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Witness appeal

Work continues to analyse and act on the responses to the witness appeal. 

The appeal was first launched to assist us with understanding how West Midlands Police gathered evidence as part of their investigation after the disaster. While we encouraged people who had given an account  to West Midlands Police to come forward, we knew that the witness appeal would provide an opportunity for those who had never given any information to any inquiry to tell us about their experiences. 

We have received responses from 1706 people. Of this number, we have taken further information from 910 people, with 681 spoken to over the phone and 229 interviewed with statements taken.  A further two witness statements have been provided by families’ legal representatives.

We have written to 447 people to inform them that the information they provided is sufficient for now and investigators don’t need anything further from them in relation to West Midlands Police. These will be kept under continual review and, as with all 1706 responses, Operation Resolve is examining the information and checking whether it is relevant to their investigation and/or the managed investigation. To date, Operation Resolve has taken 130 statements from people as a result of this work.

We have further investigative work to complete with the remaining responders.

West Midlands Police

Research is continuing to help further our understanding of how West Midlands Police’s investigation was structured. This includes examining the geographical locations of the investigating teams, how these teams were resourced, and the instructions the staff were given.

We are using the information generated by the witness appeal and the analysis of investigative tasks allocated to individual police officers to identify any trends or patterns in the way West Midlands Police gathered evidence. In addition we are continuing to examine complaints made against South Yorkshire Police that were handled by the force. 

This work is in its early stages, however, we have been able to indentify some initial themes such as questioning about alcohol consumption.

We are currently identifying lines of enquiry around the original inquests and how the West Midlands Police investigation supported the coronial processes.

Enquires around South Yorkshire Police

Our work around police officers’ accounts made following the disaster remains ongoing. If we identify any accounts we believe may have been amended, further research and analysis is carried out to establish the nature and extent of the amendments and whether we need to interview the officer.   

We have been using the evidence gathered in officers’ interviews to fully understand the processes around the handling of officers’ accounts. This also includes reviewing and analysing legal advice that was provided to the force and examining the role of the South Yorkshire Police Major Incident Room (MIR). A MIR was set up immediately after the disaster and a number of staff were allocated to this area to deal with administrative tasks around gathering evidence from officers in the weeks after the disaster. We are currently researching and interviewing the police officers and civilian staff who worked in the MIR to establish how tasks were carried out and the instructions or briefings they received.

Police interaction with the media and politicians 

Our work continues around establishing what information was provided to media and politicians by South Yorkshire Police officers after the disaster.

We are continuing to make contact with journalists who produced news content about Hillsborough. We are making efforts to trace those who worked on the Liverpool Echo and Yorkshire Post at the time of the disaster.  We are also in the process of researching and contacting journalists who worked on national newspapers who published articles that referred to the behaviour of Liverpool fans. In addition, we are following lines of enquiry around journalists who attended the match and were located in the press box at the stadium, including any radio presenters or TV commentators.

We are continuing to interview politicians and civil servants who we believe may have received briefings about Hillsborough from police officers. We have just one interview left to complete with a politician who attended a meeting with South Yorkshire Police after the disaster in the House of Commons.

Surveillance

Enquiries to establish whether families and campaigners were placed under police surveillance remain ongoing. 

Out of the 24 family members who made allegations, we have now completed 17 interviews. Investigators are now following several lines of enquiry resulting from these interviews.

Our enquiries continue around burglaries that took place at the Hillsborough Justice Campaign shop in Liverpool and the home addresses of one of the complainants. 

In addition, we are liaising with the Home Office about any materials they may hold relating to covert activity around the time of, and following, the disaster. 

Managed investigation

The IPCC continues to manage the aspect of Operation Resolve's investigation that relates to police involvement in the preparation of the match and on the day itself, providing day to day direction and oversight of these enquiries. Operation Resolve is also providing the coroner's team with material and documentation for the inquests. In order to ensure that there is no prejudice to that process, we are limited in the details we can provide about the managed investigation while the inquests are ongoing.

Operation Resolve's work is focussing on the police control box and the opening of Gate C. This is being looked at second by second so the timeline of events is fully understood.

The IPCC and Operation Resolve have been working jointly to identify BBC staff involved in co-ordinating coverage of the match.