Celtic: Scottish police had a role in Amsterdam

Six officers from Greater Glasgow were involved in policing Celtic’s trip to Amsterdam, which resulted in five fans being jailed.

Police Scotland assisted Dutch police in Amsterdam. Picture: Getty

Previously, Police Scotland had said its involvement came after the disturbance in the city centre last month.

However, a Scottish Parliament question and answer has revealed that officers from Scotland flew over to take part in the operation.

Celtic fans have raised concerns about the way disorder in the city was policed, particularly the use of plain clothed officers.

Roseanna Cunningham MSP, minister for community safety, said in her response: “The officers who travelled to Amsterdam were not members of FoCUS (the Football Coordination Unit for Scotland) but were supplied by Greater Glasgow division of Police Scotland, which is responsible for day to day liaison with Celtic FC and the policing of fixtures at Celtic Park.

“There was close liaison between ‘G’ Division and Celtic FC in the build-up to this fixture.

“This involved information sharing and the provision of guidance to visiting supporters, including providing details of offences in the Netherlands and public safety advice. The information was also shared with Ajax and the police in Amsterdam.”

Five Celtic fans were sentenced to between one and two months’ detention following a late-night hearing at Amsterdam District Court last month.

All five were released pending an appeal.