Few arrests as Dutch fans take over Berne

By Mark Ledsom

BERNE (Reuters) - Authorities in Berne reported a boisterous but generally trouble-free Friday night after mass crowds of Dutch Euro 2008 supporters once again put on a huge party in the Swiss capital's compact city centre.

City mayor Alexander Tschaeppaet said on Saturday that about 150,000 fans celebrated Netherlands' 4-1 win over France in Group C, up from earlier police estimates of some 110,000.

About 100 people were detained by police for generally minor offences including pick pocketing, scuffles and drunkenness.

"When you think that we only have 128,000 people living in Berne then it is obvious that Friday night marked an absolute record for the number of people squeezing into what is a pretty small space," Tschaeppaet said.

"We were absolutely at the limits of what the city can handle but it all went very smoothly and made for a very memorable night."

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Berne regional police commander Stefan Blaettler said his main concern ahead of the city's final match between Netherlands and Romania on Tuesday was the burning of flares and fireworks by some fans.

"Many of the incidents involving pyrotechnics on Friday took place outside of the secured fanzones, in public areas that are much harder to police," Blaettler said.