More than 25% of the cost of policing Manchester City in the 2017/18 season came from just two games, Mancunian Matters can reveal.
£193,589.43 was spent policing home games against Manchester United and Feyenoord against a total cost of just over £650,000.
In total, over £1.2million was spent policing the two Manchester clubs.
Manchester United – whose most costly home tie to police was their hosting of the Manchester derby in December – amounted to costs of nearly £575,000 in their 25 games at Old Trafford (an average of £22,986.35).
That is a large reduction compared to last season, where United’s triumphant Europa League run racked up £335,000 worth of policing costs alone, bringing the total bill to nearly £900,000.
In comparison, Manchester City’s 2016/17 costs amounted to a little more than £560,000.
Factors such as the number of away fans travelling to the match, previous behaviour of away fans – both in general and with regards to the two sides playing – and home fan behaviour affect the policing plans.
Greater Manchester Police said: “All our events are assessed based on Threat Harm and Risk.
“The assessment is made based on all information and intelligence available to us and we develop a plan which is proportionate to the risks posed.”
Image courtesy of Pretentious Artist.com via Flickr, with thanks.
