THE cost of policing this season’s big derby games cannot be revealed because police fear it might help hooligans plan future violence.

Lancashire Constabulary has declined to divulge how much October’s huge police operation surrounding the Blackburn versus Burnley fixture cost, saying disclosure ‘could seriously increase the risk of violence or disorder at upcoming matches’. On Sunday, October 18, away fans had to catch official coaches from Burnley to Ewood Park for the East Lancashire derby, with sizeable police presences across both towns.

The Lancashire Telegraph asked a number of questions under the Freedom of Information Act about the details of the Rovers versus Clarets operation, including the number of officers involved, the cost of policing the game, and how much each club contributed.

The force’s Corporate Support and Information Services said it believed providing a detailed breakdown could ‘allow an individual to compare the costs of, and various resources deployed at, each match and then potentially use this information to calculate a prediction for the level of policing planned for future matches’.

The response to our FOI questions referred to a ‘real risk’ posed by organised groups of fans targeting games with ‘less chance of being detected’.

It suggested criminals might then take advantage of diverted police resources and mentioned the ‘impact of an increase in the level of football related disorder’ in relation to the other emergency services and even the community.

The police said: “Burnley and Blackburn will play again at Turf Moor in the new year and revealing the details of the police operation at Ewood Park could reveal similar planned tactics for the upcoming game. “This could result in the high risk groups adapting or modifying their behaviour to attempt to avoid detection.” The police did provide a limited response to some Telegraph questions, revealing the financial contributions made by Blackburn and Burnley in each financial year (April to March).

Rovers’ figures were: 2006/7 - £204,933, 2007/8 - £111,761, 2008/9 - £128,527, 2009/10 - £105,613 Clarets’ figures were: 2006/7 - £65,301, 2007/8 - £94,279, 2008/9 - £96,072, 200