“For what happened, as a senior police official, I offer my deepest apologies. Policing got really bad». British police apologized to the families of the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989 on Tuesday, almost thirty-four years after the worst tragedy in British sport. A crowd movement in the Sheffield stadium on April 15, 1989, during the semi-final of the FA Cup between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, left 97 dead.
“The police have deeply failed in their obligations towards the bereaved”said Tuesday Andy Marsh, director general of the College of Policing, which federates the various police forces in the United Kingdom. “Police failures were the main cause of the tragedy and have continued to blight the lives of family members ever since,” saidhe acknowledged.
As Liverpool fans thronged the turnstiles as kick-off approached, security had a door opened leading to their wing to ease the pressure. But the fans had rushed to an already overcrowded stand.
The crowd movement had initially led to the death of 94 people, compressed against the grids at the edge of the field before two other people succumbed. In 2021, a 97th victim was officially recognized, who died thirty-two years after being seriously injured in Hillsborough.
A charter for the police to recognize their mistakes
In 2017, a report commissioned by the British government made 25 recommendations for families to obtain justice. Of these, 11 concerned the police. Five years after this report, the authorities announced on Tuesday that all police officers in England would sign a charter stressing that they “must recognize when mistakes have been made and must not seek to defend the indefensible”.
“Police officials today pledged to respond to any major incident with transparency and compassion for the families involved”reacted Martin Hewitt, one of the chiefs of the British police.
But for the families affected by the tragedy, these measures remain insufficient. “The apology, while welcome, makes no reference to a change in the law”, reacted a spokeswoman for Hillsborough Law Now, an association of victims. The group is campaigning for the creation of a “legal obligation of openness” for authorities and public officials.