South Yorkshire Police apologises for Hillsborough disaster
South Yorkshire Police has apologised to the families of the 96 individuals who were crushed to death in the Hillsborough disaster more than 20 years ago after a report was published detailing serious police failures.
South Yorkshire Police has apologised to the families of the 96 individuals who were crushed to death in the Hillsborough disaster more than 20 years ago after a report was published detailing serious police failures.
An independent report into previously unseen documents was published today looking at the details of the tragedy in which ninety-six people died after a crush at Sheffield Wednesdays ground in 1989.
The report said police had failed to do all it could and instead tried to blame Liverpool fans for the Hillsborough disaster more than 20 years ago.
The force apologised for the disgraceful lies identified in the report which sought to minimise police blame following the tragedy.
Chief Constable David Crompton said: These actions have caused untold pain and distress for over 23 years. I am profoundly sorry for the way the force failed on April 15, 1989 and I am doubly sorry for the injustice that followed and I apologise to the families of the 96 and Liverpool fans.
South Yorkshire Police is a very different place in 2012 from what it was 23 years ago and we will be fully open and transparent in helping to find answers to the questions posed by the Panel today.
Following the publication of the report, speaking in the House of Commons, Prime Minister David Cameron said a better response from emergency services could have saved lives. Mr Cameron criticised South Yorkshire Police for a number of failures.
He said: Todays report finds that 164 statements were significantly amended – and 116 explicitly removed negative comments about the policing operation – including its lack of leadership. The report also makes important findings about particular actions taken by the police and coroner while investigating the deaths.
There is new evidence which shows that police officers carried out police national computer checks on those who had died in an attempt – and I quote from the report – to impugn the reputations of the deceased.
Todays report was compiled by the Hillsborough Independent Panel, which has been scrutinising more than 450,000 pages of documents over the past 18 months.
The report identified a number of issues including:
New evidence about how the authorities failed, including documents which show a delay from the emergency services when people were being crushed;
Shortcomings in the response by the ambulance service and other emergency services in addition to failings by police;
Rescue attempts were held back by failures of leadership and co-ordination;
Victims families were correct in their belief that some of the authorities attempted to create a completely unjust account of events that sought to blame the fans;
Police officers carried out police national computer checks on those who had died in an attempt “to impugn the reputations of the deceased; and
116 of the 164 police statements identified for substantive amendment were amended to remove or alter comments unfavourable to South Yorkshire Police.
Reverend James Jones, chairman of the panel and the Bishop of Liverpool, said: The documents disclosed to and analysed by the panel show that the tragedy should never have happened.
There were clear operational failures in response to the disaster and in its aftermath there were strenuous attempts to deflect the blame onto the fans. The panels detailed report shows how vulnerable victims, survivors and their families are when transparency and accountability are compromised.