A damning new report into the Hillsborough disaster has concluded that 12 police officers would have faced gross misconduct proceedings if they were still serving. The findings, released by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), have been met with anger and frustration by survivors and families of the 97 victims, who see it as another painful yet ultimately pointless chapter in a 36-year fight for justice.
A Catalogue of Failings and a Culture of Cover-Up
The report is a stark analysis of the catastrophic failures surrounding the 1989 FA Cup semi-final at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium. It details how a culture of dishonesty and evasion within the police force allowed for a systemic cover-up to take root in the aftermath of the tragedy.
It identifies that, were the officers involved still serving today, they would collectively face a staggering 92 potential charges. These include 27 for falsehood and prevarication, 16 for discreditable conduct, 19 for abuse of authority, and 30 for neglect of duty. Senior figures named include former Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, who was in command on the day, and former Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison.
The 13-year, £150 million investigation effectively confirms what campaigners have long alleged: that the blame for the disaster and the subsequent lies reached the highest levels of South Yorkshire Police and West Midlands Police, the latter having overseen the original discredited investigation.
'An Insult Tossed Onto a Mountain of Injuries'
For those who lived through the disaster and the decades of smears, the report's conclusion that it is now too late for any officer to face disciplinary action is a bitter pill to swallow. Journalist and survivor Brian Reade described it as "damning" and "painful" but ultimately "pointless and insulting."
He recounted the immediate aftermath, where police falsely blamed fans for forcing a gate that officers themselves had opened. This was followed by a vicious campaign in certain media outlets, fuelled by police briefings, which accused Liverpool supporters of being drunk and robbing the dead.
The report serves as a heart-wrenching reminder of the secondary trauma inflicted: the aggressive police interviews focusing on alcohol consumption, the decades battling a "wall of lies," and the public perception that the fans themselves were culpable. This prolonged injustice has been linked to mental health struggles, early deaths, and suicides among survivors and bereaved families.
The Unanswered Call for a Hillsborough Law
The core, unresolved truth highlighted by this latest report is that, after 36 years, not a single police officer has been convicted for the unlawful killing of the 97 people in their care, or for the orchestrated cover-up that followed.
Campaigners argue this demonstrates an urgent need for a Hillsborough Law, officially known as the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill. This proposed legislation would impose a statutory "duty of candour" on all public officials, compelling them to cooperate fully with official investigations and inquiries. It would also provide parity of legal funding for families at inquests, preventing them from being outgunned by publicly funded bodies.
The IOPC report itself notes the historical "absence of a duty of candour" enabled a culture of obfuscation. Supporters of the law say it is essential to prevent such institutional defensiveness and victim-blaming from ever happening again, ensuring that ordinary citizens have the power to hold the state to account.
As Brian Reade concluded, thirty-six years ago it was football fans who were "crushed and smeared by police lies." Without a robust Hillsborough Law, he warns, it could be anyone tomorrow.
