A repeat of the “Swansea Bubble” football policing tactic that proved successful in preventing serious disorder at a flashpoint match in Hampshire is to be deployed again.

Supt Ricky Burrows, who was the Ground Commander for the Portsmouth v Southampton fixture at Fratton Park in December 2011, confirmed that it would again be rolled out for the return game at St Mary’s on April 7, 2012.

The tactic – which involves escorting away fans on a fleet of buses to a sterile area at the ground and away at the end of the game – proved key in preventing any disorder from flaring.

While admitting that the move had initially been met with anger from some groups of fans, Supt Burrows said that its success at Fratton Park had been warmly received.

The experienced officer, who is a national authority on football-related public order, told PoliceOracle.com: “We are keeping the basic structure of the tactic but will be applying our learning for a more customer-friendly approach.

“We were all pleased at debrief following the match at Fratton Park and we had nothing but praise for the way we handled the situation from the media.

“The overwhelming majority of the fans were also happy – we have had a lot of emails from people saying that they felt safe as a result of what we did.”

The “Swansea Bubble” was named after its success in south Wales, where it proved invaluable in dealing with trouble between Cardiff and Swansea fans.

The Fratton Park operation saw the deployment of a range of assets including air support, roads policing officers and a mounted unit courtesy of TVP.

The op was watched by UK law enforcement agencies and international observers.