Football arrests go up at Swansea

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/6071280.stm

Version 0 of 1.

New figures on football hooliganism show the number of Swansea City fans arrested more than doubled last season.

During the 2005-6 season, 62 Swansea supporters were arrested, up from 28 the previous season, and more than any other League One club.

Cardiff City is no longer the league club with the most fans subject to football banning orders, with the total falling from 152 to 109.

Last season 19 Wrexham supporters were arrested, down from 22 in 2004-5.

Across the Premiership and Football League there were 2,651 football-related arrests - down from 2,787 the previous season and the lowest total in more than a decade.

BANNING ORDERS 2005-6 Cardiff City - 109 (22 in 2004-5)Swansea City - 28 (16)Wrexham - 46 (14)

The club with the highest number of arrests was Tottenham Hotspur with 169, followed by Manchester United (147), Chelsea (126), Sheffield Wednesday (89), Coventry City (88) and Leeds United (76).

Swansea City's arrest figure of 62 was more than double its previous season's total of 28 and higher than any other club in League One.

The club said heightened security at its new Liberty Stadium had contributed to the riser in arrests.

A spokesman said: "As a club we are pleased that the overall trend throughout the Football League highlights a decrease in football-related arrests.

Arrests have fallen among Cardiff City supporters

"As far as Swansea City is concerned, one arrest is too many.

"Last season's increase is primarily down to the added security measures put in place for our first season at the Liberty Stadium.

"As a club we will therefore not tolerate any behaviour which will jeopardise the enjoyment of other supporters, especially families.

"We are confident that our figures for football-related arrests will decrease significantly over the current season now that the new security measures are well established with our supporters, the vast majority of whom have been a credit to the club."

ARRESTS 2005-6 Cardiff City - 55 (77 in 2004-5) Swansea City - 62 (28)Wrexham - 19 (22)

In 2004-5, 152 Cardiff supporters were banned from football grounds, and that has fallen to 109 - behind Leeds United (115) and Portsmouth (110).

A total of 22 Cardiff fans were added to the banned list in 2005-6, while 75 saw their bans expire.

There were also fewer arrests involving Cardiff fans, with 55 arrested in 2005-6 compared to 77 the previous season.

No-one from the club was available to comment, but Vince Alm, spokesman for the Cardiff City supporters' club, said there had been a long-term improvement in Bluebirds fans' behaviour.

He added: "We were always top of the league for banning orders because we had so many banned between 2000 and 2002.

"But those bans have now ended so the figures are falling and they will continue to come down over the next few years.

"We've been saying for a long time that we've been getting our house in order and now we're no different from any other football club.

"It's the result of hard work by the fans in partnership with the police and the club and now we're seeing the fruition of it.

"There are still a few people being banned, but it's for things like drunkenness rather than violence.

"I just don't see violent incidents anymore."

During 2005-6, 19 Wrexham fans were arrested, three fewer than the previous season, but 46 of their supporters have banning orders - the highest total in League Two.