Bettison now faces ‘cover-up’ inquiry

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said it had received a referral from the West Yorkshire Police Authority following complaints from members of the public about Sir Norman being “involved in the production and supply of misleading information for the various inquiries that have been undertaken into the Hillsborough disaster”.

The IPCC said controversial comments Sir Norman made following the release of a report by the Hillsborough Independent Panel last week had also been referred by the police authority, which is the chief constable’s employer.

Sir Norman was widely criticised after saying Liverpool fans’ behaviour made policing at the tragedy in 1989 “harder than it needed to be”.

His comments came after the panel had released a devastating report highlighting serious failings by South Yorkshire Police before, during and after the events at the Sheffield stadium which led to the deaths of 96 fans.

Sir Norman was a South Yorkshire chief inspector at the time and his role in an internal inquiry unit set up by the force in the immediate aftermath of the disaster has come under close scrutiny.

The police authority’s special committee agreed to record a complaint against Sir Norman and refer it to the IPCC for investigation.

The formal referral arrived with the IPCC on Tuesday.

In a statement, the IPCC said: “This referral ... follows complaints from members of the public about two matters: 1) allegations that the Chief Constable, while a serving officer with South Yorkshire Police, was involved in the production and supply of misleading information for the various inquiries that have been undertaken into the Hillsborough disaster; 2) the public statement made by the Chief Constable on 13 September 2012.”

It added: “This assessment is being conducted in parallel with our ongoing review of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report and supporting documentation.

“The review is being undertaken to identify from the report what conduct, by named or unnamed police officers, may require referral and to clarify our jurisdiction.”

The IPCC is examining previous investigations by its predecessor body, the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), because it is legally not entitled to reopen cases closed by the PCA.

Last week, Sir Norman denied any wrongdoing but sparked fury with his comments, which led to calls for him to resign. He responded with an apology and said his role was never to “besmirch” the fans.

The Hillsborough Independent Panel report revealed a cover-up took place to shift the blame on to the victims and it was possible 41 of the 96 lives lost might have been saved if the emergency response had been better.

The panel found 164 police statements were altered, 116 of them to remove or alter “unfavourable” comments about the policing of the match and the unfolding disaster.

Sir Norman has denied being involved in altering any statements.

Welcoming his police authority’s decision to refer him to the IPCC on Saturday, Sir Norman said: “It is time this moved into a more formal and legal inquiry, where it can be considered, analysed and fully assessed.”