Hillsborough disaster: Police Federation apologises for calling new report 'waste of money'
A police body representing rank and file officers has apologised for calling a new report on the Hillsborough disaster a ‘waste of money’.
The South Yorkshire branch of the Police Federation also labelled the new report “unfair,” “opinions dressed up as fact” and criticised it for officers named in the report not having the opportunity to respond.
Steve Kent, chair of the local branch, said those named in the report had not had the chance to respond to allegations and said the report does “not help anyone involved.”
He spoke out after the Independent Office for Police Conduct found 327 statements from officers were amended to control evidence and deflect blame for the disaster.
It also said 12 officers - 10 from South Yorkshire - would have faced charges of gross misconduct if legislation at the time required police to have a duty of candour - set to be introduced by the forthcoming Hillsborough Law.
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.
Following the release of the new report this week, Mr Kent said: "The report is a significant waste of taxpayers' time and taxpayers' money.
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"It is not fair or balanced. Former police officers - some of whom are very elderly and some who have sadly passed away - do not have any kind of due process or the ability to formally respond to the allegations made in this report.
"These are opinions of the IOPC essentially being dressed up as statements of almost fact. We emphasise that these are just allegations. Our former colleagues do not have and have not had the right to reply to any accusations.
"They should not face trial by media.
"It is with this context that we should rightly question the value of this much-delayed report and its multi-million pound cost to the public purse.
"This report doesn't help anybody involved in the Hillsborough disaster.
"Our thoughts remain with all those affected by this terrible tragedy."
His statement has caused widespread anger, with Liverpool MP Ian Byrne describing it as “disgraceful”.
He wrote to the Police Federation describing the tone of the statement as "arrogant, dismissive, and disrespectful to families and survivors".
He also asked that South Yorkshire Police Federation apologise for the pain caused by the "callous" statement.
Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James, died in the disaster said the statement was an “insult” and said the officers referred to in it were "lucky" to have reached old age, unlike her son.
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram had said he was "staggered" at the statement.
The statement has since been deleted from the South Yorkshire Police Federation’s Facebook page.
And Police Federation’s CEO, Mukund Krishna, has written to MP Ian Byrne saying he understands entirely the anger the MP had described and the “depth of hurt casued to families and survivors”.
He added that he was “deeply sorry for the statement and the distress it has caused”.
He added: “It was wrong and fell far short of the care, sensitivity and respect that those lost at Hillsborough, survivors and bereaves families deserve.
“The city of Liverpool has endured unimaginable loss and an exhausting, decades-long fight for truth. Nothing we should say should have added to that burden.”
To try to explain, he added: “The statement intended to raise a narrow and legitimate point about due process for police officers; a principle which is fundamental to our justice system and applies to all citizens. However, it was expressed in an inappropriate and insensitive way that did not reflect the events at Hillsborough or the lived experiences of families since then.”
He added: “We are clear that policing in 1989 and after failed the 97, their families and the city of Liverpool. Those failures have been set out comprehensively and with clarity. The families’ experience over so many years demands better from us, and we are determined to meet that responsibility in the future. Nothing about the discussion of due process alters those truths.”
He said he will be writing to the families of the bereaved to offer a meeting so that he can deliver the apology in person.