Hooligan blitz at derby match

POLICE have been issued with photographs of suspected hooligans ahead of a fresh blitz on football casuals at Boxing Day's derby match.

Seventy officers will be on duty to keep order during the game at Tynecastle and when supporters head into the city centre afterwards.

The aim is to stop hooligans starting trouble as thousands of shoppers head home from the Christmas sales.

Images of 46 alleged hooligans arrested in recent weeks during a crackdown on violence at October's Hibs-Hearts game will be distributed among them.

The men were arrested in dawn raids across the Capital by a special police squad after allegedly taking part in street battles following the October derby.

They are already the subject of special bail conditions banning them from attending the game, which kicks off at 2pm.

Police chiefs said today they will closely monitor the men in case any are plotting revenge attacks on rival fans.

Undercover officers will be employed as "spotters" to identify thugs among the crowds, while city centre pubs will be visited regularly by their uniformed colleagues.

Officers armed with camcorders will be on hand to capture any troublemakers on film so they can be traced later.

Licensees from pubs which could prove potential flashpoints have also been asked to alert police if they recognise any known hooligans entering their premises. Extra officers will be on duty at Tynecastle to ensure anyone causing problems can be arrested on the spot and kept off the streets after the game.

Superintendent Brian Muir, the match commander, said: "We are not expecting trouble inside the ground, but any arrests will be dealt with quickly.

"That will ensure these people don't even reach the streets after the game to cause more problems.

"There is a clear distinction between ordinary fans and the casual element who often don't even bother to attend the game itself.

"But I think the message is getting across that we will not tolerate scenes like we saw in October. We have more than enough resources in place to target them."

Council CCTV operators will work with police to track the movements of any troublemakers.

More than 100 officers were assigned to handle the Hearts and Hibs tie at Easter Road on November 8 and its aftermath. The move represented a 30 per cent increase on the usual police presence deployed for the clubs' clashes in the wake of the violence on October 15.

The clampdown was part of the biggest policing operation planned for a derby game in the Capital in more than five years.

Supt Muir said: "We've taken the decision to have the levels of policing at similar levels to previous derby matches. That is due to the lack of trouble seen at the last game between the clubs.

"But the town will be busy with pedestrians on Boxing Day and the pubs and restaurants will be full.

"That has been a concern in my mind and that's why we will have uniformed officers in the city centre to provide reassurance."

Rival gangs of casuals clashed after the 2-2 draw in October, where fighting erupted in Lothian Road and Fountain Park.

Police chiefs described the scenes as the city's "worst" football-related violence in 20 years.

Around 60 hooligans fought running battles after the derby, with police making 14 arrests.

In one incident, outside the Uluru bar in Lothian Road, the pub's front window was smashed after a thug hurled a traffic cone through the glass.

The gangs also clashed around the Fountain Bar in Fountainbridge. Some hurled rubbish bins and traffic signs during the battles as police officers tried to keep the factions apart.

A special police task force, codenamed Operation Agile, was set up to trace the casuals involved in violent clashes using CCTV images of the chaotic scenes.