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Police Body Apologizes for Hillsborough Report Statement
6 Dec
Summary
- Police watchdog report stated 12 officers would face misconduct charges.
- Police Federation's deleted statement called the report 'opinion dressed as fact'.
- Police CEO apologized for the statement's insensitivity to victims and families.
A senior police official has issued an apology following a statement released by the Police Federation in response to a report on the Hillsborough disaster. The Independent Officer for Police Conduct (IOPC) found that 12 officers involved in the 1989 tragedy, which claimed 97 Liverpool fans' lives, would have faced gross misconduct charges if still serving.
The initial statement from the South Yorkshire Police Federation described the report's findings as 'opinion dressed up as fact' and highlighted concerns about due process for former officers. Police Federation CEO Mukund Krishna has since retracted the statement, calling it 'wrong' and acknowledging it failed to provide the 'care, sensitivity and respect' owed to the victims and their families.
Krishna emphasized that policing in 1989 failed the 97 fans, their families, and the city of Liverpool. He plans to meet with affected families to offer a personal apology and discuss the report's lasting impact on policing, reaffirming that the principle of due process does not negate the established truths of the tragedy.
