Chief Inspector Matt Ashmead

England’s Lionesses have found massive success on the park, but outside the ground our officers have been working hard to ensure all spectators are kept safe. Chief Inspector Matt Ashmead was one of the Metropolitan Police officers responsible for public safety during this year’s competition. We spoke to him about the incredible work the team have done so far. 

How far in advance did you have to start planning policing this year’s EUROs?

Work on the planning started back in November 2021. We’ve been communicating with other national forces that were also hosting matches throughout the tournament.

What kind of things does your planning need to consider? 

It’s important to recognise this is an important international championship with the same wraparound as men’s equivalent events.

We also need to consider the timeline for the EUROS alongside other significant events in London. We must be consistent in our policing approach with other forces, always sharing and communicating to ensure the spectator experience is the same everywhere. The dynamic of the crowd is significant too. We must safeguard everybody with special emphasis on violence against women and girls. 

Do you collaborate closely with other agencies to make sure everyone’s kept safe? 

Yes, this is crucial. We collaborated with UEFA, the FA, Greater London Authority (GLA), United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UKFPU), Westminster, Brentford and Wembley football clubs, as well as various internal commands within the Met e.g. Protective Security Command.  

How many Met officers are needed to police big matches like these? 

Each event is assessed individually, taking into account a lot of factors to inform the skills and level of officers required – the key is ensuring it’s proportionate to the plan to deliver a safe and secure event. 

What police roles are typically involved on match days? 

General policing duties are always there, which are all about visibility, presence and being approachable to those attending. Also, Level 2 Public Order Officers, Operational Football Officers, Behaviour Detection looking for more Counter Terrorism-related matters, and Crime teams to investigate any emerging crime and support victims. 

What’s the atmosphere been like in and around the stadiums this tournament?

Really positive. The atmosphere has made policing the event a joy. Families have all enjoyed it, there was a real carnival atmosphere at the fixtures in London and this has been replicated around the country. 

What kind of incidents has your team had to deal with? 

Very little – all down to the positive fan behaviour. We identified missing persons as an area of concern before the tournament. In the 3rd fixture this happened, but good partnership working with Brentford helped us locate the missing person safe and well. 

How are officers trained to deal with incidents at events like these? 

Each fixture has a Public Order Public Safety-trained match commander, experienced in dealing with multi-agency command and coordination for these types of events. They are knowledgeable about major incident response and know how to make decisions to ensure officers at the event are deployed effectively. 

Is it a long shift on match days?
 
Depends on how the event all pans out, but UEFA will have a match day meeting for the match commander around 10am and the fixture doesn’t kick-off until 8pm. Specialist roles like Operational Football Officer and Intel Officer will see longer deployments. For most officers, it shouldn’t mean a long day, though.

Any key highlights from the EUROs? 

Apart from England winning in front of a sold-out Wembley? The fans! They’ve been brilliant. The first game at Brentford was Germany v Denmark. When we went to speak to fans at one of the nearby pubs used by the Denmark fans, we got a cheer and a round of applause, which was a lovely warm reception from the supporters. 

What have you found most challenging during the EUROs? 

Managing the event as a whole as we also must ensure our planning is right for the start of the new football season – which begins earlier due to the Winter World Cup. 

What other big events have you policed? 

The Men’s EUROs last year and just regular major home fixtures between rivals.

Anything else you want to add about policing the EUROs? 

It’s a real pleasure for policing to be involved in championships such as these and we worked hard with partners and the fans to ensure it was a success. We're so proud that England’s Lionesses managed to bring it home!