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Football Hooliganism

Volume 930: debated on Tuesday 19 April 1977

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asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether, as an experiment, he will enable the police to be issued with portable spray guns containing non-toxic indelible dyes to spray on to persons causing disturbances at football matches and in other public places, as that, after prior warning, any person found with such dyes on his person or clothing may be easily identifiable for the purpose of arrest and eventual prosecution;(2) whether, as a means of assisting the police in controlling hooligans and vandals at football matches and in other public places, he will sanction their using, with adequate prior warning, non-toxic indelible dye sprays on persons causing or assisting in a fracas, so as to enable them to identify culprits for eventual arrest and eventual prosecution.

Neither I, nor, so far as I am aware, any chief officer of police consider that measures of this nature would assist the police in the way suggested.