Old Firm: Police officers self isolate after Rangers' fans title celebrations

A fresh appeal has been made to Old Firm fans to stay at home ahead of tomorrow’s game after reports that dozens of police had to self isolate after being called to deal with Rangers’ fans league title mass celebrations.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The call came from the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) just 24 hours before Sunday’s noon kick-off at Parkhead.

It said a number officers on patrol at the illegal George Square gathering of Rangers’ fans on March 7 have tested positive.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The ripple effect has also impacted directly on up to 40 officers and their families.

Rangers fans gather in George Square to celebrate the club winning the Scottish Premiership for the first time in 10 years (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)Rangers fans gather in George Square to celebrate the club winning the Scottish Premiership for the first time in 10 years (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Rangers fans gather in George Square to celebrate the club winning the Scottish Premiership for the first time in 10 years (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

David Hamilton, who chairs the federation, said the outcome was “entirely predictable.”He added: “Most of these officers will not have been vaccinated. It is everything we warned about.”He appealed to fans to reflect on the numbers and the impact.

"We did not choose to be in George Square. It is something we had to do and it is part of our role," said Mr Hamilton.

The statement came as police prepared for another major operation to manage Sunday’s game.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Hamilton and politicians have urged both sets of fans to stay at home - public gatherings remain banned, with a stay at home" order still in place in a bid to minimise the impact of the virus.,

Sunday’s game faced the threat of cancellation until Friday when it was given the go-ahead - with strong ‘stay at home’ messages from both teams, police and politicians.

Bernard Higgins, Assistant Chief Constable, said: "Where officers encounter blatant breaches of the legislation they will not hesitate to enforce the law where necessary to ensure public safety."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.