Six people were arrested as 400 Metropolitan Police officers policed the first competitive Millwall West Ham derby in 14 years at The Den on Saturday.
The force said the six arrests were made as of 4pm on 19 September, with offences including tailgating, assault on a police officer, and entering or attempting to enter a stadium while intoxicated. All six remained in custody.
Officers in riot gear and mounted units were deployed across south-east London for the 11.30am kick-off at Millwall’s Bermondsey ground, in what the Met described as a “ring of steel” operation to prevent the violence that has marred the fixture in previous seasons.
A Met Police spokesman said: “Thank you to our officers on the ground, as well as partners at Millwall FC and West Ham FC, who worked to ensure the Dockers Derby took place without significant disruption across south east London – allowing attending fans to enjoy the match safely.”
“A total of six arrests have taken place as of 4pm on Saturday, 19 September. Offences include tailgating, assault on a police officer, and entering or attempting to enter a stadium while intoxicated. All remain in custody.”
Eleven more men had been arrested at around 7.15pm on Friday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage, in a separate operation ahead of the match.
The Met also confirmed a Section 35 dispersal order remained in force across the area until 23:59 on Saturday, giving officers powers to remove anyone causing disorder.
Separately, a Live Facial Recognition deployment at London Bridge led to three arrests, including one man held on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and possession of a bladed article. The force stressed none of the facial-recognition arrests were connected to the football.
On the pitch, the 100th meeting between the two clubs ended 2-2, with West Ham coming from two goals down. Millwall led at half-time through Caleb Taylor and Camiel Neghli before Mohamadou Kante and Konstantinos Mavropanos hit back for the visitors, who finished with 10 men after Kante was sent off.
After the final whistle, South Bermondsey station was closed to Millwall supporters for up to an hour as part of the policing operation to keep rival fans apart on their way home.
Reporting based on the Metropolitan Police statement issued on 19 September 2026, as carried by The Independent via OneFootball and The Sun, alongside LondonStreets.uk’s earlier match coverage.
