Premier League games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were the most policed in London last season, according to Met Police data.
Of the seven London Premier League clubs, Tottenham’s home games had the highest average police presence during the 2023/24 season.
Spurs’ home games had an average of 190 police officers per game, significantly higher than the second placed London club, Chelsea, with 133 police officers.
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust (THST) Chair Martin Buhagiar said: “Obviously the atmosphere’s fierce, we know that and we pride ourselves on that, but I’ve never seen any trouble.”
The Metropolitan Police also spent more than £2 million on policing Spurs home Premier League games, including support costs.
Chelsea games costs the second most in the capital over the course of the season, totalling almost £1.5 million.
Buhagiar felt that the Met’s data did not tally with his experiences, commenting that he did not feel conscious of the policing presence when he attended games in England.
He said that he did not think extra police were necessary at Spurs games compared to other clubs.
He added: “I’ve got three boys, we’ve never felt for any games that there is any danger.”
The most policed game in the capital last season did not however involve any London clubs.
It was the Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, which was played at Wembley, which had 1,336 police officers present.
What is the biggest London derby?
This police data also offers insight into the age-old debate: what is the biggest London derby?
The data would suggest that this is the North London derby, as the most policed London Premier League game in the 2023/24 season was Tottenham vs Arsenal on 28 April 2024.
There were 625 total police officers present, which cost £366,093 (including support costs).
There were reports of police officers clashing with fans in riot gear after the game in April.
Arsenal Bluelight Emergency Services Supporters Club Secretary Stuart Sedgwick said: “I think the size of both clubs’ fanbases and their long-standing historic rivalry makes this the biggest London derby.”
Sedgwick also suggested that the distance of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from major transport hubs makes policing at Spurs more challenging than the reverse fixture.
That is reinforced by the fact that of the 42 London derbies in the 23/24 season, the top three most policed were all at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
After the Arsenal game, the next two most policed were Tottenham vs Chelsea on 6 November 2023 with 606 officers, and Tottenham vs. West Ham on 7 December 2023 with 578 officers present.
Buhagiar said that for Chelsea and West Ham fans, Tottenham was their biggest game of the season, but that for Spurs fans it was always about Arsenal.
The games with the fourth and fifth largest police presences also involved Spurs, away at Arsenal and Chelsea respectively.
In fact, there was only one game last season involving two London clubs other than Spurs which had over 300 police present.
That game was Chelsea vs West Ham at Stamford Bridge on 5 May, with 308 total police.
On average in the 2023/24 season, matches between London clubs had the largest police presence when Spurs were playing.
Games between London’s clubs saw the highest average police presence at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham also saw the largest average police presence away from home at London derbies, with 190 police officers present on average.
West Ham United however was a close second on the road, with an average of 189 police officers.
Buhagiar added that London derbies involving Spurs were also often played at different times to minimise the risk of trouble.
He said that games against London rivals at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were usually held early on Saturdays or Sundays, whereas away from home these fixtures were at 4pm on a Sunday or a midweek evening.
Buhagiar said: “Clearly the police feel a need for that. As a match attending fan that frustrates me.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police commented: “Policing of matches is based on assessments taking into account many factors, including the expected attendance and numbers of visiting supporters.”
Featured image credit: Bluejam via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 licence
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