IPCC update on Orgreave scoping exercise

18 Jun 2014 04:38 PM

IPCC Commissioner Cindy Butts said: “Events at the Orgreave Coking works in May and June 1984 provoke a range of emotions and opinion. Thirty years on from those events it is evident that feelings are still running extremely high. 

“It is in this environment that we are conducting a scoping exercise that is attempting to determine what matters may call for investigation, whether these matters are capable of investigation given the passage of time, whether there is a realistic prospect of a meaningful outcome and the extent of the resources that would be required for an IPCC investigation.

“This scoping exercise has been very complex due to the historical nature of the allegations and the legal complexity. Its complexity has resulted in this exercise taking far longer than originally envisaged. We understand the concern this is causing. However we remain committed to making a decision based on a thorough analysis of as much of the available documentation as possible. We are nearing that decision making process and we remain committed to reaching a decision as soon as we can.”

To assist in understanding about the complexity we wanted to give some insight into the work we have done thus far:

•    &nb sp;        We had to carefully consider whether the IPCC, in fact, had legal jurisdiction to investigate matters from 1984/85. We were assisted in this by the introduction of emergency legislation designed to support the investigation into the Hillsborough disaster. This allowed the IPCC in exceptional circumstances to reinvestigate matters previously considered by the Police Complaints Authority. However it was still necessary to ascertain what complaints had been made previously. This was complicated because the officers at Orgreave came from a large number of different police forces and complaints had to be dealt with by their home force. The IPCC therefore required all police forces to check their own archives for material. Replies have now been received from all 43 forces, analysed and scheduled. This exercise revealed most material that may have existed is no longer recoverable. Material still in existence has been considered where it appeared relevant.

•    &nb sp;        Once the legal matters had been clarified a full scoping exercise began in April 2013. As part of this we have assessed more than 20,000 documents. This has included 20 boxes of material from the South Yorkshire Archive relating to policing at Orgreave. This was an un-catalogued collection of documents and photographic material. This material has been scheduled and analysed. The photographic, film and film material received has been put onto disc and viewed. Some further material has been located and provided by South Yorkshire Police since, which has also been considered. Further material was examined as recently as May 2014.

•    &nb sp;        Lawyers who represented miners have been contacted. One firm provided us with copies of prosecution statements and other material from the trials they were involved in. These have now been considered.

•    &nb sp;        The National Union of Mineworkers’ archives were visited and copies of arrested miners’ statements made in preparation for the trial subsequently supplied.

•    &nb sp;        In January 2014 the National Archives released government papers under the 30 year rule. This material has all been researched for references to Orgreave

•    &nb sp;        Material, including officer’s notebooks, in the Hillsborough Investigation has been checked for references to Orgreave.

•    &nb sp;        We have also held meetings with the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign and the National Unuion of Mineworkers. We have supplied regular updates on our work to the OTJC and the Northumbria and South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioners.

•    &nb sp;        We have been liaising with the OTJC about accessing the material they have in their possession, in particular that relating to the civil proceedings. We now understand it was sent this week (17 June).