Accuracy of comments made by Norman Bettison after the HIP Report was published

In 2007, Norman Bettison was appointed Chief Constable of WYP and was still in this role when the HIP Report was published on 12 September 2012. His name appeared repeatedly in the HIP Report and there were some implied criticisms of what he did in the aftermath of the disaster.
On the day after the HIP Report was published, he issued a press statement through WYP's press office. He acknowledged the HIP Report had named him but said he had “absolutely nothing to hide.” He then summarised his “personal actions in respect of the Hillsborough tragedy”. Also within the statement was a comment that “Fans' behaviour, to the extent that it was relevant at all, made the job of the police, in the crush outside Leppings Lane turnstiles, harder than it needed to be.”
His statement was widely criticised, in particular for the comment on the behaviour of supporters. On 14 September 2012, he then issued a second statement, in which he apologised for the upset caused by the first statement and sought to clarify his comments.
On 24 October 2012, he resigned as Chief Constable of WYP with immediate effect. He stated he was resigning “not because of any allegations about the past, but because I share the view that this has become a distraction to policing in West Yorkshire now and in the future.”
The IOPC examined the accuracy of the two statements he made against the evidence it had gathered about his role in the aftermath of the disaster. It found several inaccuracies in these two statements, notably related to a comment he made that his involvement ended after the Taylor Inquiry and that he had no involvement with the Popper Inquests and later proceedings.
The statements were the subject of a conduct investigation, commenced by the IOPC. Having reviewed the evidence in the conduct report, the IOPC was of the view that a misconduct panel could conclude that Norman Bettison’s actions in issuing these statements were a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. On this basis, he would have had a case to answer for gross misconduct, if he had still been serving.