Pc Paul Phillips has been Oxford football liaison officer for the past 10 years. There are a lot of local derby fixtures and we can't be complacent, though it was relatively quiet last season. We will use the new legislation which means we can complain to the courts to have known troublemakers banned if need be. No, you probably can't stop them from being hooligans, but we can make life difficult for them though if someone is determined or intent on causing problems, they will. I don't think football hooliganism has ever gone away, but we simply have to police them positively and prevent them doing what they want to do.
Hooligans come from all walks of life and use the Internet to communicate with one another.
They don't even wear club colours it's all expensive designer clothing. And when you consider that it can cost up to 50 to go to a match, it's obvious that a lot of these people must be in employment. So the football season is with us again and so are the hooligans. Some thought the problem was dead and buried. Instead, sadly, it's very much alive and kicking.