Wolves, Albion and Walsall shell out £3m in five years for stadium policing

Figures released by West Midlands Police show they have billed Wolves £1,450,000, Albion £1,133,000 and Walsall £205,000 since 2009.

Wolves' bill has decreased over the past five years, with £231,400 paid for the 2013/2014 season. Costs for the 2009/2010 season were £348,400.

The annual charging agreement is agreed between police and clubs to cover the costs of match day policing, and is led by the Association of Chief Police Officers' guidance for football deployment and cost recovery.

An 'agreed footprint' determines the areas of policing the clubs pay for, which usually includes inside club grounds and land in the vicinity of the stadium under the control of the club.

Costs vary according to fixture – with extra officers drafted in to police certain games, such as local derby matches, including those between bitter rivals Wolves and Albion.

The last time West Bromwich Albion and Wolves were in the same division was 2011/12, when both clubs were in the Premiership.

Steve Sutton, stadium and facilities manager, at Wolves said: "Policing figures can change year-on-year due to the profile and risk associated to certain fixtures.

"However, the overall decrease in policing costs seen at Molineux over the past few seasons can also be associated with better co-ordination between the club and West Midlands Police to proactively manage the small minority who have the potential to create issues."

Over at The Hawthorns, policing costs have fluctuated slightly over the past five seasons, with the biggest drop from £233,800 to £204,400 over the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 seasons. During the 2013/2014 season costs rose again to £214,700.

Albion stadium boss Mark Miles hailed a positive working relationship with police: "I think our comparatively low police costs represent a good relationship with the police and a well-organised match day operation.

"We work very effectively with them and that relationship has enabled us to enjoy the benefits of such positive co-operation."

The bill for Walsall's Banks's stadium, the lowest of the trio, was at its highest last season at £77,300. For the 2010/2011 season the bill was only £7,000.

Daniel Mole, club secretary at Walsall FC, said: "The larger bill last season was down to the fixtures we had.

"Wolves and Shrewsbury were in our league. They are local derbies and require a police presence. A large number of our games are police free and just require club security.

"The projected figure for this season is expected to be less than last season. We have an excellent relationship with West Midlands Police."