Pitched! Informants and the covert policing of football fans in Scotland

Atkinson, C., Mcbride, M. and Moore, A. (2021) Pitched! Informants and the covert policing of football fans in Scotland. Policing and Society, 31(7), pp. 863-877. (doi: 10.1080/10439463.2020.1795168)

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Abstract

This paper offers a new perspective on the policing of football fans by exploring the recruitment and use of ‘informants’, or ‘Covert Human Intelligence Sources’ (CHIS), in this area of police practice. Drawing upon semi-structured interviews with both football fans and police officers in Scotland we foreground fan experiences against a backdrop where intensive police surveillance has become a routine feature of football events. In particular, our research uniquely provides accounts of fans whom the police sought to recruit as informants, a process known colloquially in policing as being ‘pitched’. In doing so we highlight the impact this tactic has on football fans, both individually and collectively. In understanding police perspectives, we note how the use of informants in football policing is frequently justified as a ‘legitimate’ means to provide intelligence to prevent violence and disorder amongst fans. Cautioning upon the dangers of further ‘surveillance creep’, we highlight that the use of informants in the policing of football fans and events raises both practical and ethical issues. In particular, we argue that the use of informants in the covert policing of football fans, if this tactic is to be used, must be grounded in a clearly articulated threat of violence and disorder that is accepted by football fans and the wider community. In the absence of this, the use of such tactics is likely to be considered unnecessary and disproportionate by football fans, feeding a wider narrative of criminalisation and a perception of illegitimate and disproportionate forms of policing.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Mcbride, Dr Maureen and Atkinson, Dr Colin
Authors: Atkinson, C., Mcbride, M., and Moore, A.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Sociology Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences
College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Educational Leadership & Policy
Journal Name:Policing and Society
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
ISSN:1043-9463
ISSN (Online):1477-2728
Published Online:21 July 2020
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor and Francis Group
First Published:First published in Policing and Society 31(7): 863-877
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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