CEO of police body says Hillsborough post 'was wrong'

The chief executive of a police body has apologised for a statement issued after a report into the Hillsborough disaster was published.

The report by the watchdog Independent Officer for Police Conduct (IOPC) concluded 12 officers involved in the response to the tragedy - which led to the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium - would have faced charges of gross misconduct if they were still serving.

In a statement, shared after the report's findings were published, South Yorkshire Police Federation said it was "opinion dressed up as fact".

CEO of the Police Federation, Mukund Krishna said the now-deleted post was "wrong" and Liverpool had suffered "unimaginable loss".

In his letter to Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne - who had called the statement a "disgrace" – Mr Krishna said it "fell far short of the care, sensitivity and respect that those lost at Hillsborough, survivors and bereaved families deserve".

Ninety-seven fans died as a result of the crush at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough stadium on 15 April 1989.

The deleted post by South Yorkshire Police Federation had said: "Former police officers, some of whom are very elderly and some who have sadly passed away, do not have any kind of due process or the ability to formally respond to the allegations made in this report."

It added the report's findings were the "opinions of the IOPC essentially being dressed up as statements of almost fact" and said former officers "should not face trial by media".

Margaret Aspinall, whose son James was 18 when he was killed, said they were "lucky" to have grown old and the South Yorkshire Police Federation response was an "insult".

In his letter to Mr Byrne, Mr Krishna said: "The statement intended to raise a narrow and legitimate point about due process for police officers; a principle which is fundamental to our justice system and applies to all citizens.

"However, it was expressed in an inappropriate and insensitive way that did not reflect the events at Hillsborough or the lived experiences of families since then."

In 2021, South Yorkshire and West Midlands police forces admitted making "serious errors" and agreed to pay damages to more than 600 people for a cover-up that followed the disaster.

Mr Krishna said: "We are clear that policing in 1989 and after failed the 97, their families and the city of Liverpool."

He added that "families' experience over so many years demands better from us, and we are determined to meet that responsibility in the future".

"Nothing about the discussion of due process alters those truths."

He has offered to meet families affected by the disaster to apologise and "discuss the report and its impact on policing".

Mr Byrne, who attended the 1989 game, said he accepted the apology and welcomed the "decision to reach out to the families and offer an in-person apology, which is the very least they deserve".

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