We were extremely disappointed with the pyro issues that we experienced at our game against Motherwell at the weekend, and recognise the concerns that have been raised by our supporters on these.
Our club has worked tirelessly to educate our supporters regarding the dangers of pyro and the hazardous substances they contain. St Mirren supporters have been mostly compliant at both home and away fixtures in accepting the fact that we want to improve the fan experience in a safe way. Unfortunately, there continue to be individuals that attend football matches intent on breaching safety regulations; regulations set for the benefit of every person attending.
We would like to reassure you of the fact that appropriate action was, and continues to be, carried out against these individuals and this will continue until as many culprits as possible are appropriately dealt with through collaboration and close work with authorities. Specifically in relation to the Motherwell game, a further meeting took place with Police Scotland yesterday to discuss the pyro issues we experienced, amongst other concerns that were identified around the match.
In the wider context, be assured, we are working with the SFA, SPFL, the Government and Police Scotland to try to stop scenes like Saturday. This has already involved changes in legislation through numerous discussions between relevant authorities. Search protocols are involved when planning for each fixture at The SMiSA Stadium and this minimises risk with searches being undertaken on Saturday which identified a number of issues that would have otherwise caused further concerns during the game. Elimination would have been impossible given the intent of individuals and potentially some groups, secreting these devices around their person, however we are looking further at the feasibility of other means of detection.
As a club we hope to have your continued support in trying to deal with these hazards and criminal acts appropriately which involve mechanisms that require several agencies working together to create a safer environment for supporters. We will continue to engage with all segments of our support as we aim to enhance the matchday experience for everyone visiting The SMiSA Stadium.
Thank you again for your feedback and we hope that this information has provided some reassurance that the concerns that have been raised are being tackled.
