Met Police deploy 400 officers to Millwall v West Ham derby as 'ring of steel' keeps lid on first clash in 14 years

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Scotland Yard deployed enhanced stop-and-search powers, riot-equipped officers, mounted police, dog handlers, and live facial recognition cameras at The Den in Bermondsey for Saturday's Championship fixture. The match marked the first meeting between the two London clubs since 2012, with authorities anticipating the kind of violence that has blighted earlier encounters. A typical Championship game draws between 60 and 150 officers, but the Met roughly quadrupled that figure for the derby. Following the final whistle, an arrest update was released, with a Section 60 order remaining in force until 8pm.

The Section 60 order empowers officers to stop and search any individual without needing reasonable suspicion.

Dispersal orders were also active before kick-off, enabling police to move anyone causing disorder away from the surrounding streets.

Live facial recognition cameras were deployed alongside mounted officers and dog handlers as part of one of the largest football policing operations London has seen.