FOOTBALL hooligans from Staffordshire are being asked to surrender their passports ahead of the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament.
Staffordshire Police, who have spent months planning for the competition declared that their only goal was that the people of the county enjoyed it safely and responsibly.
Assistant Chief Constable Julian Blazeby, coordinating Operation Safer Nights through Euro 2012 and beyond, wants to make sure that trouble-makers from the area do not travel abroad and that people in the town are able to enjoy the tournament safely throughout.
“Our approach will be fair, friendly but firm where necessary,” he said. “Where the law is broken, we will take a hard line on offenders.”
The 74 people in Staffordshire subject to football banning orders have all been written to, informing them of the requirement to surrender their passports to police for the duration of the tournament.
“Anyone who does not comply will be arrested and put before the courts,” said Mr Blazeby.
He assured residents that high-visibility patrols on the day of key games would be on hand, with enough officers available to deal with any problems
“We want Euro 2012 to be a safe and enjoyable experience for all our communities, and are urging everyone to play their part to help us reach that goal,” he said.
Mr Blazeby added that police would also be targeting domestic abuse throughout the tournament and monitoring repeat offenders and victims.
