Abstract
There has been a plethora of literature detailing the detrimental impact of police stop and search tactics (S&S) on police-community relationships and police legitimacy, as well as recent controversy surrounding football policing in Scotland. Yet, the recent controversies, and subsequent reform of S&S in Scotland has yet to trigger any meaningful discussion about the use of search tactics at football matches. The aim of this research was to explore the relationship between S&S at football matches and police-supporter relationships. This research utilized qualitative methodologies in the form of semi-structured interviews with police officers and football supporters. This study found, that S&S, in the context of football, did not affect police-supporter relationships in the same way as traditional S&S. This paper offers two reasons: the difference in S&S implementation, and a broader acceptance of ‘criminalizing’ practice among fans wherein specific practices are perceived as the cost of participation in football fandom.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1918117 |
| Pages (from-to) | 8-20 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Soccer and Society |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 20 Apr 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2 Jan 2022 |