How many Met Police officers will be at Millwall v West Ham revealed | OneFootball

The two London rivals face off for the first time in 14 years this weekend

The number of Metropolitan Police officers set to be present at the Dockers derby between Millwall and West Ham United at The Den has now been revealed in advance of Saturday's highly-anticipated clash.

It is the first time in 14 years that the Lions and Hammers have faced off in any competition, with their last meeting being a 2-1 win for the latter at Upton Park in February 2012, months before they were last promoted to the Premier League.

This particular rivalry is back on the agenda, at least for this season, after Alex Neil's side missed out on a first promotion to the top-flight in 36 years on two counts, falling short of automatic promotion and losing in the play-off semi-finals whilst West Ham were relegated with a rather high points total of 39.

Nuno Espírito Santo's side were earmarked as the pre-season favourites for the Championship title due to the strength of the squad at the London Stadium, and after a slow start to the campaign, those predictions certainly look valid at present as they sit top of the table after four wins in succession.

Millwall have made a modest start to 2026/27, especially when considering the sheer number of first-team regulars which Neil is still unable to call upon.

However, form can certainly go out of the window in games like this one, although the police will hope the only major talking points come from the pitch.

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The first meeting of Millwall and West Ham in over a generation kicks off at 12:30PM on Saturday afternoon, with the match also selected for broadcast on Sky Sports and ITV.

A sell-out crowd, unsurprisingly, is expected in SE16 for this particular grudge match, with 1,174 of those spectators backing the Hammers in the away end.

Normally, there isn't the largest of police presences for Championship fixtures, unless they are a game of this particular magnitude.

As such, it has been revealed that at least 400 officers from the Metropolitan Police will be in attendance at The Den and the stadium's surrounding areas to ensure that all supporters can attend, as well as travel to and from the match, as safely as possible.

Officers will also be present in riot gier without the use of shields, and have been trained pre-match to deal with potential evidence of public disorder.

The force have also issued a Section 35 dispersal zone, which will cover a large area of South London throughout Saturday.

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The Dockers derby is one of the most infamous in football, especially due to previous encounters which have been marred by crowd trouble.

A high-profile example of this comes from an EFL Cup tie at Upton Park in 2009, which ended in a 3-1 win for the Irons after extra-time.

Both clubs received charges from the Football Association as a result of disorder which ensued, before, during and after the match, with over 10 arrests made during the actual game itself.

Millwall v West Ham clash helps form eagerly-anticipated Championship weekend

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When the Championship fixture schedule was released, it is fair to say that both Millwall and West Ham fans would have looked out for their rival clashes above all else.

However, those who have no skin in this particular game are certainly excited about the prospect of this weekend's action in the second tier.

With a fiesty encounter expected at The Den, neutrals also have to wait just 24 hours after until Wolverhampton Wanderers face off against West Bromwich Albion at Molineux in a 12PM kick-off on Sunday lunchtime.

The Black Country derby is also infamous for crowd trouble, especially after the FA Cup clash in January 2024 between the two sides, with the game being paused for 38 minutes before Wolves won 2-0, leading to a joint statement from the two clubs, in conjunction with West Midland Police, also being published well in advance of the occasion.