Long before Arsenal and Chelsea kicked off their London derby at the Emirates Stadium, a quiet but extensive security operation was already under way, illustrating the scale of planning that goes into policing one of English football's fiercest rivalries.
Hours before the 4.30pm start, Chief Inspector Pete Dearden of the Metropolitan Police's public order command delivered a briefing to officers stationed beneath the stadium. As matchday commander, Dearden treated the fixture with the seriousness befitting a London derby involving the reigning Premier League champions and one of their most credible challengers, urging his team to "set the right style and tone."
The operation reflects a system that stretches far beyond a single afternoon. The Met employs 17 dedicated football officers, each assigned full-time to a specific club, who work year-round with matchday commanders to prepare for fixtures. Every one of the more than 500 games the force covers each season is graded for risk based on factors including supporter history, proximity between clubs, and kick-off timing. Sunday's derby was classified as "medium medium."
"Our mantra is safety, security and service," Dearden explained. "We appreciate that with 60,000 people in the stadium not everybody is going to behave, but we want to reduce the overall risk of the likelihood of disorder."
For this match, three police support units — each made up of an inspector, three sergeants and roughly 21 constables — were deployed alongside senior officers and 20 so-called "spotters," football intelligence officers who monitor fan behavior. Arsenal's own safety operation, involving around 1,000 stewards and response staff, served as first responders inside the ground, stepping in when incidents occurred, including removing a Chelsea supporter after his side's early goal.
While stadiums aren't policed by default, clubs may request and pay for special police services. Arsenal had requested one police support unit for the visit of Chelsea, though officers only intervened when necessary. Dearden estimated that policing football costs the Met around £23m annually, with only about 10% recovered from clubs.
Spotters, who typically work consistently with a single club and are embedded in local communities, play a crucial role in gathering intelligence before trouble starts. Some Chelsea-focused spotters tracked supporters from pubs in Holborn onto the London Underground toward the Emirates. According to Dearden, their expertise effectively doubles the efficiency of public order policing.