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| All parties gave the green light for the event to be police-free having assessed G4S capability |
G4S Events, Europe’s leading independent event security company, has made sporting history by providing security for the first home international football match without a policing presence. At last Wednesday’s international match at Aberdeen’s Pittodrie Stadium saw Scotland beat Estonia 1-0 as fans supported their teams without a single policeman at the stadium. Pittodrie Stadium was packed with 16,202 fans, 141 of which were Estonians, who cheered on players in the good-natured match. Visiting Estonians were even able to enjoy the game in the main stand at the stadium with Scottish fans.
G4S security staff secured the event following consultation between hosts Aberdeen Football Club, the Scottish Football Association, Grampian Police and the National Football Intelligence Unit. All parties gave the green light for the event to be police-free having assessed G4S capability to deal with the security needs of the match.
Eric Alexander, Managing-Director of G4S Events, said: “I am very proud of the G4S staff who deployed their professionalism at this event to secure the UK’s first police-free international football match. The work we do securing football stadia has already led to games played without the need of police officers present, but the fact that an international match was successfully carried out police-free is a particularly powerful achievement. I was cheering on Scotland as much as I was professional security officers and impeccably behaved football fan. With Scotland winning, you could call that two good results in one night!”
John Morgan, AFC’s Safety Officer, said: “On behalf of AFC and the SFA, I would like to pass on our appreciation to all G4S staff involved at the match. The game passed without serious incident and we are delighted that our matches are deemed so safe and secure by the authorities thanks to G4S security staff.”
