UK: 34 years after Hillsborough tragedy, police apologize to families of 97 victims

On Tuesday, January 31, British police apologized to the families of the eighty-seven victims of the 1989 Hillsborough stadium tragedy, announcing reforms for greater transparency. “As a senior police officer, I apologize for what happened. “The police have gone very badly.”Andy Marsh, director general of the College of Policing, which brings together the UK’s various police forces, admitted on Tuesday.

“The police deeply failed to fulfill their obligations towards the dead”He also said, almost thirty-four years after the horrific crowd movement at this Sheffield stadium on April 15, 1989, in the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. “Police failure was the main cause of the tragedy and has continued to harm the lives of family members ever since.” »

As Liverpool supporters packed the turnstiles as the match drew near, security opened the door leading to their wing to relieve the pressure. But the fans rushed to the already overcrowded stand.

The crowd movement initially resulted in the deaths of ninety-four people who were squeezed onto nets at the edge of the field, before two more people died. 97 in 2021^e The victim was officially recognized, dying thirty-two years after being seriously wounded in Hillsborough.

Police officers in England sign the charter

A government-commissioned report in 2017 made twenty-five recommendations to help families achieve justice. Among them, eleven related to the police.

Five years after the report, the police announced on Tuesday that all police officers in England would sign a charter outlining their “Must admit when mistakes are made and not try to protect the vulnerable”. “Police officials today pledged to respond to any major incident with transparency and compassion for the families involved.”– responded Martin Hewitt, one of the chiefs of the British police.

This is not enough for concerned families. “An apology, while welcome, does not indicate a change in the law”, responded the representative of the victims’ association Hillsborough Law Now. The group is campaigning a “Legal Franchise Obligation” for government and civil servants.