Liverpool FC Forum

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liv ... gh-5074127



Police watchdog the IPCC believes 55 more Hillsborough police officers' statements may have been altered than originally thought.

The organisation's deputy chair Deborah Glass said the statements were above and beyond the 164 which the Hillsborough Independent Panel identified in September 2012.

They are now set to be examined in detail by IPCC's inquiry team into the tragedy, which has received more than 230 pieces of information since it was set up after the panel report.

Ms Glass said it was essential that more witnesses came forward to help them piece together the events of the day and the subsequent alleged cover-up.

She said: "The IPCC knows the people who have contacted us are the tip of the iceberg.

"Therefore preparations are ongoing for an appeal for witnesses to the disaster and this is expected to be conducted in the autumn."

The apparently altered statements are likely to lead to the officers who made them being re-interviewed by the IPCC, which is working alongside the Jon Stoddart inquiry into the wider context of the disaster.

Ms Glass said: "Detailed analysis work is being undertaken in relation to these before an interview plan is developed.

"Interviews on the contents of the original 164 statements are set to start later this month. The IPCC also confirmed its base in Warrington is now fully up and running, with two permanent senior investigators having been added to the team over the last week."

More than 25 investigators are set to be interviewed by mid-August, with six deputy senior investigators also expected to join the 60-strong team within the next month.

Ms Glass said: "Recruitment for such a large, complex investigation is not a quick and easy process."

She added: "We anticipate having a team of 70-100 staff when at full complement. The recruitment is an ongoing process and new staff are being appointed or beginning work on a regular basis."

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Every time something new gets released the shock is less - it's expected now

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/cr ... 06527.html

Shocking. RIP 96

South Yorkshire Police offered Hillsborough Disaster Fund cash
Police chiefs wanted to buy an overseas holiday home for officers using money from the Hillsborough Disaster Fund.

South Yorkshire Police proposed purchasing a property after bosses of the fund asked for ideas of how to spend "residual money" in 1991.

The force also asked for gym equipment, gifts for sick officers and microwaves.

Sheila Coleman, of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, described the "brazen" requests as evidence of the police "insensitivity".

Documents released by the Hillsborough Independent Panel show the request for a holiday home was made by Chief Inspector John Donnelley, who was in charge of policing in Sheffield city centre on the day of the disaster.

He wrote: "Purchase of some sort of holiday flat - either home or abroad - for use by police officers and families."

Sir Norman Bettison, a former inspector with South Yorkshire Police who attended the 1989 match as a spectator, suggested spending £2,000 refurbishing the enquiry desk area at Hammerton Road Police Station, or upgrading the police room at Hillsborough.

Other suggestions included redecorating police rooms at five football grounds in South Yorkshire, improving visitor facilities at police stations, and creating an Occupational Health Unit for the force.

'Absolutely appalling'
None of the projects is believed to have been approved.

Money for the fund, which eventually reached about £12m, came via donations from organisations including Liverpool FC, the government, and the cities of Sheffield, Liverpool and Nottingham.

Ms Coleman said: "Clearly [South Yorkshire Police's] insensitivity to the whole issue was such that they had no problem in proffering suggestions, such as Norman Bettison for the front of his police station.

"The one that gets me is the holiday home for police officers. Even at the time in 1991 people knew there was a cover-up - there was emerging evidence - and it is absolutely appalling that they are brazen enough that they would take the money."

She described the decision by the fund's trustees to offer bodies such as the police money in January 1991 as "premature", saying it could have been put towards "subsistence" for families fighting legal battles.

'Improve public safety'
Deputy Chief Constable Andy Holt said South Yorkshire Police was among a number of bodies approached by the fund's trustees.

He said: "As a result, South Yorkshire Police formally submitted a number of suggestions to the trustees of the Hillsborough Disaster Fund which included enhancing the quality of the police control rooms at Hillsborough and other football stadia to improve public safety and the policing of future football matches.

"Other suggestions included the provision of better equipment for the force's Casualty Bureau, the creation of an Occupational Health Unit and a number of community-based projects.

"In addition, a small number of other suggestions were made by individual officers and or staff at the time that included the provision of items of gymnasium equipment in police gyms to help maintain the health and fitness of officers, and the purchase of a holiday flat for use by officers and their families.

"I am not aware that any of the various suggestions succeeded in attracting funding."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-so ... e-23755568

According to a statement published today by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, new evidence has emerged to suggest witness accounts relating to the Hillsborough disaster may have been altered.

Hillsborough
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report's publication, Deborah Glass, IPCC deputy chair, released an update on the progress of investigations into the disaster.

The police watchdog believes accounts given by fans who attended the match on April 15, 1989, may have been changed.

The statement read: "From our work we have recovered West Midlands policy books that have never been seen by previous inquiries.

"We have identified the statements of 74 more officers which may have been amended. We have also uncovered material which would suggest that fans' witness accounts may have been altered.

"We have recovered pocket notebooks from officers who were on duty on the day of the match. We are in the process of interviewing all the surviving officers whose accounts were amended.

"We are also about to issue an appeal for witnesses. This appeal, which will be launched next week, forms a crucial element to our investigation into how West Midlands Police conducted its enquiries into the disaster.

"We want to hear people's experiences of that process. We have already had a number of people contact us with concerns that their statements were amended and we have no doubt there are others who have not contacted us: we want to be able to present as full as possible a picture of witness evidence both for the inquests and the criminal investigations.

"I cannot emphasise enough the significance of all this work. It builds on the work of the Hillsborough Independent Panel. But their work was a starting base. I acknowledge and understand the views of those who want quicker progress, and I cannot ask those who have waited 24 years to be patient.

"But I would ask them to speak to us to understand the complexity of the investigation we are conducting and the progress we are making; see for themselves the dedication and professionalism of our staff; and to continue to assist us in our work."



http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/144752-ipcc-investigation-update?

Police corruption within  a completely shameful set of penned untruths.


RIP 96

Great to see these interviews occuring:

The match commander at Hillsborough has told a jury he "was probably not the best man for the job on the day".

Former Ch Supt David Duckenfield was in charge of policing at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium when 96 Liverpool fans were fatally crushed in 1989.

The new inquests have also heard he had had "no recent experience" of policing at the ground before the disaster.

Mr Duckenfield, now 70, said, with the benefit of hindsight, it was a "serious mistake" to take the commander role.

'Limited' experience
When the disaster happened, Mr Duckenfield had one season's experience at Hillsborough as a chief inspector, the jury heard.

Previously, the court heard about 2,000 fans entered through an exit gate at the Leppings Lane end of the stadium after Mr Duckenfield gave the order to open it.

Many of them ended up in the central terrace pens where the disaster unfolded.

I always feel I should highlight first of all that I intend 100% respect to anyone directly involved when I comment on these threads as I certainly don't intend to offend.

Not being directly related to anyone involved and not originating from the area myself, I hope I'll be forgiven for saying that I don't live with the repercussions of the day on my mind every day, or if I am totally honest, very often at all....much in the way that I am sure none of you are up at night concerned about my entire family having disappeared (save for my sister) off the face of the earth since the event happened.....you're all forgiven 

Couple of things just struck me as I was reading through the thread again which are entirely obvious, but sometimes the moments of realisation are profound. I was 14 when this happened and it feels more like 3 lifetimes ago to me....it truly is unfathomable that there are still so many questions outstanding after all this time...just amazing, so many people without closure (steps away to vomit due to use of the american talk show term) for so long....nothing short of scandalous

Seeing the guy in charge is 70 now, that means he was just a few years older than me at the time. Age brings many things, one of the biggest being an appreciation for why things are not how they should be I suppose. I can fully imagine how he found himself in that situation, however inexperienced he was, I wonder if there was anything that he could have done to change his being in charge....career suicide perhaps if he had, perhaps it was after event as well. I see it most days in my work where people have responsibilities that they're not skilled up to handle.....must be a terrible thing to have to live with knowing that choices you made that day left such a lasting legacy

Respect to everyone touched by the event and I hope questions are finally answered soon.

Now that Duckenfield has admitted he lied about the Hillsborough disaster. Which is perverting the course of justice which is a crime in itself. So if a member of the public reports this to the Police surely they are obliged to investigate this matter and as Duckenfield has admitted his guilt he should be arrested.

I believe that he is the sacrificial lamb as this goes right to the top of the Thatcher government. But as the saying goes "What goes around comes around" JFT96

All those false and doctored police statements have got to be addressed yet.

Dundreamin is back » Thu Mar 12, 2015 1:25 am wrote:Now that Duckenfield has admitted he lied about the Hillsborough disaster. Which is perverting the course of justice which is a crime in itself. So if a member of the public reports this to the Police surely they are obliged to investigate this matter and as Duckenfield has admitted his guilt he should be arrested.

I believe that he is the sacrificial lamb as this goes right to the top of the Thatcher government. But as the saying goes "What goes around comes around" JFT96

I don't quite understand how Duckinfield can be regarded as the sacrificial lamb given that he has made some appalling admissions. It would appear that his inexperience lead to a disaster of catastrophic proportions which he must be held responsible for.

I agree that the behaviour of certain polititians after the event was nothing short of disgraceful. However they individually or severally did not cause the disaster. Duckinfield most certainly did and poititians acted on the information they had been provided with by either him or his superiors which we now know was an absolute pack of lies.