Cost of policing major events should be borne by organisers, not Londoners, says police watchdog

69/07
20 December 2007

Organisers of major commercial events in London should pay the full cost of policing them.

The Metropolitan Police Authority said today that the bill for policing money-making events, including football matches, pop concerts and Olympic 2012 “warm-up” events other than community events should be met by the organisers, not London taxpayers.

From 1 October 2005 – 30 September 2006 1,300 commercial events took place in the capital. The cost of policing these events is estimated at more than £9.2m, but the Metropolitan Police recovered only £3.9m.

The most costly commercial events to police are football matches. During the same period there were 346 football matches played in London and the cost for policing them was £6.6m. The Met sought payment for 257 of these but because legally they can only charge for officers inside the grounds not outside, where most policing takes place, it was able to recoup only £2.1m.

By contrast, the cost of policing 470 film premieres were all charged at the full rate. No charges were levied for 230 other events, partly due to the MPA’s policy of not requiring police to charge for attending charity or community events.

Len Duvall, MPA Chair, said:

“It is the responsibility of organisers of major commercial events to provide the requisite number of stewards to oversee the safety and security of the people attending. 

“However, where it is necessary for us to provide police officers in large numbers as well, the organisers should bear fully the policing costs. 

“Unfortunately, there is too much leeway for organisers to avoid paying all or even part of the costs and the law needs to be tightened up. 

“Londoners should not be paying for the policing of large, money-making events which benefit private organisations but not the wider community. Indeed, Londoners lose out twice over as their local police officers are withdrawn from their regular community service to police profit-making events. This is simply unfair and must be changed.

“Celebrations of local, London-wide or national significance, such as major sporting achievements or New Year’s Eve, will be treated on a case-by-case basis, but it is not our intention to prevent major celebratory events, nor to seek cost recovery for charitable or community events. We simply want a fair deal for Londoners.”

The MPA will ensure organisers of commercial events in London are fully aware that they will be expected to pay the cost of the agreed policing of their events, and move towards full cost recovery of all commercial events held in stadiums by April 2009. Organisers and promoters of large commercial events that take place in the streets will be told that they will have to meet the full costs.

The MPA will also lobby the Government to enact legislation to give a legal basis for charging, and discuss with London Councils the use of the legislative framework that exists for London to create such a legal basis.

Notes to editors

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