Police fight back over claims of 'excessive' baton beating and blame fighting Portsmouth and Millwall fans

The force has fought back to defend its stance and blamed fighting Portsmouth and Millwall fans after reports surfaced of officers “hitting” out with batons.

As reported, Pompey Supporters Trust said they had received reports of heavy-handed policing - including with batons - after the game.

The trust posted on X: “We have already received several concerning reports about policing following the cancellation of last night’s game. Fans have reported seeing police using excessive force, including the use of batons.

“If you witnessed anything concerning, please send an account to [email protected]. We will compile these reports and share them with the club, the police and the EFL.”

Now Hampshire police have struck back and said they were merely restoring order after a small minority of fans were scraping in Goldsmith Avenue after the surprise abandonment of the game - which caught the force by surprise.

Chief Inspector Stuart Ratcliffe told The News there was a comprehensive policing operation in place – in conjunction with the club directly – over the fixture.

He said: “This was deemed a high-risk fixture and sufficient plans and resources were put in place in order to minimise the opportunity for disorder between home and away fans; especially during periods of ingress into and egress from the stadium.

“Prior to kick-off, officers were on patrol in and around the vicinity of Fratton Park to ensure that any away fans were safely escorted into the ground.

“The early postponement of the match was unexpected. Our policing operation moved to support the club in ensuring the safe egress of fans away from the ground – with public safety of utmost importance in situations such as these. Officers did everything within their power to support the club during this period.

“We received reports of disorder on Goldsmith Avenue between home and away fans during the period of egress from the stadium. Officers acted accordingly to deal with the disorder which enabled them to defuse the situation effectively and prevent any further escalation of tensions or actions from the small minority seeking to cause harm.

“An investigation is currently underway to ascertain if any criminal offences have occurred during this disorder. Anyone who may have been in the vicinity or may have witnessed what happened - either in the lead up to, during or in the aftermath of the disorder – is asked to contact police immediately on 101, quoting crime reference number 44240473683.

“We continue to liaise and work closely with the club and other local partners as part of our enquiries into this matter and our ongoing policing operations in relation to future Portsmouth FC fixtures.”

Fans on social media had a mixed response on events. One person said: “I thought the police did a brilliant job of keeping everyone safe. They kept the fans apart, walking towards the station. I had to walk through the Millwall fans to walk down a road and I felt very safe because of the police presence.”

But one fan responded: “You obviously missed the part where they were hitting dads with batons in front of their kids for no reason whatsoever.”