Police apologise for ‘years of deflection and denial’ over Hillsborough disaster

Leaders vow that ‘cultural change’ will improve families’ treatment after tragedies

Police leaders have apologised for years of “deflection and denial” over the Hillsborough disaster, and vowed to bring about cultural change to stop the failings being repeated.

Almost 34 years after the crush that caused the deaths of 97 football fans, they outlined plans to formalise a “duty of candour” on officers and stop “false narratives” seeking to minimise responsibility.

The changes are in response to a damning report released in 2017, and senior officers said they had to wait for the conclusion of legal proceedings including the trial of match commander David Duckenfield and others involved in the disaster.

But there has still been no official response by the government, amid mounting pressure to create a Hillsborough law to compel police and public authorities to tell the truth after tragedies.

A joint statement by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing said: “The Hillsborough families experienced an impenetrable wall of deflection and denial from policing, for many years, when they legitimately and quite rightly sought the truth. It is absolutely right that such unethical practice should not happen and should not be able to happen.”

The report, published on Tuesday, admitted that “too much of the response of policing after Hillsborough was aimed at protecting reputations, including the legal representation at the initial inquiries and inquests”.

A new Charter for Families Bereaved through Public Tragedy, which has been adopted by all police forces in England and Wales, includes commitments to “place the public interest above our own reputation” and “avoid seeking to defend the indefensible or to dismiss or disparage those who may have suffered where we have fallen short”.

The 2017 report, called “The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power”, by former Bishop of Liverpool James Jones made 25 recommendations – with 11 of them directly concerning policing.

Following decades of campaigning by the victims’ families, a second inquest held in 2016 found they were unlawfully killed.

The case revealed a litany of failings that caused a deadly crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on 15 April 1989, and hampered the response.

The pain and suffering of survivors and victims’ families was worsened by obstruction and denial, and a police officers’ briefing to The Sun newspaper that resulted in a notorious front page falsely blaming Liverpool fans for the crush.

Andy Marsh, the College of Policing’s chief executive officer, said: “We are profoundly sorry for the way in which everyone affected by that tragedy has been impacted over the past 34 years … policing got it badly wrong.”

Mr Marsh, who was born in Liverpool, said: “What we’re talking about is cultural change and cultural change takes a long time, but my goodness we have started.”

In his report, Mr Jones urged the government to give full consideration to a Hillsborough law, including a duty of candour for police officers, but NPCC chair Martin Hewitt said legislation was a matter for parliament.

He told a press conference: “What we have really focused on is doing that which is really within our power. The issue of candour is very clear within the charter for bereaved families and it will be incorporated explicitly in the review of the code of ethics.”

But campaigners said they were “extremely disappointed” with the continued failure to create the law, and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused the government of showing a “lack of respect” to the Hillsborough families.

She told the House of Commons: “This is already five years after the bishop’s report and it’s already 34 years after Hillsborough so where is the government’s response?

“They promised nearly 18 months ago we would have a response by the end of 2021 but the months and the years keep rolling by. We need a commitment to a Hillsborough law to address this.”

A spokesperson for the Hillsborough Law Now campaign said the proposed Public Authority (Accountability) Bill was needed to make “officials tell the truth and proactively cooperate with official investigations and inquiries”.

“It would prevent obfuscation and cover-ups, and lead to much more focused and shorter inquiries, thereby saving millions of pounds of public money, and delivering swifter justice with much less stress to families and witnesses,” she added.

Metro mayor of the Liverpool city region, Steve Rotheram, said the police response fell “far short” of the reforms demanded by families after more than three years of fighting for justice.

“What is more disturbing is that we are still awaiting a response from the government, which is symptomatic of the establishment’s lack of respect for grieving families,” he added.

“What happened to the Hillsborough families was not an outlier. It forms part of a larger pattern of failure and cover-up ... we need a Hillsborough law now.”

Emily Spurrell, Merseyside’s police and crime commissioner, also backed calls for a Hillsborough law to “rebalance the scales of justice and ensure these principles are enshrined throughout our system”.

There will be a new code of practice on police information and records management to prevent the problems faced after Hillsborough, when records were lost or destroyed, and new guidance for family liaison officers.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, Mr Jones said it is “intolerable” for the victims’ families that there had been no full government response to his findings.

He said: “This year it will be 34 years since the tragedy, and for them to wait for so long for a response to these 25 points of learning is intolerable and adds to their pain and, I think, in some instances even affects their own grieving.”

The government has not given a timetable for its response, but said some recommendations were being addressed and a separate pathology review has been commissioned.

A spokesperson said: “The Hillsborough disaster was a devastating tragedy and we recognise the significant impact it continues to have on those affected, their families and communities.

“Our full response to this report will be published in due course and we will engage with the Hillsborough families prior to publication.”