Football arrests fall dramatically

Arrests at football grounds, as a proportion of attendances, have fallen by 20 per cent in the last three years, the Government disclosed last night. Sports minister Iain Sproat said in a Commons written reply that the drop in arrests had happened since the 1993-94 season, the last before top clubs converted to all-seater stadiums.

Attendances at English league and cup games rose from 25,668,356 in 1993- 94 to 25,699,172 in 1994-95 and 25,891,085 in the 1995-96 season. Arrests fell over the same period from 5,523 in 1993-94 to 5,105 in 1994-95 and 4,334 in 1995-96.