Complaint against West Yorkshire Police Chief over Hillsborough goes to watchdog

Sir Norman Bettison Credit: Press Association

Sir Norman was an off-duty South Yorkshire Police inspector when he attended the Hillsborough game and was involved in an internal inquiry held by the force in its aftermath. On Thursday he denied any wrongdoing but sparked fury with his comments, which led to calls for him to resign.

At a meeting today of West Yorkshire Police Authority’s Special Committee, its members agreed to record a complaint against the Chief Constable, Sir Norman Bettison, and immediately referred it to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) for investigation.

"A number of factors led to the Committee taking the decision to refer the complaint to the IPCC, including the gravity of the subject matter, the wholly exceptional circumstances and a pressing need to maintain public confidence in both policing governance and the police complaints system.

“It is important that the facts are fully established and evidence considered from other sources before any further decisions are taken. The IPCC, as an independent body with a statutory duty to uphold the police complaints system, is best placed to conduct such investigations.”

– RICHARD BALDWIN, CHAIR OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE

BACKGROUND TO THE COMPLAINT:

Following the release of documents into the Hillsborough Disaster there have been calls for the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, Sir Norman Bettison, to consider his position. As part of the police investigation at the time of the tragedy he was heavily involved into the review and families of victims have accused of him of wrongly blaming the fans for what happened.

He released this statement:

The more we learn about events, the more we may understand. I sat through every single day of the Taylor Inquiry, in the summer of 1989. I learned so much. Taylor was right in saying that the disaster was caused, mainly, through a lack of police control. 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. But it didn’t cause the disaster any more than the sunny day that encouraged people to linger outside the stadium as kick off approached.

I held those views then, I hold them now. I have never, since hearing the Taylor evidence unfold, offered any other interpretation in public or private.

It is against that backcloth that any documents with my name attached, out of the 400,000 revealed, must be seen. For example, the reference to preparation for the contributions hearing (the Court case to recover contributions to damages from Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and the stadium engineers who were also found, by Taylor, to be at fault) was to position South Yorkshire Police’s liability against the Football Club, the stadium engineers and the Council which issued a defective safety certificate it was NOT to apportion any blame whatsoever to the fans.

In the absence of all the facts, I was called upon to resign 14 years ago, when I became the Chief Constable of Merseyside. I really welcome the disclosure of all the facts that can be known about the Hillsborough tragedy because I have absolutely nothing to hide. I read the 395 page report from cover to cover last night and that remains my position. The panel, in my view, has produced a piece of work that will stand the test of time and scrutiny. Whilst not wishing to become a conducting rod for all the genuine and justified hurt and anguish, I would invite anyone to do the same as me and read the document and the papers on line. They document, in detail, my personal actions in respect of the Hillsborough tragedy, which were, in summary, as follows:-

  • I purchased a ticket and was an off-duty spectator at the match. As soon as I realised the unfolding tragedy, I put myself on duty, giving immediate assistance behind the south stand. I later set up a receiving centre, at a local police station, for supporters who had become separated from friends and family (see my contemporaneous statement on line).

  • In 1989, I was a Chief Inspector in a non-operational role at Headquarters. Four days after the disaster (and after all the vile newspaper coverage had been written) I was one of several officers pulled together by the then Deputy Chief Constable, Peter Hays, to support him in piecing together what had taken place at the event.

  • By that time, the Chief Constable, Peter Wright, had handed over the formal investigation of the tragedy to an independent Police Force, West Midlands Police. It was West Midlands Police that presented evidence before the Taylor Inquiry. The South Yorkshire Deputy Chief Constable’s team, under the leadership of Chief Superintendent Wain, was a parallel activity to inform Chief Officers of facts rather than rely on the speculation rampant at that time.

  • Another team was later created (see Hillsborough Independent Panel Report pages 54 and 55; page 186 (particularly para 2.6.35 which distinguishes the two separate teams; and page 319), to work with the solicitors who were representing South Yorkshire Police at the Taylor Inquiry, to vet statements from South Yorkshire Police Officers that were intended to be presented to the Inquiry (see Hillsborough Independent Panel Report Part 2, Chapter 11). I was not a member of that team. I never altered a statement nor asked for one to be altered. Two South Yorkshire Police teams have been conflated in the minds of some commentators.

  • I subsequently sat through each day of the Taylor Inquiry, briefing the South Yorkshire Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable on a regular basis. These briefings acknowledged and accepted the responsibility of the Force in the disaster. The evidence was overwhelming.

  • Shortly after the conclusion of the Taylor Inquiry, I was posted to other duties. I had nothing further to do with the subsequent Coroners Inquests and proceedings, other than occasional advice because of my knowledge of the evidence presented to the Taylor Inquiry.