Wanted for "acting"??

Police apologise after including actors on 'wanted' posters of football hooligans

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 2:52 PM on 31st October 2009

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Police 'wanted' pictures of suspected hooligans issued after rioting broke out at a match included images of actors from a hit film, it emerged today.

Scotland Yard sent out 66 pictures of people supposedly caught on camera during violent clashes at a West Ham game with Millwall this summer.

But they blundered by including stills of six actors from the recent hooligan-themed film The Firm.

The error was described by Yard insiders as a 'bad day at the office' for those responsible.

Blunder: Scotland Yard's 'wanted' pictures of hooligans at a West Ham / Millwall game, which include images from the football film The Firm

The Metropolitan Police have now been forced to say sorry for the error, and have apologised unreservedly.

Police used a Sky TV report to capture images of fans fighting at the Carling Cup clash in August.

But it appears that because the officers turned off the sound from the report, they failed to realise it included footage from the movie.

Riots: Police keep West Ham fans contained as they try to invade the pitch at the Carling Cup match against Mill Wall earlier this year

Among the actors who faces were swept up among those at the match and issued to media on Wednesday was Paul Anderson, who plays Bex in the film.

Scotland Yard said: 'Six images in individuals who were not involved in the violence were mistakenly included. These images appear to have been taken from a motion picture.

'We wish to apologise unreservedly to those affected. We are going to be actively trying to contact those people to offer our apologies.'

Blunder: Stills from The Firm, above, were issued by mistake

A 43-year-old Millwall supporter was stabbed during the violence in and around West Ham's Upton Park ground on August 25.

Police have so far arrested more than 40 people in relation to the clashes.

The Firm, which was released last month, is set in football hooligan's 1908s heyday and is about a young man who joins a 'firm' of thugs.

Vertigo Films, which made the movie, told The Sun: 'We are delighted our scenes are so realistic people can't tell the difference between them and real events.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1224268/Scotland-Yard-apologise-issuing-pictures-hit-football-film-hooligan-wanted-posters.html#ixzz0VWp2LLOP