Police on Monday announced eight measures aimed at tackling organised crime and football violence, including increasing the number of front-line officers, more patrols and inspections on all sports fans attending games.
The measures will be rolled out immediately. Five aim to combat serious and organised crime, while the remaining three target stadium violence.
Police said the developments come after a meeting on January 17 at the justice ministry, and it has been decided that the number of officers working on the front lines will increase, while pedestrian and vehicle patrols across the country will ramp up.
Additionally, the police units dealing with financial crime and data will be strengthened.
Lastly, financial investigations to identify and seize finances which stem from illegal activities will increase.
For security reasons, additional measures to ensure police effectiveness cannot be published, the force said.
Where stadium violence is concerned, police measures will be reinforced and all individuals entering sports venues will be thoroughly checked. To this end, police will determine the arrival time of fans at specific matches.
Fan clubs across the country will be subject to more scrutiny and police will be able to order their closure whenever appropriate.
Additionally, should police determine that it is not safe to conduct a match, it will order that it is stopped or not held at all.
The justice ministry has also submitted a bill to parliament last week including provisions to include CCTV footage in every sports stadium used for first league games, irrespective of the size of the arena.
Under the bill’s provisions, police will also be permitted to carry out narcotests and alcotests on sports fans, banning their entrance if they test positive.
The bill also seeks to increase by 10 years the duration of the ban to the fans from attending the game, as well involving police in checks before a sports fan club card is issued.
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