Police Scotland chief responds to Celtic title party 'flashpoint' that led to 20 arrests

Football clubs and governing bodies must work to help bring about “organised” celebrations for fans celebrating in an effort to avoid violence and disorder, the head of Police Scotland has stressed.

Chief Constable Jo Farrell said her force alone would not be able to “resolve” the kind of unrest witnessed at an unofficial street party held in Glasgow last weekend to mark Celtic’s league victory. She said plans must be put in place to improve security and safety while also minimising disruption.

A total of 20 people have been arrested in the wake of Saturday’s flashpoint in the Trongate and Glasgow Cross areas of the city, with 17 individuals charged and four reported in connection with offences including possession of pyrotechnics, offensive weapons and assault.

Thousands of Celtic FC fans gathered at Glasgow Cross at the weekend. Picture: John Devlin | John Devlin

Ms Farrell told a board meeting of the Scottish Police Authority that some 320 officers were deployed to cover the incident, leaving them unable to respond to other policing matters in communities.

Outlining the force’s stance, she said it was continuing to work with football clubs and other partners. Ms Farrell aid that in her view, the “ideal scenario” would take the form of an “agreed and organised event that ensures safety and security, minimises wider disruption, and which could also curate economic opportunities”.

She told the meeting: “Those people that were involved in setting off pyrotechnics, the use of inflammatory banners, and co-ordinated violence and disorder at the weekend were the minority. However, the impact on residents, businesses, tourism and the cost to the taxpayer cannot be ignored, and we received feedback from all of those groups.

“It strikes me that we need to bring some control and some safety controls to these celebrations. That’s going to need co-operation from the clubs, it’s going to need co-operation from the football associations.

Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell | PA

“The ideal is that we move to a position in due course where there is some organisation around these celebrations so that we can put in the right controls around security and safety, and that the impact on those people not involved - the residents, the businesses, the tourists - is minimised.

The chief constable added: “It’s not an issue that policing alone will be able to resolve, and we want people to be able to celebrate safely. People goes to the heart of the essence of the city, but there must be a better and less impactive way to allow people to celebrate and at the same time, allow people to go about their business.”

Ms Farrell also expressed her condolences to the family of Kayden Moy, who died after a large disturbance on Irvine Beach on Saturday. A 17-year-old has appeared in court charged with the murder of 16 year-old Kayden.

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In what she described as “broader observations” about violent crime, policing response and wider efforts to reduce violence, Ms Farrell said she was concerned about some of the trends around violent crime committed by young people, and often committed against other young people, stating “a notable proportion of that is happening in and around schools”.

She referenced police stop-and-search statistics, which found that out of 900 weapons recovered over the past year, around 200 were recovered from people aged 17 or under.

The force, she went on, had to continually work with partners to understand and tackle the complex issues around youth violence, and she urged people not to carry weapons. “Doing so can have devastating and irreversible consequences for individuals, families, and communities,” she said.