Twenty-nine face court over Shrewsbury football disorder
Twenty nine people will appear in court on charges arising out of football-related disorder in Shrewsbury town centre following a six-month police investigation.
Police were called when rival groups were involved in fighting on Mardol and Smithfield Road before ShrewsburyTown’s League One local derby fixture with Walsall on October 14 last year.
A total of 15 men from Shropshire and the West Midlands were arrested on the day and others were arrested either side of Christmas as police sought to identify those involved.
Following an extensive investigation involving a small group of dedicated officers based at Shrewsbury, 29 men and youths will face charges of violent disorder or other public order offences.
Twenty eight were charged after answering bail last week and will appear before Shrewsbury magistrates on several dates, starting on April 29. One other man is expected to be charged at a later date.
Eighteen are from Shropshire and 11 from the West Midlands. The majority are charged with violent disorder and others with obstructing a police officer and assault.
West Mercia Police led the investigation working in close liaison with colleagues from West Midlands Police. Officers spent many hours scrutinising CCTV footage from the town centre to help identify those involved.
Superintendent James Tozer, Shropshire’s police commander, said today: “We work very closely with our partner agencies and in particular with Shrewsbury Town Football Club to prevent and reduce instances of football-related violence and disorder.
“Large scale disorder is rare and this outbreak in Shrewsbury town centre was unusual in its scale. On occasions, when we suspect there may be trouble, we run an appropriate operation to protect the public in dealing with any incidents.
“We always seek to prevent football violence occurring and any serious disorder will be met with strong measures. On this occasion, the significant number of arrests and charges together with any banning orders which result, will send a clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated.”
Following the fixture, the match commander described it as a challenging but successful police operation. Three officers were injured - including one who suffered a broken leg - while quelling the fighting and a number of other potential flashpoints were dealt with to prevent the escalation of further serious disorder.
