Government reveals how many arrests were made at Imps games during 2017/18 season

The number of people claiming to be Lincoln City football fans being arrested has fallen, according to new government figures.

A total of 28 Lincoln City supporters were arrested during their first season in League Two over 2017/18.

This figure is a drop down from a previous figures, when 30 Imps 'fans' were arrested during their National League-winning season.

Seven so-called supporters were also issued with banning orders from the club, while there still 27 people currently serving a banning order as of the 2017/18 season.

The news of a fall in the statistics is likely to be welcomed by the club, who have seen more fans at games at Sincil Bank due to their continuing success on the pitch.

The club had an average attendance of 5,161 in the 2016/17 National League season.

Promotion helped to boost these figures, and the Imps registered a much high attendance of 8,782 last season.

Chief Inspector, Stewart Brinn said that the club and Lincolnshire Police have worked very hard to identify the main culprits.

He said: "Fortunately there is little trouble at Sincil Bank. Unfortunately there is sometimes friction between a very small minority of individuals, linked to both home and away teams, in Lincoln itself.

“We have worked very hard to identify the main culprits and in the vast majority of cases have been successful in obtaining football banning orders on these problematic individuals to prevent them from being in the city while a match is being played. These people, who are not fans, give every true supporter a bad name

“We have also worked closely with Lincoln City Football Club to develop an Anti-Social Behaviour policy which results in persons identified as causing trouble either at home or away matches being suspended from Sincil Bank for a period of time.

“Both the Police and the Club are clear – Lincoln City are a family club and all supporters are welcome to the city and the ground to enjoy themselves. So-called supporters who do not really care for the club and are simply out to seek confrontation are not welcome and will continue to be targeted for the benefit of the true fans.”

Fewer people were arrested than at their rival club Grimsby Town – who saw 35 of their 'supporters' put in handcuffs.

However, the figure is higher than that of nearby rivals Mansfield Town and Notts County – who saw 20 and 14 arrested respectively.

The fall in arrests at Lincoln City follows the national trend, which has seen arrests drop from 3,089 arrests in the 2010/11 season to 1,542 in the 2017/18 season, according to statistics released by the Home Office .

Figures from previous seasons show that this has been the fifth year in a row where football-related arrests have fallen.

What the figures do not say is how many of the arrests led to charges being made, or how many were called to appear in court.

The statistics also show that there 460 new banning orders issued last season, while there were a total of 1,822 active banning orders.

Football banning orders are preventable measures issued by the courts either following a conviction for a football-related offence, or following a complaint by a local police force, British Transport Police, or the Crown Prosecution Service.

A spokesperson for Lincoln City said: "The majority of these football related arrests have occurred away from the footprint of the stadium and we work closely with Lincolnshire Police to continually ensure our supporters are given a safe and positive environment to enjoy watching The Imps play.

“We have a strong family following, and we want them to have the best experience they possibly can at Sincil Bank and when travelling around the country watching football.

“The latest figures only serve to demonstrate that the hard work and dedication of the staff at the club, alongside Lincolnshire police, is bearing fruit.”