Twelve men arrested in dawn raids as police probe fighting after Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers match
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Around 50 officers from Greater Manchester Police were involved in the early-morning strikes in Wigan and Bolton on Thursday.
It was part of an investigation into fighting after a match between Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic on Saturday, August 19.
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They arrested 12 men, aged 16 to 58, on suspicion of violent conduct and they are all now being questioned in custody.
Police received calls about a large disturbance on Market Street, Westhoughton at around 4.30pm on August 19, shortly after the EFL League One clash at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, which Latics won 4-0.
A dispersal order was issued to ensure the group of up to 50 people left the area and did not return for 48 hours.
At the time, police said if the violence was proved to be linked to the football match, they would seek banning orders as well as prosecutions.
Supt Danny O'Neil, of Greater Manchester Police’s Bolton district, said: "This was pre-planned disorder and innocent people were caught up in the violence.
"There is no place for this type of thuggery – people go to football matches to watch football, not to fight and cause trouble, and we want to ensure people can attend matches safely.
"The events of August overshadowed a well-planned, well-policed operation after a lot of work between GMP and the two clubs.
"The return fixture is in a few weeks and we want to send a message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.
"The disorder took up a lot of GMP resources on the day, resources that should have been deployed elsewhere, impacting our ability to respond to other emergency incidents."
The investigation into the violence is still ongoing, with a further two men arrested in August released on bail pending further inquiries.
Det Insp Tony Lunt, of Bolton CID, said: “The violence that took place in August will not be tolerated, which is why we have taken strong action today.
“Hours of officers’ body-worn footage and CCTV footage from the incident have been reviewed as part of the investigation, which is still very much ongoing.
