Wigan Goes To Court Over Police Refund

Premier League club Wigan Athletic has gone to court to demand a refund of close
to £300,000 against the Greater Manchester Police over the fee the club paid for
policing of its home fixtures.

Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan claims Greater Manchester Police
overcharged it for covering matchdays at the JJB Stadium and has demanded the
return of about £293,000 paid during 2003/04 and 2004/05.

Michael Todd, Greater Manchester’s chief constable, said the charges were
reasonable and entirely lawful.

The High Court hearing saw Wigan state that it had been charged for special
policing services it had requested inside the stadium.

But the court heard that now GMP (Greater Manchester Police) also demanded
payment for policing the area surrounding the stadium.

Adam Lewis, representing the club, told the judge: ‘The GMP appears to say
that it can provide and charge for whatever services it wants and at whatever
charge. That is wrong.’

The GMP charged the club £226,184 in the 2003/04 season and £283,082 for
2004/05, compared to £61,058 in 2002/03.

Wigan claimed that when it originally refused to pay the higher bill, the
police threatened to withdraw their services for this season, which would have
meant no home matches.

The GMP said it was entitled in law to charge Wigan for officers who were
deployed in the stadium and in the surrounding area, including car parks, roads
and open ground.