A report into the actions of police during the Hillsborough disaster found that 12 officers would have faced charges for gross misconduct in relation to the incident if they were still serving. 

The report was conducted by the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) and is the conclusion to their ongoing investigation into the incident which began in 2012.

After looking over the evidence including planning for the match, dealing with the incident and the response to the aftermath, they concluded that there were ‘fundamental failures’ by South Yorkshire Police. 

While the report acknowledges 92 complaints of gross misconduct against the officers, none of them can face justice as they all retired before investigations began.

The law protecting retired officers was changed in 2017, however it cannot be applied retrospectively, meaning no justice can be served.

Most of the officers who would have been charged for their actions were senior figures in the force. 

Two of the officers were named in the report, Ch Supt Duckenfield, who would have had to answer for ten alleged breaches of the Police Disciplinary Code, and Chief Constable Peter Wright, who would also have had to answer for ten breaches regarding his actions in the aftermath.

The events of the Hillsborough disaster occurred at the Hillsborough stadium, Sheffield, on 15 April 1989, when a combination of police complacency and poor safety standards led to the tragic deaths of 97 Liverpool fans. 

The IOPC report details how the structural integrity of the stadium did not meet the required safety standards. John Cutlack, a Chartered Structural Engineer reviewed the stadium as part of the IOPC’s Operation Resolve investigation, and found the stadium failed on several counts. 

Some of these counts include not enough turnstiles to let people in safely, inadequate emergency exits, and an overestimated total capacity. 

Mr Cutlack found that a safe capacity for the West Terrace would have been 3,089 people, yet the tickets sold for that section on the day was 7,200, a key contribution to the disaster. 

In response to the IOPC’s findings, SYP Chief Constable Lauren Poultney said: “There is nothing I can say today which can take away the years of pain and hurt caused by the force I now lead.

“On behalf of South Yorkshire Police, I fully accept the IOPC report which highlights a litany of failures and am so deeply sorry for the pain and heartache caused.

“The report is clear in that people attended a football match in Sheffield, therefore they were in our care. The force failed them and also failed their loved ones in the days, months and years after. This will always be a point of deep regret and shame for South Yorkshire Police.

“Those who lost their lives will always be in my thoughts”.