Football matches and policing: evidence from London

Braakmann, N., Chung, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4167-4012, Reade, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8610-530X and Rossi, G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3594-0097 (2026) Football matches and policing: evidence from London. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics. ISSN 1468-0084 doi: 10.1111/obes.70086 (In Press)

Abstract/Summary

While the relationship between football matches and crime has been well documented, little is known about whether such events also escalate violent interactions between police officers and civilians. This study addresses that gap by analysing use of force data from the Metropolitan Police Service in London to assess the impact of football matches on police behaviour. We find that on match days, the number of use of force incidents increases by an average of 0.772 in the boroughs where games are held. This effect is geographically concentrated around football stadium and is primarily driven by matches involving popular clubs, or those with violent fan bases. We find no evidence of spatial or temporal displacement of incidents. We also find some suggestive evidence that incidents may be more frequent in the case of unexpected losses. We make the case that despite the long-standing association between football and crime, the effects are considerably smaller compared to other popular mass events.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/129980
Identification Number/DOI	10.1111/obes.70086
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Politics, Economics and International Relations > Economics
Publisher	Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item