Scottish Police Federation boss David Kennedy has opened up on why the Ibrox chaos that unfolded after Celtic’s Scottish Cup win over Rangers was allowed to happen.
Celtic beat Rangers in a dramatic penalty shoot-out and what happened inside Ibrox afterwards left a stain on a great Glasgow Derby victory.
The Ibrox scenes between Celtic and Rangers fans are currently being investigated as we speak but police boss Kennedy has shared how he has ‘been told’ that the ‘the commanders’ at Ibrox played their part in the shameful events.
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Police boss says the Ibrox ‘commanders’ were too slow to react to Ibrox mayhem
While the SFA and Police Scotland still continue their Ibrox investigation, Kennedy provides an eyebrow-raising update on who was responsible for the derby day aftermath.
Kennedy told The Herald, “What I’ve had confirmed is that there were too many Celtic fans in the Broomloan Stand.
“I don’t think the police—not the officers on the ground, the commanders—were quick enough to realise what was going to take place.
“I have been told that police officers asked to go to level one, which means they would have had more protective equipment, such as helmets, on, and that request was refused.”
Why police were refused protective equipment as disarray unfolded at Ibrox
So if the deployment of safety equipment could have quelled the violence that happened at Ibrox, why was the request refused?
Kennedy explains further, “There was clearly a concern that if officers appeared with helmets and shields then that would have antagonised the crowd and made the situation even worse. That would have been part of the thought process.
“There were several officers injured. I have had it confirmed to me that at least three officers got injured, but I know there were more.
“Health and safety investigations are now going to take place and then potentially claims against the police service.”
So it appears that the police not only let down the clubs and supporters, they also failed in their basic duty to protect their own officers.
‘Reduced’ police numbers to blame for Rangers vs Celtic havoc
Fans of both clubs have been at pains to point out the number of police that were present during the Aberdeen vs Celtic Scottish Cup final penalty shoot-out compared to the Ibrox game.
So why was there such a disparity in numbers between both games considering the high-profile nature of the Glasgow Derby?
Kennedy added, “At football games in the past there used to be a lot of police officers present.
“Over the last 10 to 15 years they’ve been trying to reduce the number of police officers and that is one of the main issues. There probably wasn’t enough cops in the ground.
“Historically, we used to have a lot more. In fact, we used to have nearly double what was required.
“We don’t have that now and that is obviously reflected in what they can and can’t do.”
It seems that systemic failures on Police Scotland’s part, coupled with the behaviour of the Celtic and Rangers fans played a huge part in how the Ibrox aftermath unfolded.
But it does seem the events of the day are raising more questions about the police’s overall handling of the day from start to finish.
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