Chief Inspector Pete Dearden, a senior officer in the Metropolitan police's public order command and Sunday's matchday commander, explained that the police's mantra is 'safety, security and service'. The Met's 17 dedicated football officers (DFOs) each work full-time on one club, planning each fixture with the matchday commander. All 500-plus games the Met covers per season are risk-graded using factors such as risk level of supporters, proximity, recent history and kick-off time. Dearden labels Sunday's game "medium medium".
The police operation involved three police support units (PSUs), each containing an inspector, three sergeants and about 21 constables, as well as the senior team and 20 operational football officers, or "spotters", on duty. The Premier League has invested millions of pounds into the intelligence-led live facial recognition pilot, which was used outside the Emirates. The pilot yielded six interventions, one while The Guardian was present.