Rejecting the ‘Hillsborough Law’ only prolongs the pain of families who have already suffered too much - Dr Alan Billings

It was not until 2016 that the second set of inquests were held, which found that 97 people had died as a result of police negligence. The families had battled for almost 30 years to have the truth told about what happened on that day, and subsequently. They had met a lack of transparency and obstruction by various authorities at every point along the way. It is hardly surprising that the Bishop summed up their experiences by titling his report: ‘The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power’.

I have lived with the consequences of the Hillsborough disaster and the 2016 inquests verdicts for almost my entire time as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). As well as having to be sure that the police force now fully understands and accepts what went wrong for the families – which I believe it does – we have also had to ensure that those who were bereaved and those who suffered in other ways were and will be properly compensated.

I had hoped that all the civil claims might be settled before I finished my final term as PCC; but that is not going to happen. In the meantime, as we set the budget each year – something I am currently doing with the Chief Constable – we have to set aside millions of pounds for the families and others. Hillsborough, as with any major failing by a public body, casts a long shadow.

Yet most officers recruited now were not even born when Hillsborough happened. They don’t even have a memory of it. But the resources that can be made available to them to do their job will be less than they might be as a result.

I have always had the greatest of sympathy for the families and realise that, having had the truth about what happened at the football ground and afterwards laid bare, what they most want to see now is for lessons to be learned so that others might never have to experience what they have done.

They want the Hillsborough Law. Such a law – Public Authority (Accountability) Bill – would create a legal duty of candour on public authorities and their officials – not just the police – to tell the truth and to proactively cooperate with official investigations and inquiries. It is true that the Criminal Justice Bill will provide for a duty of candour for police officers and there are many codes of conduct already in existence which cover the behaviour of ministers. But given the public’s unease around what the Covid Inquiry is revealing, it is hardly surprising that the families, given their experiences, want to see a clear duty set out unambiguously in legislation that will apply to all public officials. I am pleased that Shadow ministers have pledged to support this.

As one of the family members said, ‘I’m so tired of fighting…I just want to be able to get on with my life…’ After 34 years that does not seem to me to be asking too much.

A shortened version of the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire’s latest blog post.