Police competency in contributing to the successful implementation of an emergency response plan in football stadiums

Abstract

This study is intended to focus on the aspects of police competency in implementing Emergency Response Plan in National Stadium Bukit Jalil consequence to the current rising trend of spectator’s violence. This new emerging trend has also given birth to “Ultras Malaya” which is known for their fanaticism and have often cross the boundary of safety and security. The methodology adopted is through the distribution of a set of questionnaire to 150 respondents in Cheras Police District. Questionnaire were divided into four broad categories. Except for demography, knowledge, skills and attitude were measured by using Likert Scale. Knowledge was mainly to gauge the understanding of the personnel on emergency, emergency preparedness and emergency response plan. Skills was to gauge the proficiency to undertake tasks related to emergency response in football stadiums. Attitude was to highlight the perception of the personnel towards training and drill needs, the review of the emergency response plan and the capabilities and the interoperability amongst authorities. Data was analyzed by the descriptive mode such as frequency, mean and percentage. Findings revealed a performance gap whereby majority of officers deployed at national Stadium lacked the necessary experience and exposure to handle such volatile crowd and in a closed area. Hence the understanding that RMP should be the key player in stadium safety should be revisited. The study concluded by recommending a changing face in football policing through increasing the absence of uniformed police, Stadium Management to be responsible for the safety of spectators and appointment of stewards to fill the void created by police withdrawal.