1,000 police prepare for Cup Final

2:41pm Saturday 17th May 2008

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More than 1,000 police officers will be on the streets to ensure the showpiece event of the football season - the FA Cup - passes off peacefully.

Tens of thousands of fans are expected to flock to London from the south coast and South Wales as minnows Cardiff City take on firm favourites Portsmouth.

Both clubs have sold their 25,000 ticket allocation and thousands more fans are expected to make the trip to soak up the atmosphere of Cup Final day.

It is 69 years since Portsmouth last featured in an FA Cup final, with Cardiff fans having an even longer wait - playing their only final in 1927.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said it would be working with the British Transport Police (BTP) to make sure the day is a success.

He said: "In the region of 1,200 officers will be on duty to help manage the crowds, doing their best to make sure everyone has a great day out.

"The Met operation will stretch way beyond the stadium and into central London. Working closely with our colleagues from British Transport Police, there will be an operation to clamp down on the small minority of people who may be coming along thinking about committing crime and disorder."

BTP officers are travelling on trains to London from Cardiff and Portsmouth and patrolling the main rail and underground stations.

Bins have been set up outside underground stations for fans to discard cans and bottles of alcohol.

Police advice to fans is to use public transport to get to Wembley and plan their journey in advance. They also warned fans they could be searched at the turnstiles going into the ground.

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