Frontline police officers call for power to unmask Scottish football hooligans
By Saghir Hussain ·
Frontline cops in Scotland want the power to rip the masks off hooligans at football grounds. About time, too.
We're not talking about kids letting off a smoke bomb at Hampden. We're talking about organised groups turning up at Ibrox or Celtic Park with faces covered, pyro strapped to their chests, looking for a tear-up. They know the CCTV can't touch them. They know the stewards won't touch them. And they know the current law lets them melt back into the crowd before the first punch lands.
The Scottish Police Federation says give officers the power to demand mask removal on match days. Refuse? You're out. Simple. It works in England — Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act lets cops order removal of face coverings when they reasonably believe trouble's brewing. North of the border? Nada. Officers stand there watching balaclavas go up, hands tied.
This isn't about civil liberties for the Saturday afternoon dog-walker. It's about the dad taking his wee boy to his first derby who ends up dodging a flare. It's about the pub landlord near the ground boarding up windows because the "fans" smash the place every other week. It's about police overtime budgets blown on babysitting thugs who treat the beautiful game as cover for organised violence.
Clubs say they're doing their bit. Banning orders, facial recognition trials, sniffer dogs. But without the legal backbone to unmask the ringleaders in real time, it's whack-a-mole.
Give the polis the power. Let the fans watch football.