The police brought in a small number of extra officers in town on Wednesday evening for England’s semi-final clash with Argentina but there were no arrests or reports of trouble.
Speaking before the match, which left England fans disappointed after another ‘nearly’ major tournament, Acting Inspector Chris Thomas said that the police would be there, particularly in licenses premises, to help people have a “great night” by keeping them safe, and intervening early before any potential trouble had time to escalate.
He said: “It’s a fantastic situation to be in, isn’t it? England hitting the semi-finals, and obviously we’ve got supporters who want to come out and watch it.
“Basically, we want to support licenced premises, who will have a higher-than-normal footfall for a Wednesday night, maintain the peace and make sure everyone has a good time.
“We’re there to intervene where we need to, but we’re looking to engage, support, and encourage people to have a good night, but to stay safe and to keep the peace.”
He added that seven extra officers had been called in for the match, with an emphasis on high-visibility, proactive policing.
Reflecting back on the tournament, Insp Thomas said it had been busy at times for officers, but fans had generally been well mannered throughout.
He said: “It’s been great to see so many people out supporting England. When people get together and drink during what can be emotional times, there is always potential for things to escalate, but that hasn’t happened.
“For the police, communication is one of our greatest strengths, so we’re always looking at early engagement to stop anything happening before it escalates.”
