Hillsborough disaster: No misconduct hearings despite police failures & efforts to deflect blame
South Yorkshire Police will not face any misconduct hearings over the Hillsborough disaster that resulted in the deaths of 97 football fans, despite findings the force made fundamental failings and sought to ‘deflect blame’.
In a new update on their 12-year investigation into police conduct surrounding the Hillsborough disaster, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), said they had investigated a total of 354 of complaints made against South Yorkshire Police.
Over half of those who made complaints will be advised ‘they have had at least one complaint upheld,’ an IOPC spokesperson said.
They added that in the watchdog’s opinion ‘there would have been a case to answer for misconduct for one or more officers they complained about, had they still been serving’.
Consequently, no misconduct hearings will be held, despite the IOPC’s findings into the tragedy, in which 97 Liverpool fans suffered fatal injuries in a crush at a FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15, 1989.
In a letter sent to bereaved families this week, the IOPC said officers who left the force prior to 2017 could not have faced misconduct hearings in any event due to legislation in place at the time.
The IOPC spokesperson said: “It is clear that the lack of candour and passage of time since the disaster had a significant impact on the decisions we could make.
“Police professional standards have since changed and do now require serving police officers to co-operate with investigations as witnesses but there is currently no statutory requirement for former police officers to co-operate with investigations or non-statutory inquiries.
“We understand and share the frustrations of survivors and families who have been campaigning for a Hillsborough Law and welcome the Government’s proposed introduction of a new statutory duty of candour for all public servants, including the police.
“We believe this will strengthen the ability of our investigations to get to the truth.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged legislation - dubbed a ‘Hillsborough law’ - that will force public bodies to co-operate with inquiries into major diasters or risk criminal proceedings will be on the table by the next anniversary of the disaster in around a month’s time.
Acknowledging investigations had taken ‘far longer’ than anticipated, the IOPC also told families that they ‘will receive the outcomes of our investigations into their complaint or conduct matter by the end of the month’.
“While our investigations were unprecedented in terms of scale and complexity and could not be concluded until other proceedings were complete, we appreciate they took far longer to conclude than we had anticipated,” the IOPC spokesperson added.
In their findings, the police watchdog echoed those of the Hillsborough Independent Panel Report (HIP) in deeming there to be ‘considerable evidence’ that South Yorkshire Police (SYP) did not ‘prioritise openness and transparency in the aftermath of the disaster’.
The IOPC spokesperson added: “[SYP] instead adopted a defensive approach and sought to control the evidence submitted to the Taylor Inquiry and West Midlands Police to deflect blame.
“We also found no evidence to support police accounts to those inquiries and the media which suggested the behaviour of supporters caused or contributed to the disaster.”
“We agree that there were fundamental failures by South Yorkshire Police (SYP) in the planning for the match and the policing of it, as well as in its response to the disaster as it unfolded.”
Responding the IOPC’s findings, Chief Constable Lauren Poultney said: “I continue to offer an unreserved apology to those let down by South Yorkshire Police at the Hillsborough Disaster: in the planning, on the day and in the subsequent investigations.
"I do not underestimate the impact on those who have had to campaign for more than 30 years to understand exactly what took place. This should not have happened. My thoughts remain with all of those who have lost loved ones and those who have campaigned.