West Ham v Chelsea: League Cup tie will see police enter London Stadium for the first time
Police will be present inside the London Stadium for the first time when West Ham play host to Chelsea in a crunch League Cup tie next Wednesday night.
West Ham have been beset by crowd trouble in recent matches at their new home, leading the club to ask for an increased police presence for the potentially explosive fixture which will see 5,182 Chelsea supporters travel to the Olympic Stadium.
Police had hitherto been unable to operate inside the stadium due to the absence of Airwave radio communications systems, but a temporary solution has been found.
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"The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) working with London Stadium and Airwave are confident that a full in-building radio solution will be operational at the London Stadium in February 2017," said a Metropolitan Police spokesman.
"In the interim, the MPS has a tactical solution for matches being held at the London Stadium which will allow the safe deployment of officers into the stadium, if required, to deal with any crime or disorder."
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has refused to blame the stadium's teething issues for his side's inauspicious start to life at the London Stadium.
The visit of Chelsea represents the Hammers' biggest test yet at their new ground, where they have won just once since August — against Accrington Stanley in the previous round of the League Cup.