The evidence in this investigation, and indeed in other investigations conducted or overseen by the IOPC, demonstrates the impact on individual lives and confidence in the police service when the police do not act with candour, transparency and frankness in their dealings with inquiries and investigations into their actions.
SYP’s persistent defensive approach to the various investigations and the fact that it did not put forward potentially relevant evidence are among the reasons why it has taken considerably longer than it should have done for the full circumstances of the disaster to be brought to light. Complaints made against officers at the time have had to be reinvestigated decades later. New inquests were required, and became the longest in English history, running for 308 days, spread over two years, and hearing evidence from more than 1,000 individuals. Having heard the evidence, the jury at the Goldring Inquests concluded that those who died in the disaster were unlawfully killed—a significant change from the conclusion of the Popper Inquests, which had been a verdict of accidental death in all cases.
The impact of this has been significant, on multiple fronts. While 15 April 1989 was the date of the disaster, the trauma and distress associated with it have been prolonged unnecessarily. The families of those who died have repeatedly been compelled to defend themselves and their loved ones against allegations that have never been proven and have had to wait years for the outcomes of their complaints and the investigations. Similarly, individuals under investigation and, in some cases, facing prosecution, have faced prolonged waits for decisions.
Collectively, these factors have damaged public confidence in the police and the justice system and cost the public purse substantial sums of money. These outcomes may have been avoided if SYP and its legal team had approached the initial investigations into the causes of the disaster with openness and transparency.
The Public Office (Accountability) Bill was introduced by the Government to address these kinds of issues. Reflecting the campaigns of Hillsborough families and others, it will impose a duty on all public authorities and public officials, including police officers, to act with candour, transparency and frankness in their dealings with inquiries and investigations. This will be reinforced by potential criminal sanctions for those who fail to do so.
If such a duty had existed in 1989, it may have helped bring the full facts of what occurred to light far sooner. The years and costs of multiple investigations could have been avoided, and the families of those who were unlawfully killed would have experienced a far less traumatic fight for answers about what happened to their loved ones at Hillsborough.
