A massive police operation will swing into action in Perth when thousands of St Johnstone fans fill pubs in the city to watch the Scottish Cup final.
Police leave has been cancelled in Perth on Saturday May 17, with extra officers “bolstering” Perth city centre and outlying Perthshire areas in what will be the biggest event in the history of the Perth club.
Chief Inspector Mike Whitford, the area commander for Perth and Kinross, stated officers will also be out in numbers in towns such as Auchterarder and Blairgowrie due to the interest generated by the huge sporting occasion.
Saints are expected to take a large travelling support to Celtic Park, Glasgow, to back the team on the day, but thousands of fans will also descend into Perth city centre to watch the game in pubs there.
Mr Whitford told The Courier police will be out in force to ensure people’s safety is not compromised due to the huge sporting occasion.
“It’s a Tayside derby and we will be really busy so we’re going to ‘staff up’ that day. There would have been officers with days off that day but we’ve cancelled that.
“That will immediately bolster the whole day,so we will have increased the police numbers by a third.
“That will give us flexibility as we will have to police Perth in the early part of the day and then police the build-up to the game and also in the early evening.
“There will be a lot of cops in the town (Perth) and on the main routes but it’s not to stop people having a good day, it’s to keep people safe.
“The key message for me is the tie-back to Old Firm games where there is a link to domestic violence and football. We want people to enjoy the day but do they have to get involved in violence?
“Why do partners and children have to suffer because of a football result?”
He continued: “We’ll be in touch with the licensing board as I’m anticipating several premises will want to open early for folk to go down to the town centre (prior to leaving for Celtic Park) and there will be a lot of pubs running the match on the TV.
“There will be a lot of police out to make sure everybody has a good day. We’re pretty much in the thick of planning for the cup final day.”
Special trains will be available to fans of both clubs on the day after concerns were previously raised by supporters.
First ScotRail confirmed they are providing transport for more than 2,000 supporters travelling to Glasgow on May 17.
Up to six outbound services will run to Glasgow Queen Street, leaving from Perth and Dundee.