Chairman John Newsham will report on his first full year in charge and outline the Association’s objectives for the next twelve months.  members can download agendas for the main meeting as well as the AGM by visiting the national members forum or the national conferences section of the website.

A small number of places are available for members who wish to take advantage of our 24 hour package.  Alternatively, those who wish to attend the main day only should advise the General Secretary at the first opportunity.  A booking form is available below:

Booking form master

See you at Daventry

(taken from http://content.met.police.uk/Campaign/counterterrorismfeb2012)

One phone call to police could save lives – that’s the message of our new Counter Terrorism campaign launched today (13th February 2012).

Everyone who works, lives and visits London has a role to play in helping to counter the terrorist threat which remains real and serious.

We fully understand that people may be reluctant to tell the police about suspicious activity or behaviour – but would stress that all calls to the Confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline are taken by specially trained officers and information is thoroughly analysed and researched before, and if, any action is taken.

No piece of information is considered too small or insignificant.

The four week campaign consists of a 40 second radio advert to be aired on Kiss FM, Capital, LBC and GOLD, and press advertisements in local publications and minority media titles. The activity will also be supported by a digital presence on Spotify, and in excess of 1.4 million leaflets being delivered to households across London.

The radio advert recognises that some people may be reluctant to report suspicious activity or behaviour, such as someone paying for a car in cash but not taking it for a test drive, because ‘Chances are, it’s probably nothing’.

But it goes on to encourage people to think ‘But what if it isn’t'?

Just one piece of information could be vital in helping disrupt terrorist planning and, in turn, save lives.

The press advert seeks to reassure Londoners that if they see or hear something that could be terrorist related, they should trust their instincts and call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline. Our specially trained officers will take it from there.

All information passed to the police is treated in the strictest of confidence. It is thoroughly analysed and researched by experienced officers before, and if, any police action is taken.

DAC Stuart Osborne, Senior National Co-ordinator Counter Terrorism said:

“The terrorist threat to London, and the UK generally, remains real and serious, so it is vital that everyone continues to be vigilant and aware.

“We at the Metropolitan Police Service have a key role in countering this threat, whether it is from Al-Qaeda inspired groups or individuals, or Irish Dissident Republican Groups – but we can only do this with the support of all our communities.

“Terrorists live amongst us. We want you to tell us about anyone or anything you see which is out of place in your normal day to day lives.

“We know you may have concerns about speaking to the police – possibly because your friends or family may find out. But you may well have information which could save lives.

“We would rather take lots of calls which are made in good faith, but have innocent explanations – rather than not getting any at all. Not making that call could mean we miss out on a vital piece of information.

“Our priority is to keep the public safe – but we can only do that with your help. Please trust your instincts. Call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.”

The Egyptian authorities will no doubt carry out a very vigorous investigation into the causes of the tragedy and it would be wrong at this early stage to try to judge from a distance the causes of why so many people died and were injured.  They will no doubt look at the safety and security control and management systems which were in place including policing and stewarding of the match. They will also no doubt look at the Stadium design safety features such as means of escape and flow routes of crowds in a panic situation.

The UK has had to learn from our own football disasters and the Egyptian authorities whilst examining the causes of this tragedy will hopefully also learn from it to prevent any such incident in the future.  Experience has shown that football tragedies are not normally attributed to one single factor but a combination of factors all coming together and combining at the wrong time.

The Football Safety Officers Association has since 1992 been in the forefront of the development of safe stadium and safe football spectator management.  We would be pleased to offer any assistance and advice to the Egyptian Authorities on how such a tragedy might have been prevented and what measures could be introduced to prevent any similar occurrence in the future.

This is yet another sad occasion for the world of football and only goes to prove that ‘Complacency is the enemy of safety’.   It is why members of the Football Safety Officers Association spend their lives working tirelessly to ensure our past tragedies never again visit us.

The jobs are:

Safety Officer at Fulham

Steward Recruitment and Training Manager at Arsenal

Deputy Event Safety Manager at Arsenal

This gives the SPL Board the ability to approve requests from clubs to pilot safe standing areas for use in Clydesdale Bank Premier League matches.

Neil Doncaster, Chief Executive of the SPL, said: “Since I joined the SPL in 2009, there has been widespread support amongst fans to re-introduce safe standing areas. I am delighted that we have been able to respond positively to supporters’ views on improving the match day experience.”

The BBC report can be found at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16248937.stm

2010/11 Football Season

The number of reported spectator injuries for 2010/11 season was 1,326, a 4% decrease from the 1,386 reported in 2009/10.

The reported overall injury rate per spectator was one injury per 26,222 spectators.

The total number of injured spectators reported taken to hospital was 81, compared with 83 in the previous season.

Overall most injuries were minor and were treated by the sports ground medical team.  The highest category, as in previous years, was injuries resulting from trips, slips and falls.

Summary of Returns

Further information can be found by following this link.

The Home Office has released arrest and banning order statistics for the 2010-11 season.

The figures show that arrests involving English and Welsh domestic and international teams fell by 302 to 3,089, a 9% decrease compared to the 2009-10 season.  This equates to one arrest per 12,249 spectators.

The police made no arrests at 71% of all matches, whilst 86% of fixtures involved two or less arrests.  Around half the arrests took place outside stadia.

Although public disorder remains the highest single reason for arrest the figures reveal a fall of 150 to 1076 compared to the previous season and there was an even bigger fall for violent disorder which has reduced from 578 to 330 arrests.  However, there were increased numbers of arrests relating to alcohol offences, racist/indecent chanting, ticket touting, possessing offensive weapons and breach of banning orders.

The full report is available for members to download.  Please click on ‘Members Area’ and ‘Members Documents’.  The information is located in the ‘Policing’ section.

Over the last few weeks we have been developing a new site in conjunction with Smoking Gun PR and are now pleased to unveil the results.

Whilst the new layout and functionality may take a little time to adjust to it should provide a great deal more flexibility and efficiency for you.

We do hope you will enjoy our new site and would welcome any comments and feedback you have.

John Newsham, Chairman

Following close consultation with Blackburn Rovers’ marketing team, Chairman John Newsham was delighted to unveil the bold, new company emblem.

‘I believe the logo symbolises both strength and professionalism’ he declared during his address to members.

‘I felt that the logo needed a strap line to support it and the FSOA is everyone’s 12th man in safety terms.’

The new emblem will now take centre stage in future FSOA marketing, promotional and communication materials.