Ice hockey league seeking tougher measures to curb crowd trouble
Clubs seeking police authority to examine fans' ID papers
The SM-Liiga, Finland's top ice hockey league, is becoming concerned at an increasing level of crowd disturbances at matches, and is seeking tougher measures to weed out troublemakers among fans.
The league is applying to the Ministry of the Interior for permission to check out the identity of troublemakers, in order that they can be prevented from entering arenas at the door.
What is in question is a specific authority normally granted only to police officers, and which the ministry has not previously passed on to sports clubs - indeed, the sports fraternity has not previously sought such powers.
The league would like to see the right to check ID papers granted to clubs' security chiefs and their deputies.
Even if such powers were granted, normal members of the crowd security teams would not in future have the right to demand members of the public show their ID.
The league's managing director Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen notes in his request to the ministry that there have been significant crowd disturbances at some matches this season and last season. Some of the incidents have posed a direct threat to public safety.
Vuorinen is particularly concerned at the smuggling in of smoke-bombs and torches and rockets, which have been set off at matches on at least three occasions. Fireworks in an enclosed space pose a serious fire risk owing to the high temperature at which they burn.
Matches have also been accompanied by a certain amount of crowd violence and vandalism, although Vuorinen believes it is thus far fairly well under control.
The worry is that the sort of behaviour more often associated with football hooliganism might become ingrained in hockey arenas.
The league wants to stamp down on this at the earliest opportunity, but the law as it stands does not allow security details to give troublemaking fans a temporary or permanent ban from the stands.
The granting of police authority to security chiefs would be the only legal means of preventing hooligans from getting through the door.
Nobody would be turned away without reason, if the ID of potential troublemakers could be determined (for example based on previous behaviour), and any decision not to permit entry would be made on a case-by-case basis and would thus not constitute an actual ban.
The Ministry of the Interior is likely to rule this week whether such powers can be passed on.
League clubs have already taken some other steps, with tougher inspections at turnstiles to spot illegal items being brought in, and with the installation of more CCTV cameras in halls.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 19.2.2008 - TODAY |
 Ice hockey league seeking tougher measures to curb crowd trouble |
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