Police defend tactics at Watford town centre promotion party

Watford FC were promoted to the Premier League on Saturday and hundreds of fans descended on the High Street to celebrate the promotion-clinching 1-0 win over Millwall.

As fans congregated it was clear most revellers were not observing social distancing and very few could be seen to be wearing face masks.

Watford manager Xisco has beer poured over him at the final whistle following their confirmed promotion to the Premier League. Photo: PA

A handful of police were on the scene but did not act to stop the lockdown-flouting celebrations; no offences were recorded, no injuries were reported and no arrests were made, Hertfordshire Police has this morning revealed.

Chief inspector Ian Grout has defended the passive approach, saying his officers have a responsibility to make sure their actions do not “exacerbate or provoke a situation that could cause injury to members of the public, or our colleagues".

Watford fans celebrated promotion in the town centre on Saturday. Photo: Ryan Gray

“For a short time, fans marked the occasion with a pleasant atmosphere and we monitored the contained gathering. There was no disorder, no offences recorded, no injuries reported and no arrests made”, Mr Grout added.

“The public quite rightly expect their police force to take action in the event of a large gathering, but in situations such as Saturday we need to continually assess risk to the wider public as well as balance that risk accordingly.”

Ahead of the weekend, the force had urged supporters to respect coronavirus regulations if the team won promotion.

Rubbish accumalted in the pond and the town centre as fans partied for hours.

Mr Grout continued: “In England, we are grounded by the principle of ‘policing by consent’, meaning our relationship with the community and the broad support of the public is absolutely intrinsic to our effectiveness.

“It is important to note that by law, social distancing and the wearing of masks outdoors cannot be enforced. With that in mind, we must ensure we are not serving to exacerbate or provoke a situation that could cause injury to members of the public, or our colleagues, as a result of our actions.”

The chief inspector revealed he will be meeting with Watford Borough Council and Watford FC to evaluate the weekend’s celebrations and “plan accordingly” for any future events – likely referring to a possible promotion parade in the town, which has yet to be confirmed.