Police officers involved in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster would have faced gross misconduct cases if they were still serving, a police watchdog has revealed. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found that ten men from South Yorkshire police, including senior officers with safety roles at the time of the tragedy, would have been accused of professional failings such as seeking to minimize the force's responsibility and deflect blame on to victims.
The watchdog also identified six gross misconduct allegations against Peter Wright, the chief constable of South Yorkshire police at the time, including for lying about fan behavior. The case against Wright involved a notorious lie that Liverpool supporters had forced open an exit gate to gain entry to the stadium, when in fact he had ordered the wide gate to be opened.
Other officers who would have faced allegations included Roger Marshall and Bernard Murray, both senior officers with crowd safety roles at South Yorkshire police. They would have been accused of failing to investigate effectively and being biased towards South Yorkshire police.
The investigation, which took 14 years to complete, also found that South Yorkshire police had provided misleading press statements and deliberately dishonest accounts of their involvement in the disaster. A mounted police officer, David Scott, was accused of lying about his horse being burned by Liverpool supporters.
Despite these findings, no former officers will face disciplinary proceedings as they have all retired or died. However, the IOPC deputy director general Kathie Cashell expressed sympathy for families who still feel they have not received proper explanations or justice 36 years after the tragedy.
The report marked a significant milestone in the investigation into police misconduct and criminality at Hillsborough, and has been welcomed by some families of those who died. However, others have expressed disappointment that more cases were not brought against South Yorkshire officers for their role in the disaster.
The watchdog also identified six gross misconduct allegations against Peter Wright, the chief constable of South Yorkshire police at the time, including for lying about fan behavior. The case against Wright involved a notorious lie that Liverpool supporters had forced open an exit gate to gain entry to the stadium, when in fact he had ordered the wide gate to be opened.
Other officers who would have faced allegations included Roger Marshall and Bernard Murray, both senior officers with crowd safety roles at South Yorkshire police. They would have been accused of failing to investigate effectively and being biased towards South Yorkshire police.
The investigation, which took 14 years to complete, also found that South Yorkshire police had provided misleading press statements and deliberately dishonest accounts of their involvement in the disaster. A mounted police officer, David Scott, was accused of lying about his horse being burned by Liverpool supporters.
Despite these findings, no former officers will face disciplinary proceedings as they have all retired or died. However, the IOPC deputy director general Kathie Cashell expressed sympathy for families who still feel they have not received proper explanations or justice 36 years after the tragedy.
The report marked a significant milestone in the investigation into police misconduct and criminality at Hillsborough, and has been welcomed by some families of those who died. However, others have expressed disappointment that more cases were not brought against South Yorkshire officers for their role in the disaster.
... basically its like they were trying to cover up the police's role in hillsborough 
and they were totally lying to the media about it too 
its like gross misconduct all over the place... Peter Wright was like a total liability as chief constable, always makin lies about the fans 
& David Scott's horse wasnt even burned by the fans, wot a load of rubbish 
its good that they did this investigation tho, at least we finally get some answers 36 yrs late is way too long 
I'm still so angry about what happened to the lads who died, I hope justice will be served eventually 
And the way they deliberately provided misleading press statements? Unbelievable! 
. I mean, what's the point of even doing an investigation if you're not going to hold people accountable? It just feels like the system is rigged against the victims and their families 
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This is so crazy! I mean, can you even imagine what would've happened if these cops were still around today? They'd be done for by now 
. It's wild that it took 14 years to figure out what really went down and how they lied about it afterwards. The fact that some of them are still not facing consequences is pretty frustrating... I mean, can't we just have some justice after all these years? 
My heart goes out to the families who are still waiting for answers.
. The fact that they would have been accused of gross misconduct is pretty damning - trying to minimize the force's responsibility and deflect blame from the victims? That's just despicable 
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. I guess what it says is that power can corrupt even the best of us, and we need to always be vigilant about holding those in power accountable for their actions 
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they literally lied about what happened and tried to shift blame on innocent people. gross misconduct is even understatement 
i mean, can you imagine if that was a modern-day scandal? everyone would be like "fire the whole department" 
anyway, glad some families finally got some answers, but still feels like not enough 
i'm thinking of going back soon with friends to try more drinks... have u ever tried matcha-coffee? 