Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal The 'English Disease' —Cured or in Remission? An Analysis of Police Responses to Football Hooliganism in the 1990s

Incidents of football-related disorder are still evident at league and national team fixtures in England. This article assesses the levels and trends of this disorder, and examines the methods used to police hooliganism in the 1990s, including the use of closed-circuit television, private police and police intelligence gathering. Although it is acknowledged that these strategies have had some impact in reducing levels of disorder, the number of incidents of violence stilt occurring seems to indicate that 'solving the problem of football-related disorder is not simply a matter of concentrating on organised hooligan gangs, and it is contended that much of the hooliganism is unorganised and spontaneous. The rote of the media in amplifying incidents, and the subsequent construction of hooligan identities, is also assessed.