Twelve Police Officers Faced Potential Misconduct Over Hillsborough, Investigation Reveals
Warrington, UK – A new report details that twelve police officers would have faced gross misconduct cases relating to the Hillsborough disaster had the investigation continued, according to findings revealed today.The extensive investigation, launched in 2012, meticulously analyzed thousands of police notebooks recovered from years of neglect – some requiring cleaning of rat droppings – alongside restored VHS cassettes and floppy disks.
The findings stem from the largest ever investigation conducted by the police watchdog, which at its peak employed 200 staff and provided crucial evidence for the two-year-long Inquests (2014-2016) and subsequent criminal proceedings. Deborah Glass,the investigationS first director,acknowledged the team’s significant responsibility,stating,”We have to succeed… She was aware that part of her team’s remit was to put right the wrongs of the past.”
The investigation team utilized both painstaking archival work and cutting-edge technology. Investigators examined original pocket books belonging to police officers present at the 1989 Sheffield disaster and employed facial recognition analysis to track the movements of Liverpool fans caught in the crush. The recovered evidence detailed potential misconduct, but cases were halted in 2019.
