With 8000 stewards at the ground yesterday and sniffer dogs too

Bag searches supposedly being done.

How exactly did they manage to miss about 50 flares being taken into the ground?

 

Exactly. They don’t search properly, they go through the motions. God help us if someone brought a bomb or machete in.

 

I said the same this morning. My granddaughter has to endure a bag search every game. Perhaps they aren’t looking for flares?!

 

I just felt sorry for the local residents who aren't football fans... people letting flares off running on pitch etc alot of loud noise for them after 9pm when many probably want to go bed. Next time be considerate sit down no loud shouting and just a little clapping less clapping after 9pm be considerate for oakwell residents.

 

Not going to find flares if they've shoved 'em up their arse are they ............sithi.

 

Didn’t see any flares myself just quite a few smoke bombs, it begs the question how, but it does happen at grounds around the country

 

It really bothers me this. If we have a rule it should be enforced otherwise what’s the point? We’ve got a ‘it wouldn’t happen here’ mentality and we’d better hope it doesn’t because we’d be screwed in an emergency.

 

What annoys me about it mainly is that they fully enforce the closure of beevor court. They make Oakwell a hell hole to get to and from. They suddenly have the resources and can put the effort in to making it as horrible as they can for the law abiding fans wanting to go too Oakwell and they do this on the basis of safety. But when it comes to the actual pricks who want to smuggle **** in, from drugs to flares, they're just hot air. They care more about an ambulance being able to get to oakwell to treat the person who's just been blown up by a bomb than they do about stopping a bomb and that's quite disturbing really

 

That's disgraceful, why are fans trying to smuggle in 50 pairs of trousers from the 60s ?.

 

They should have shoved several up the nobhesds ar5e when he invited it on the pitch. Then give him a good shoeing behind the east stand.

 

Putting my 'crowd safety manager' hat on having done it/similar for the past decade...

Pyro is very difficult to detect. It can easily be hidden in trousers etc, and also can't usually be picked up by dogs as its often hermetically sealed meaning it is odorless.

The searches are for two reasons only - mitigation and deterrent. No search and anyone can try anything, I don't doubt that some (not all) pyro was stopped at the door.

The one thing I do disagree with, although risk assessments can vary, is the speed (or lack of) that we remove them from the pitch. You should never try get into a crowd to take a pyro from someone as you risk it being chucked and burning someone - but at other grounds the removal once they are on the pitch is far quicker. Was a good minute or so waiting for them to be picked up once spent last night and little urgency shown by the steward with the litter grabber.

 

I love that after last night this is your takeaway. Bonkers.

 

People could literally just put them in their pockets. They only check bags.

 

Last night was the first match in a while I didn't see a sniffer dog or anyone checking bags on the way in.

 

Too busy checking old mens and old ladies bags with flasks of hot beverages . Shaking the flasks to ascertain they don't contain flares instead of said beverages.
Whilst young Billy walks in with flares in his pockets.

 

If it was my takeaway from the night I'd agree with you. However it isn't. My main takeaway is that we are going to Wembley. Fortunately I'm able to have more than one thing in my head at a time

 

as long as one is critical though right.

 

Because they're not taken in bags?

I've never been stopped for a search at Oakwell, and whilst I've not taken a smoke bomb into the ground, this season alone I've managed to conceal a playstation game, 2 tubs of vitamins and a going out shirt about my person, without having to explain why I had them.

Yet my mum has had her handbag searched at every game this season.

I've seen sniffer dogs twice all season, but presumably they're for drugs, not smoke bombs.

 

Tbf , it must be difficult for them, they obviously know in advance how well hung your average male BFC is, so they are naturally a bit nervous to get too hands

 

It's frustrating when the stewards always accuse me of trying to smuggle in two of the buggers taped end to end