§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of the studies he has made during the recent football seasons of the costs of providing police cover inside football grounds; whether he has made estimates of the demand this commitment makes on police manpower and other resources; what advice he intends to offer to police authorities on the revision of charges for such police cover to private organisations in order to bring them more into line with the actual costs of providing such services; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MayhewIt is for the chief officer of police to decide in the light of all the circumstances, including other demands upon his resources, how many officers should be deployed inside the ground at football matches in his area. Police authorities, who are responsible for determining the charges, are aware that these should reflect the full economic cost of providing the service. My right hon. Friend is reviewing the position in the Metropolis, in the light of the information available to him from other forces in England and Wales.