Scotland v England: Police prepared for any trouble at Celtic Park
Monday 17 November 2014 23:35, UK
Police Scotland insist they are prepared for any potential trouble between rival fans before, during and after Scotland's friendly against England at Celtic Park on Tuesday.
The match has been given the highest security rating after more than 200 fans were arrested the last time the sides met in the city back in 1999.
But despite admitting they have already been warned of potential trouble from fans 'travelling to the match from across the UK', Chief Superintendent Andy Bates says plans are already in place to deal with any bother.
"We have a certain amount of intelligence that there will be some known troublemakers travelling to this game but we have an operation to deal with it," he said.
Significant
"We don't expect any significant trouble and I certainly expect the majority of people who are attending this game to be coming to have a good time, to watch the game and to go home safely.
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Asked if those known troublemakers were from Scotland or England, Mr Bates replied: "From both countries. We have intelligence about people from all over the UK travelling to this game.
"But we are on top of it. I have an intelligence-led operation that will engage with these people and prevent any disorder taking place."
Officials claim more than 5,000 England fans have bought tickets for their allocated areas, but Sky Sports chief news reporter Bryan Swanson admits fans buying tickets for other sections of the ground is a concern.
Speaking on Sky Sports News HQ he said: "Police say that there shouldn't be alarm bells ringing but they do concede that they do have concerns that tickets designated for Scotland supporters will be in the hands of England fans at Celtic Park.
"And their message to those fans is clear, advice has been given to security officials and stewards inside the game to remove them from the ground.
Troublemakers
"They say the style of policing will be very different to 15 years ago. There will be a high, visible presence inside the centre of Glasgow but the key message from Police Scotland this lunchtime is that although they expect known troublemakers to travel to this game, they still believe it will pass off relatively trouble-free."
The last time the teams met, at Wembley in August 2013, the match passed off without incident, with 20,000 Scotland supporters at the match.
Watch Scotland take on England at Celtic Park live on Sky Sports 1 from 7.00pm on Tuesday
