HERTS Police has announced it will have an increased presence when Stevenage Borough host rivals Luton Town next month. The constabulary has been known to increase its officer numbers for the visits of Oxford United and Cambridge in the past, but admits t

HERTS Police has announced it will have an increased presence when Stevenage Borough host rivals Luton Town next month.

The constabulary has been known to increase its officer numbers for the visits of Oxford United and Cambridge in the past, but admits the visit of Luton Town on April 3 following the Hatters' relegation from League Two last year is a unique situation.

Among the increased presence will be an increase of officers plus six police horses and dogs.

The additional policing will be financed jointly by Stevenage Borough FC and Herts Police, with the football club contributing the majority of money.

Boro have already had discussions with the authorities about the game and as a result have increased the number of tickets made available to away supporters to 2,800.

These include the 1,400 seats in the South Stand plus 1,400 standing tickets in the East terrace where Luton and Boro fans will be segregated.

"As with any football match the safety of all fans, both home and away, is our priority," a spokesman said.

"Officers from the dedicated events planning team based at Stevenage Police Station met with representatives from both Stevenage and Luton to ensure any possible disorder is kept to a minimum.

"As part of a control strategy to manage any risk, the decision was made to allocate further tickets to Luton to ensure home fans are together and away fans are together.

"We understand there may be frustration from Stevenage fans but would like to reassure them that this is a one off decision to ensure everyone can enjoy the match safely.