The World Cup brings fans and football fever to Kent as supporters travel to Germany from (or through) the county or get together at the pub to watch England play on screen.

Chief Inspector Peter Wedlake is a senior Kent Police officer responsible for planning for the policing of the World Cup in Kent, he said:

“We will be making sure that everyone following the World Cup can enjoy themselves safely and without causing distress to others.

“This means ensuring the safe thru-flow of people going to Germany to enjoy the game and the atmosphere, while stopping those banned from doing so.  We will also keep a visible presence around our streets and licensed premises when key matches are played.

“The most recent major football tournament (European Cup 2004) did not cause us any major problems and we do not expect it to be any different this time.  In Germany, the World Cup is seen as ‘Time to Make Friends’.  We will certainly not be trying to spoil the fun of fans participating in the friendly spirit of the tournament.

“We will be on the look out to stop anyone likely to cause trouble here or in Germany from doing so.  So we will be identifying potential troublemakers and seeking banning orders to stop them travelling as well as intercepting anyone already with a banning order trying to travel.

“As you would expect with a widespread operation like this, we are liaising and sharing information with colleagues at the Ports, British Transport Police as well as other police forces via the UK Football Policing Unit”.