• Force accused of violent, dangerous policing at Sheffield derby • Launch of new policy seen by experts as nationally significant

South Yorkshire police is to change its approach to policing football after an internal review following its operation at the Sheffield derby in March, which was heavily criticised by supporters as heavy-handed, violent and dangerous.

Some supporters at the match between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United complained that they had been held in a crush outside the Leppings Lane turnstiles at Hillsborough, and that police officers had indiscriminately hit people caught in the crush with their batons.

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The change of policy to “a more community style of policing, and engagement with fans” is due to be launched at a meeting of the force’s football policing officers on 5 July, according to an internal email seen by the Guardian. Sent by Paul McCurry, a superintendent in the force’s Sheffield local policing unit command team, the email invites officers to a full day “continuous professional development” session, and explains: “The purpose of this event will be to formally launch a new approach to policing football and other crowded events across South Yorkshire.

“This follows a thematic inspection into football policing and brings together best practice initiatives from other parts of the UK. Our new approach will see us adopt a more community style of policing, and engagement with fans at the heart of what we will deliver.”

This is seen by some football policing experts as nationally significant because the deputy chief constable of South Yorkshire police, Mark Roberts, is the national lead officer in the UK Football Policing Unit, an influential part of the Home Office.

Several other forces, including neighbouring West Yorkshire police, have for some time been developing a more consultative approach to policing football, which aims to work with supporters and differentiate between offending and boisterous behaviour. The policy, Enable, emphasises consultation with supporter groups, employs trained liaison officers to communicate with supporters on matchdays and aims to encourage a better atmosphere and behaviour by communication and dialogue.

Following the “steel derby”, the Football Supporters’ Federation received 1,012 responses to a survey, in which supporters rated South Yorkshire police’s post-match operation as on average 1.9 out of 10. More than 70.7% described police management of the exit from the stadium at the Leppings Lane end, which was allocated to Sheffield United supporters, as very poor. Almost 80% described South Yorkshire police as “worse than average” compared with other forces around the country.

In responses published by FSF, supporters described the policing at the Leppings Lane end as “atrocious”, “irresponsible”, “intimidating and unapproachable”. One supporter said of police officers: “Had no idea what they were doing. Swinging batons at anyone they pleased.” Another said that officers were “hitting people with batons when they tried to move in the crush of people,” and described that as “legalised assault”.

One supporter said: “Leppings Lane policing was irresponsible, bottlenecking fans on the road at the same time caused multiple fights and distress to regular fans.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium. Photograph: Ryan Crockett/JMP/Rex/Shutterstock

The police match commander, Ch Supt Shaun Morley, issued a statement on the night of the match saying that six people had been arrested after “some minor disorder” and thanking his officers “for their efforts professionalism and effectiveness in keeping the public safe”.

Following the criticisms, however, the force is understood to have asked a senior officer from another force to conduct the “thematic inspection” review, which has resulted in the launch of the new approach.

Dr Geoff Pearson, a senior law lecturer at Manchester university and one of the experts developing the Enable initiative, said he welcomed South Yorkshire police relaunching its approach.

“It is overdue and I hope that it will in turn influence the UK Football Policing Unit to develop a more dialogue-based approach to football policing nationally.”

In response to an inquiry from the Guardian about the launch of the new approach, a South Yorkshire police spokesperson said that McCurry’s use of the word “launch” was “misleading.” She said: “The new approach, as you describe it, is not being launched on 5 July.”

In a further clarification, the spokeswoman explained: “Part of the purpose of the 5 July event is to inform everyone there will be a change in approach to large-scale events, including football, and to seek other people’s views and insights.”