makes me wonder why they hate football fans so much? I watched the documentary on the Hilsborough cover-up and it made me think that nothing seems to have changed. I am just an ordinary young football fan but I have seen that some police forces treat you with real prejudice as a football fan, some even for just the clothes you wear. I want an apology from West Yorkshire Police, in person on the pitch at the KC stadium but I don’t expect them to come. I want to thank everyone who helped me along the way and those that continue to fight to fully clear our name. Louis UTT
A 15 year old is making WYP look very stupid - and he is using WYP's own actions to make them look stupid. Very embarrassing for them.... But exactly what they deserve
Opinion by Hull Daily Mail columnist Angus Young. The exchange of emails between senior officers from West Yorkshire Police over its move to impose travel restrictions on Hull City fans ahead of the club's match with Huddersfield last season make fascinating reading. ​ COSTLY MATCH: Hull City fans taking part in a protest march. Published after a Freedom of Information request, they reveal a police force apparently desperate to justify a woeful original decision. Instead of just admitting the real problem was that a 5.20pm kick-off on a Saturday night was going to cost the force an extra £40,000 in staffing, certain officers sought to smear the fans as potential troublemakers without any apparent evidence to back it up and use that as the reason for curbing the number of supporters heading to the match from Hull. In one email exchange on media coverage in the build-up to the game, West Yorkshire's temporary deputy chief constable Jawaid Akhtar, makes it abundantly clear where his sympathies lie. "Interesting the YP (Yorkshire Post) editorial is balanced and highlights the problems where it belongs, ie with the fans," he says. Remember, at this point the actual game had yet to be played. Interestingly, a police document titled Hull Threat Assessment has yet to be released. With no recent record of any serious trouble involving City fans, it is still hard to know what the perceived threat was. However, we do know some police intelligence-gathering included ultimately fruitless searches of YouTube clips and Twitter accounts. So far, so unbelievable, you couldn't really make it up. West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson has now ordered a review into the affair. But hang on a minute. Isn't this the same Mark Burns-Williamson who, back in February, issued a statement supporting the stance of West Yorkshire Police having apparently swallowed the force's line about the supposed safety issues hook, line and sinker? We know he is because it's there in the email exchanges. At the time, the PCC also said: "I must emphasise that this is an entirely operational policing matter." But was it? Having to find at least £40,000 to employ extra officers at the *** end of the financial year might be an operational issue but does it also stray into the domain of a PCC whose duties include holding the police to account and scrutinising budgets? Perhaps Mr Burns- Williamson's review will clarify that one, too.
