Police unions are up in arms after officer rest days have been cancelled due to the second city derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham City.
West Midlands police are suffering for the reunion of Aston Villa and Birmingham City this season, as the Birmingham Mail report that many officers have lost their days off because of the upcoming meeting between the rivals.
It is not surprising to hear that the second city derby warrants one of the biggest police forces in world football, with fans of Villa and Blues bound to get into some form of confrontation throughout the day of the fixture.
They have not played each other in the league for a few years now, and the intensity when they face off on October 30th will be evident.
As reported by Birmingham Mail, police unions have been complaining as the fixture meant the cancellation of their rest days.
The fixture was originally scheduled for October 29th, but due to an agreement with TV companies it had to be moved to the following day.
Tom Cudderford, the interim chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, has had his say on the matter, as quoted by the local paper.
“I fully appreciate this will not change the here and now for this particular fixture.” said Mr Cudderford.
“But my honest opinion, in these very challenging times for all in policing, is that media and professional sporting bodies need to be more accountable, not only for their selected audiences but also for the benefit of all.
“From my selfish point of view, appropriate decision-makers at this level need to fully realise the impact these types of events have on our extremely hard working members.”
Advice from police has already seen the capacity for the game at St Andrew’s cut by 5,000 due to safety concerns.
Either way, even with officers losing rest days it surely will be more of a benefit in the long run given the history of violence between these two rivals.
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