Police ordered to hand over Orgreave documents

The request for further information from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) comes after South Yorkshire Police voluntarily referred itself following media reports about its handling of proceedings at the Rotherham plant.

A BBC documentary broadcast last year featured allegations that some police who were involved in prosecutions colluded when they wrote their statements.

The request for additional information by the IPCC forms part of its ongoing scoping exercise into what went on in the police force, which is already under intense scrutiny over its role in the Hillsborough disaster.

Analysis of documents which have been transferred to IPCC possession from the force is being undertaken.

The initial tranche from an archive of 65 boxes was understood to contain specific information relating to events at Orgreave. The remaining boxes, which are yet to be considered by the IPCC, are thought to contain general information about the miners’ strike, the watchdog said.

However, it has been established that these do not cover the complete period under consideration and it appears to be only a snapshot of the events at Orgreave.

IPCC commissioner Cindy Butts said what has already been received “can in no way be described as a complete record of events” and so all police forces in England and Wales have been written to requesting they conduct a thorough search of their archives.

The watchdog’s scoping exercise is “hugely complex”, she added.

The BBC Inside Out programme investigated the events following the arrest of more than 90 people at Orgreave, which saw some of the most shocking and memorable scenes of the year-long dispute.

Those charged with riot were later cleared after doubts were raised about police evidence.

The BBC said it obtained copies of around 100 police witness statements, which programme makers said show the extent to which officers used identical phrases to describe what they had seen.

“I appreciate it is now almost 30 years since the events at Orgreave and a year since South Yorkshire Police made a referral to us - and people will rightly want answers to the questions they have,” Ms Butts said.

“I know how raw the emotions are in mining communities around Yorkshire and the rest of the country. I am committed to ensuring we conduct a thorough scoping exercise to ensure we have all the information at our disposal to make a definitive decision about what matters remain capable of investigation.

“The amount of documentation that we have to analyse is potentially vast. I understand the concern that exists around what occurred at Orgreave and in subsequent court proceedings and I know this remains a sensitive and emotive subject for many.

“The key issues for us to identify are what, if any, complaints have been made previously, what allegations were made, how those complaints were handled and which individual officers were subject to complaint. Additionally, it will be necessary to consider the strategic decisions that were made with regard to the collation, recording and presentation of evidence.”

She said the IPCC has also approached law firms who represented miners in relation to Orgreave to establish what documents they might hold.