The Guardian was given behind-the-scenes access to the Metropolitan Police's operation at Arsenal's home Premier League match against Chelsea, illustrating the scale of planning involved in policing a high-profile London derby. Chief Inspector Pete Dearden, the matchday commander, oversaw an operation combining dedicated football officers, intelligence-led "spotters" and stadium stewards, reflecting a broader strategy of using targeted intelligence to reduce the number of officers needed while maintaining public safety. The fixture, graded "medium medium" risk, ultimately involved around a dozen incidents and two arrests.

The operation drew on the Met's 17 dedicated football officers, who each work full-time with one club year-round, alongside three police support units and 20 "spotters" who track fans' movements and mood beforehand, including in pubs and on public transport, to gauge the likelihood of trouble. Arsenal supplied around 1,000 stewards as first responders within the stadium, while police intervened only when necessary, including one dramatic moment when a spotter performed life-saving CPR on a supporter before kick-off. Dearden said policing football costs the Met about £23m a season, with only around 10% recovered from clubs via paid special police services, prompting efforts to shift costs such as road closures onto clubs.