West Ham, Chelsea, Leeds, Man City and others have all had successful operations to infiltrate them. Undercover police have taken out the leaders and made arrests that brought the firm down. The police on numerous occasions have not been able to get inside our firm. With there being no real hierarchy and no leader or figurehead since Harry the Dog, it makes it very difficult for the Old Bill. Arrests have been made but they didn’t affect the week-in, week-out continuation of the firm.
An early attempt was Operation Full Time Millwall Bushwackers, a five-month surveillance and infiltration operation in 1987 that ended with seven arrests. In Court, they were charged with conspiracy. The prosecution offered no evidence. Five months, with how many Old Bill on overtime? And for what? Nothing! And to stop what? A punch-up. Is it really worth it? Open up the park, throw 500 of us and 500 ICF in and let’s get it on. Cost to police? Nothing. They could even charge a fiver to the spectators.
Undeterred by their failure to pin a case on someone, they gave it another shot. Obviously one of their bright sparks had been impressed by Leslie Grantham and EastEnders because the next undercover effort was called Operation Dirty Den. Fucking genius again. You can’t knock their ‘Name the Operation’ department. Always simple – but effective. Well done to them. Operation Dirty Den was a minor success – 16 arrests were made in dawn raids and six men were put in front of the judge on 27 January 1988. The men were charged with fighting and affray. The trial lasted six months and two men were convicted – Keith Wilcox, 27, and Simon Taylor, 20. It was a jury decision of 11–1. On hearing the verdict, the one juror stood up and said, ‘Scapegoats, bloody scapegoats … it’s bloody true, that’s what they were.’ Taylor received three years, Wilcox four and the juror seven days. On 24 January 1989 at the Royal Courts of Justice, Lord Chief Justice of England (Lord Lane) and two appeal judges found in favour of acquittal on appeal through lack of evidence.
In April 1988, two more fans were arrested and accused of ‘Havoc and Mayhem’ at a football match. Fuelled by this unmitigated success, the police had another go and, in February 1990, six Millwall fans were arrested for singing and gesticulating at a match. Yes, you heard correctly – singing and gesticulating at a football match. What scandal!
Outsiders were even more frowned upon following these operations. Everyone knows each other in their own firm so that made it extremely hard for the police to infiltrate successfully in an undercover operation. Consequently, it proved very difficult for the police to arrest, caution, prosecute and convict. They eventually realised this and started to use other methods. Nowadays they use spotters, video evidence and the press print mug shots and photos to help arrest people after events. They also now CCTV you in a ruck, identify and then arrest you in early morning raids.
They arrested a further 16 across London and Hertfordshire one morning. A new day had indeed dawned. All had been identified from CCTV footage taken after disturbances at our home matches against Wolves on 21 January and against Palace on 18 February. The swoop followed the arrest of ten men a couple of months earlier who were charged with violent disorder. Old Bill sought banning orders against the men to stop them from entering all Premiership, League and Conference football grounds. All of the arrests were part of Operation Devine, the Met’s newest crackdown on home and away supporters acting violently at Millwall matches.
A Superintendent BJ Harrington, who led Operation Devine, was quoted as saying, ‘Those identified and arrested as part of today’s pre-planned operation have used the veneer of football to legitimise senseless violence. We recognise that the majority of football fans just want to enjoy the game and, as such, we know that they, and the football clubs involved, support all police activity in removing violent disorder from in and around the grounds.’ We want to enjoy the game, too. Just let us have our little ruck in the park first.
‘We will work closely with the courts to ensure that banning orders are imposed, which, in turn, will prevent them from causing any further trouble at future matches.’
Nice one, BJ – but I’ve got a bit of bad news for you on that front. Millwall FC chief executive Ken Brown said, ‘The success of Operation Devine is good news for football fans and good news for Millwall Football Club.’ Fair play, Ken. You would not expect him to come out and say, ‘Bollocks, that is ten less through the turnstiles next week.’ Partly, of course, because he also knows banning orders do not work. ‘It sends out a clear message that the minority who seek to use football matches as an excuse to exhibit violent behaviour will be prosecuted. We operate a zero-tolerance policy in respect of such behaviour at Millwall and fully support the police in their initiative.’ Of course you do, Ken. What a lad. Behind you all the way.
‘The vast majority of decent, law-abiding fans who watch matches at The Den can be reassured they will continue to be able to watch football in a safe environment.’ Of course it is safe, Ken. Our firm ensures that. If we were not there, all the other firms would come down to The Den and completely run riot, a’raping and a’pillaging and doing what the fuck they please on our manor. The vast majority of decent, law-abiding fans who watch matches at The Den know they are watching football in the safest environment in the country – because of The Bushwackers. Not fucking despite us.
I think Ken knew that, really, but again, could we truly expect a chief exec to give it the large? ‘Our hooligans are the best out there. I go to every home game knowing that no firm in the land is coming to The Den and gonna rip apart our stadium.’