• [Liverpool Echo Icon]
• News
• Liverpool News
• Hillsborough

Police who 'deflected blame to fans' in aftermath of Hillsborough disaster will face no action

The police watchdog has written to the families of the 97 as it concluded its investigations into South Yorkshire Police's conduct

[Flowers and tributes left at the Hillsborough Memorial outside Anfield stadium in Liverpool]

View 3 Images

Flowers and tributes left at the Hillsborough Memorial outside Anfield stadium in Liverpool(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

An investigation into police conduct after the Hillsborough disaster has found that although officers tried to deflect blame they do not have a case to answer for misconduct, families have been told.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began investigations in 2013 into the tragedy in Sheffield in 1989, in which 97 Liverpool fans died following a crush at the clubs FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

Bereaved families received a letter from the watchdogs deputy director-general, Kathie Cashell, earlier this week in which she said they will shortly be informed of the outcomes of complaints made about police conduct.

In the letter seen by the PA news agency, she said: Our investigations did find evidence to support allegations that, in the aftermath of the disaster, South Yorkshire Police sought to deflect the blame from themselves. We found no evidence to support claims that the behaviour of supporters was a contributing factor.

In the majority of cases, we were unable to find that officers had a case to answer for misconduct because the professional standards for policing at the time did not include a specific duty of candour. Despite the wider public interest to gain answers about what happened, South Yorkshire Police was entitled, within the law at the time, to present its best case and be selective with the evidence it presented.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to bring forward a Hillsborough Law, which would include a legal duty of candour, by the time of the next anniversary of the disaster on April 15 2026.

In the letter, Ms Cashell said: We understand and share the frustrations of survivors and families who have been campaigning for a Hillsborough Law and welcome the Governments proposed introduction of a new, stronger 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.

Elkan Abrahamson, solicitor at Broudie Jackson Canter and director of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign, said: In our meetings with Government officials over recent months, we have made it clear to them that the Hillsborough Law must be enacted in full to ensure that the law imposes a legal duty of candour on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and proactively co-operate with official investigations and inquiries. Nothing less will do.

[St Georges Hall lit up following a special commemorative service to mark the outcome of the Hillsborough inquests in 2016]

View 3 Images

St Georges Hall lit up following a special commemorative service to mark the outcome of the Hillsborough inquests in 2016(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

We sincerely hope and expect the new legislation matches the assurances given to us by ministers and delivers what so many have campaigned for over the years. We have been told that the draft Bill will be shared with us this month.

The IOPC investigation, launched following publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel in 2012, supported new inquests into the deaths which concluded in 2016 and found fans were unlawfully killed and that errors by South Yorkshire Police caused or contributed to their deaths.

In the letter, Ms Cashell said the IOPC agreed there were fundamental failures by South Yorkshire Police in the planning and policing of the match, held on April 15 1989 at Sheffield Wednesdays stadium, as well as their response to the disaster and that the force adopted a defensive approach and sought to control evidence afterwards.

Ms Cashell said 354 complaints and conduct matters had been investigated and just over half of complainants had at least one allegation upheld. She continued: I understand that for many it will be disappointing that this number is not higher. Our work has been restricted by a number of factors and the challenges of investigating events so long after they occurred.

Officers who left the police force before 2017 could not face disciplinary proceedings regardless of findings due to the legislation in place at the time, she said. She added that the investigations were unprecedented in terms of scale and complexity but had taken far longer than anticipated.

[The Leppings Lane end of Hillsborough stadium at 3.06pm during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest]

View 3 Images

The Leppings Lane end of Hillsborough stadium at 3.06pm during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest(Image: PA Media)

She continued: I share everyones frustration that this has taken too long survivors, bereaved families and all those who have campaigned for truth and accountability deserve better."

A spokeswoman for the IOPC said: This week we notified all of the complainants, subject officers and interested persons, including the families of those who lost their lives as a result of the Hillsborough disaster, that they will receive the outcomes of our investigations into their complaint or conduct matter by the end of the month.

The only person to be convicted as a result of investigations into the disaster is former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell, who was fined 6,500 and ordered to pay 5,000 costs after he was found guilty in 2019 of failing to ensure the health and safety of fans arriving at the ground.

Match commander on the day David Duckenfield was cleared of gross negligence manslaughter after a retrial in 2019. Retired officers Donald Denton and Alan Foster and former force solicitor Peter Metcalf were acquitted of perverting the course of justice in 2021 after a judge ruled there was no case to answer.

[Liverpool Echo Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Liverpool Echo as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.