Commander thanks the vast majority of fans following Midlands derby

The commander for today’s Midlands derby at the Bet365 Stadium has praised the vast majority of Stoke and Birmingham fans for their behaviour this afternoon.

Chief Superintendent Wayne Jones said: “The majority of fans, both home and away, contributed to the good atmosphere at the match and I want to thank them for the way in which they behaved this afternoon.

“A small group of supporters in the ground confronted police and stewards throughout the game and threw missiles in and around the area of the segregation line. A number of minor disturbances involving supporters from both clubs also took place in and around the Trentham Lakes area but these were quickly dealt with by officers. This is always disappointing and spoils the experience for those who inadvertently get caught up in this kind of behaviour.

“We’ve been working closely with Stoke City Football Club to plan today’s match and I would like to express my thanks to all the officers that helped us deliver this policing operation.

Four men were arrested this afternoon.

A 28-year-old, from Birmingham, was arrested on suspicion of using threatening/abusive words/behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress, a 24-year-old, Wolverhampton, was arrested for throwing a missile onto a football playing area, a 30-year old, from Birmingham, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and a 30-year-old, from Birmingham, was arrested for possession of a controlled drug of Class A.

The 30-year-old man, arrested for a drugs offence, was given a conditional caution and the other three men remain in custody.