Videos by stewards

[STAR Liaison]

STAR did raise this at the last management meeting (see http://www.star-reading.org for the notes of that meeting) and I understand the use of videos is now either less or less obvious.

However I got very few emails with complaints so this is really to ask if it is better now or if there are still complaints about the level of videoing. I know I will get posts on here but I would ask for emails to info@star-reading.org so that I can use actual complaints when I next go to a management meeting. If I get none I will assume it has been sorted.

[Compo's Hat]

Nope, the videos were out recording fans again on Tuesday.

[Royal Lady]

Do they video away fans so they can pass the tape to the other club and the other club can ban any trouble makers?

[Ian Royal]

Do they video away fans so they can pass the tape to the other club and the other club can ban any trouble makers?

Videoing home fans is surely as much about being able to identify where they are sitting and therefore their identity from the ticketing and member card database than just getting faces / actions on camera.

How are the other clubs going to match up the faces in our away end to their fans? You don't need to submit your passport to get a ticket. They're unlikely to face face recognition software and videos of their entire stadium when it's full.

They may be able to do something about troublemakers who are known already, but it'd be an absolute nightmare trying to trace someone they don't already know about, who's identity hasn't been obtained, police / stewards here.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Do they video away fans so they can pass the tape to the other club and the other club can ban any trouble makers?

All depends on the extent of data-sharing agreements that the club has. It would be illegal for them to pass such information onto third parties without the appropriate agreement, and as far as I can ascertain Reading FC only have an information sharing agreement with Thames Valley Police.

[RoyalBlue]

Do they video away fans so they can pass the tape to the other club and the other club can ban any trouble makers?

Videoing home fans is surely as much about being able to identify where they are sitting and therefore their identity from the ticketing and member card database than just getting faces / actions on camera.

How are the other clubs going to match up the faces in our away end to their fans? You don't need to submit your passport to get a ticket. They're unlikely to face face recognition software and videos of their entire stadium when it's full.

They may be able to do something about troublemakers who are known already, but it'd be an absolute nightmare trying to trace someone they don't already know about, who's identity hasn't been obtained, police / stewards here.

On that basis, why bother giving the police pictures/videos of any law breakers?!

The other club can issue stewards at the turnstiles with a few pictures/screen shots and just ask them to keep an eye open for offenders trying to get in at future games.

[Ian Royal]

Just pointing out it really isn't that easy to film away fans and then pass it on to their clubs to get them bans.

[Compo's Hat]

Do they video away fans so they can pass the tape to the other club and the other club can ban any trouble makers?

Videoing home fans is surely as much about being able to identify where they are sitting and therefore their identity from the ticketing and member card database than just getting faces / actions on camera.

How are the other clubs going to match up the faces in our away end to their fans? You don't need to submit your passport to get a ticket. They're unlikely to face face recognition software and videos of their entire stadium when it's full.

They may be able to do something about troublemakers who are known already, but it'd be an absolute nightmare trying to trace someone they don't already know about, who's identity hasn't been obtained, police / stewards here.

So why is there a cctv camera hanging from the roof then?

[RoyalBlue]

Just pointing out it really isn't that easy to film away fans and then pass it on to their clubs to get them bans.

It's incredibly easy to do if those other clubs genuinely wanted to take action.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Just pointing out it really isn't that easy to film away fans and then pass it on to their clubs to get them bans.

It's incredibly easy to do if those other clubs genuinely wanted to take action.

Can I suggest you read the other posts? Without an information sharing arrangement (which RFC DO NOT HAVE) - it's illegal for the club do do anything like this, easy or otherwise!

[Ian Royal]

Yeah, I'm sorry, I was totally wrong.

It's a piece of piss to take some video, at another ground, of someone causing trouble and then scanning footage of an entire stadium to locate that face among thousands, to then trace them by their seat location and issue a banning order.

That wouldn't take highly sofisticated and probably very expensive software, or hours upon hours of time. And isn't at all reliant on them actually being present at the game you pick or instead needing to do it for several games, at least, to have a chance of finding them.

It's not at all a disproportionate amount of effort to go to, to ban someone who caused some trouble elsewhere, but didn't get nicked.

[Royal Lady]

I don't think anyone was suggesting they do all that Ian? If someone is filmed on video by the stewards, and then they "disappear" after a few hand gestures or a bit of posturing or whatever, how do the club trace them? Assuming that they are not sitting in their ST seat or the seat in which they purchased a ticket for. And it does happen btw.

[Ian Royal]

I don't think anyone was suggesting they do all that Ian? If someone is filmed on video by the stewards, and then they "disappear" after a few hand gestures or a bit of posturing or whatever, how do the club trace them? Assuming that they are not sitting in their ST seat or the seat in which they purchased a ticket for. And it does happen btw.

Home fans is a totally different issue. In the case of away fans I suspect they don't.

[jonboy29red]

so are we saying that use of a hand held video camera is better then the stadium cctv?

[Svlad Cjelli]

so are we saying that use of a hand held video camera is better then the stadium cctv?

"better" for what?

[roadrunner]

so are we saying that use of a hand held video camera is better then the stadium cctv?

"better" for what?

Enraging the home supporters?

[Svlad Cjelli]

so are we saying that use of a hand held video camera is better then the stadium cctv?

"better" for what?

Enraging the home supporters?

They certainly do that - even the most meek and law-abiding supporter gets inflamed when they have a hand-held camera stuck in their face.

[Big Foot]

Which makes it rather ironic that stewards won't go into away crowds for "fear of riling them" but are happy to film their own customers to apparently enrage them.

It's really laughable the treatment Reading's limp wristed supporters get compared to their track record for behaviour etc

[jonboy29red]

what i ment by my post was are we saying that the cctv in the roof are not worth being there?? seeing as they can print off picture of people off the main cctv system can they do that with the handheld?

[RoyalBlue]

Yeah, I'm sorry, I was totally wrong.

It's a piece of piss to take some video, at another ground, of someone causing trouble and then scanning footage of an entire stadium to locate that face among thousands, to then trace them by their seat location and issue a banning order.

That wouldn't take highly sofisticated and probably very expensive software, or hours upon hours of time. And isn't at all reliant on them actually being present at the game you pick or instead needing to do it for several games, at least, to have a chance of finding them.

It's not at all a disproportionate amount of effort to go to, to ban someone who caused some trouble elsewhere, but didn't get nicked.

Pathetic sarcasm during which you demonstrate how little you know about the use of video surveillance technology! It doesn't actually take much at all to put a marker on the recording as it takes place or indeed save a freeze frame. As for scanning the whole stadium, aren't you aware that stewards are able to communicate with the control room and have the CCTV zoom in on trouble makers/troublesome areas. And, of course, hand held surveillance makes that even easier.

Eactly the same principles apply for CCTV surveillance of town centres etc. The CCTV operators look out for trouble, zoom in, record and have the evidence they need. Likewise the police on the ground can request/direct the CCTV to zoom in to where they are in order to record faces etc.

And what are you on about taking a piece of video at another ground? The whole point was that RFC can provide the pictures to the visiting club. Chances are, their police/stewards may already be familiar with some of the faces.

So yes, you were totally wrong.

Just pointing out it really isn't that easy to film away fans and then pass it on to their clubs to get them bans.

It's incredibly easy to do if those other clubs genuinely wanted to take action.

Can I suggest you read the other posts? Without an information sharing arrangement (which RFC DO NOT HAVE) - it's illegal for the club do do anything like this, easy or otherwise!

Can I suggest you read what I wrote? i.e. 'if the other clubs genuinely wanted to take action.' If both clubs did genuinely want to take action then presumably they are perfectly able to set about putting that arrangement into place thus making it easy to do. Where there is a will there is a way but so often with football, that will is lacking.