Big drop in Leeds United arrests
The number of Leeds United supporters arrested for football-related reasons fell by a third last season, new figures have revealed.
There were 68 such arrests of the club’s fans in 2015/16, 25 at home games, 41 at away matches and two at neutral venues, Home Office figures show.
The total is a big drop from the 99 arrests seen in 2014/15, though it is still the highest in Yorkshire and the second highest in the Championship, behind Birmingham City.
Of the 68 football-related arrests involving Leeds United supporters last season, 12 related to violent disorder and 21 to public disorder. A further 20 related to alcohol offences and six to criminal damage.
Across the region there were 334 football-related arrests of supporters of the region’s leading teams in the 2015/15 season, down from 350 in 2014/15,
Bradford City, Rotherham United, Middlesbrough and Barnsley also saw fewer supporters arrested, while Huddersfield Town’s total of 13 arrests was the same as in 2014/15, according to the new figures.
But both Sheffield clubs, Wednesday and United, Doncaster Rovers and Hull City all had more supporters arrested in 2015/16 than the previous campaign.
Only five new banning orders were handed to Leeds United supporters last season, but the club’s running total of 47 orders as of August 1 put it seventh in the national table, behind Liverpool, Burnley, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Millwall, Chelsea and Newcastle United.
Nationally, nearly 2,000 football-related arrests were made in the most recent season - the first increase in three years, new Home Office figures show.
Some 1,895 were made in the period between July 1 2015 and July 10 2016, up one per cent from the previous year when the number was 1,873.