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Arsenal Title Celebrations Draw Massive Crowds and 17 Arrests

Coordinated crowd plans plus temporary transport closures were used to manage unusually large spontaneous gatherings after the club’s first top-flight title in 22 years.

Overview

  • Thousands of supporters converged on London as Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 2-1 and lifted the Premier League trophy, producing heavy concentrations of people around the Emirates and local transport disruption.
  • The Metropolitan Police said it had worked with Arsenal and emergency partners, placed cordons from about 6pm and at times closed station access to prevent overcrowding and direct pedestrian flows.
  • Officers made 17 arrests in the vicinity of the Emirates for offences that included affray, being drunk and disorderly and assault on an emergency worker.
  • At Selhurst Park stewards stopped two men wearing high-visibility jackets, who were arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation, taken into custody and later cautioned.
  • The scale of the celebrations, driven by the club’s first top-flight championship since 2004, will prompt reviews of stewarding, entry controls and local crowd-management plans ahead of future fixtures.