About the Hillsborough investigations
Having reviewed the Hillsborough Independent Panel (HIP) Report, senior leaders at the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)—the predecessor to the IOPC—were of the view that the organisation was best placed to carry out the investigation into the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster. This was for a variety of reasons:
- The IPCC was set up to investigate serious complaints and allegations of misconduct against the police. The material in the HIP Report gave rise to such allegations, particularly in relation to the aftermath of the disaster.
- By early October 2012, the IPCC had received referrals from South Yorkshire Police (SYP), the force responsible for the policing on the day, and West Midlands Police (WMP), the force that had conducted the original investigation into the disaster, based on information in the HIP Report.
- Like the IOPC, the IPCC was independent from the police, but its investigators have the powers of police constables to conduct interviews and searches.
As the IPCC’s investigative powers related to police conduct (as do the IOPC’s), it could only investigate other (non-police) organisations in terms of how their actions related to, shaped or informed the actions and decisions of the police. These powers were sufficient for investigating the aftermath of the disaster, where the issues raised by the HIP Report predominantly focused on what the police and, in the case of SYP, their appointed legal team had done.
However, the HIP Report highlighted potential failings made by multiple parties involved in the planning and preparation for the 1989 FA Cup Semi-Final, including Sheffield Wednesday Football Club (SWFC) and its appointed engineering advisers Eastwood & Partners, the Football Association (FA) and Sheffield City Council (SCC). The IPCC did not have the power to investigate these organisations or the individuals that worked for them.
Therefore, if an investigation into these matters was deemed necessary, either the IPCC’s powers needed to be extended or an alternative investigatory body would have to be appointed. Operation Resolve was formed for this purpose.
While the actions of SYP and others had been investigated previously, this was the first time the actions of WMP were able to be investigated.
About the investigations
After more than 20 years of advocacy by the families and campaign groups, in 2010 the Hillsborough Independent Panel (HIP) was formed under instruction from Parliament. It was led by The Right Reverend James Jones KBE (Bishop of Liverpool until 2013) and its purpose was to assist in the full public disclosure of information relating to the disaster.
The HIP Report was published in September 2012 and concluded that no Liverpool supporters were responsible in any way for the disaster, among other findings including the main cause of the disaster being a “lack of police control".
Following publication of the HIP Report, the Attorney General successfully applied to the High Court to quash the original inquests verdicts of accidental death.
New inquests took place from March 2014 until April 2016, running alongside our investigation and the Operation Resolve investigation. The jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing for the then 96 Liverpool supporters who lost their lives, and concluded that the supporters played no role in causing the disaster.
Following the death of Andrew Devine on 27 July 2021, as a direct result of the injuries he sustained during the disaster, the Coroner found that it was “more likely than not that Andrew Devine was unlawfully killed, making him the 97th fatality from the events of 15th April 1989.”
Information cited in the HIP Report resulted in referrals to the IOPC from SYP, the force responsible for policing the game, and WMP, who carried out the original investigation into the disaster.
In October 2012, one month after the HIP released its findings, we launched an independent investigation into police actions in the aftermath of the disaster.
The areas our investigation covers include:
- amendments to the accounts of SYP officers who were present at Hillsborough Stadium
- allegations that misleading information was passed by the police to the media, MPs, Parliament and the inquiries set up immediately after the disaster
- the actions of police officers after the disaster, including the taking of blood alcohol levels and the undertaking of police national computer checks on the injured and those who died
- the role of WMP and those who led its investigation
- allegations that family members and campaigners were subject to surveillance by the police after the disaster
Throughout the investigation, we have prioritised working with the bereaved Hillsborough families and survivors, keeping them and other key stakeholders informed.
Read the terms of reference for the IOPC independent investigation.
As a result of our investigation, a criminal trial started on 19 April 2021 and concluded on 26 May 2021. It was centred around the amendment of witness accounts, and was the first time anyone faced a criminal trial in relation to actions that took place in the aftermath of the disaster.
Three defendants were charged with perverting the course of justice:
- former SYP Chief Superintendent Donald Denton
- former SYP Detective Chief Inspector Alan Foster
- Peter Metcalf, the solicitor acting for SYP in 1989
After the conclusion of the prosecution’s case, the judge heard submissions by the defence. After considering these, on 26 May 2021, the judge ruled that the case against all three defendants was to be dismissed.
As a result of the HIP Report, a second investigation was ordered by the Home Secretary.
Operation Resolve was responsible for investigating the actions of the organisations involved in the disaster. To ensure its independence, the elements of the Operation Resolve investigation relating to the police have been managed by us to provide independent oversight and scrutiny.
Operation Resolve’s terms of reference include:
- police involvement in the planning and preparation for the game
- police management of supporters outside the Leppings Lane terrace and their entry into the stadium
- the early response of the police to the disaster
- police liaison with families of those who died and the injured in the immediate aftermath of the disaster
Operation Resolve also looked at the actions of other organisations such as the ambulance service, Sheffield Wednesday Football Club (who hosted the game) and the local authority.
As a result of Operation Resolve’s investigation, criminal charges were brought against SYP Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, the match commander on the day. Following a re-trial in 2019, he was found not guilty of 95 counts of gross negligence manslaughter.
No charge was brought in relation to the death of Tony Bland, the 96th victim. According to the law in 1989, no criminal charge relating to a death could be brought if the victim died more than a year and a day after the acts alleged to have caused it. The 'year and a day rule' was abolished by legislation in 1996, but David Duckenfield was being prosecuted under the law as it applied at the time of the disaster.
The former SWFC Secretary, Graham Mackrell, was found guilty of an offence contrary to the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
In December 2025, we published The Hillsborough Disaster - The report of the IOPC and Operation Resolve investigations which provides a detailed account of the investigations into the disaster and the aftermath.
Permanent preservation of Hillsborough investigation material
As a public body, we have a statutory obligation to select material for permanent preservation under the Public Records Act (PRA 1958). To meet this obligation, we are in the process of transferring the significant amount of new investigative material we created as part of our Hillsborough investigation to The National Archives (TNA).
Some of this material consists of digital and hard copy documents, which are vulnerable to decay over time. This transfer will make this material accessible to the public via TNA.
Typically, the transfer of material takes place 20 years after the closure of records but, given the high-profile nature of the investigations, we have agreed with TNA we will be transferring at the earliest available opportunity.
Material created as part of our Hillsborough investigations is being catalogued and assessed by archive specialists who will determine whether it will be selected for permanent preservation, through a retention/appraisal process developed specifically for Hillsborough material (this will be published at the earliest opportunity).
All selected material will be subject to a sensitivity review before the transfer. The sensitivity review process enables us to make this material as open and accessible to the public as possible, while ensuring that sensitive and personal information is appropriately protected.
We have been the custodians of the historical Hillsborough Archive for more than a decade, the majority of which came from Sheffield and Liverpool Archives, The National Archives and the Home Office. It has been professionally maintained by archive specialists and kept in a secure, controlled environment in our Warrington office. Our dedicated Legacy team is working on the return of this material together with a complete audit trail for its use while in our custody.
We have digitised the historic archive material we hold, that wasn't digitised by the HIP, to create a full, digital copy of the historic Hillsborough Archive.
Management of third party material
A large volume of material was supplied to the investigation by organisations who held relevant information. We are liaising with these organisations to ensure original contributions are either returned or transferred to TNA.
Where we’ve been able to identify the owners of personal property, we’ve made plans to return it to them.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 gives you the right to access recorded information held by the IOPC. Visit our requesting information page to find out more about how to make a request. Following the transfer of Hillsborough material, any FOI requests that are made to us will be referred to TNA.