Security fear for football

After new legislation was introduced to give the police more powers than ever before to tackle hooliganism, any attempt to reduce the priority given to football could be perceived as a retrograde move by the Government.

Despite those concerns a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: "I can confirm that the Metropolitan Police Service, in common with other police forces nationally, is reviewing ways of improving cost recovery regarding the policing of football matches in London.

"Although we have a duty to police public order events safely and effectively we must be mindful of providing the best value for money for all Londoners.

"We currently operate a special service agreement with private operators like football clubs and are considering areas in which the MPS might be able to recover the costs."

Because clubs have become increasingly reliant on their own stewards for keeping order inside grounds only £1.4m was recovered. and the pressure to make cuts comes after Blunkett told senior policemen to find ways of reducing their annual spending.

As part of that crackdown the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) set up a football review committee in May to examine the way the national game is policed.

In the capital there is added pressure from Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, who now oversees the Met's finances. He recently said their budget was like "something from the medieval age" and told them to slash their annual £2 billion bill by £200m. As a result police forces across London with responsibility for football grounds have been asked to submit details of their costs before the new season kicks off in August.

"This was something we were already doing," added the Met's spokeswoman. "We are always reviewing things and looking at how our money is spent."