The leader of a major police representative body has issued a formal apology for a statement described as "disgraceful" which followed the publication of a landmark report into the Hillsborough disaster.
Report Findings and Controversial Response
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) concluded that 12 officers involved in the handling of the 1989 tragedy would have faced gross misconduct charges if they were still serving. The disaster on 15 April 1989 led to the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium during an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.
In response to the IOPC's findings, the South Yorkshire Police Federation posted a statement on social media claiming the report constituted "opinion dressed up as fact". The post, which has since been deleted, argued that former officers, many of whom are elderly or deceased, were denied due process and faced a "trial by media".
A Profound Apology and Recognition of Failure
Mukund Krishna, the CEO of the Police Federation, has now written to Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne to apologise unreservedly. Mr Byrne, who attended the 1989 match, had labelled the federation's post a "disgrace".
In his letter, Mr Krishna stated the deleted post was "wrong" and acknowledged it "fell far short of the care, sensitivity and respect that those lost at Hillsborough, survivors and bereaved families deserve". He recognised the city of Liverpool had suffered an "unimaginable loss".
Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James died in the disaster, said the federation's initial response was an "insult", noting that the officers referenced were "lucky" to have grown old, unlike the victims.
Ongoing Reckoning and Offer to Families
Mr Krishna clarified that the statement's intention was to highlight a point about due process for all citizens but admitted it was "expressed in an inappropriate and insensitive way" that failed to reflect the scale of the Hillsborough events or the families' decades-long ordeal.
This incident follows 2021 admissions by both South Yorkshire and West Midlands police forces that they made "serious errors" in the aftermath of the disaster, leading to a damages settlement for over 600 people affected by the cover-up.
The Police Federation CEO has offered to meet personally with families affected by the disaster to apologise and to discuss the IOPC report's impact on policing. Ian Byrne MP has accepted the apology and welcomed the decision to reach out to families, calling it "the very least they deserve".
