The chief constable of Yorkshire Police has been suspended following severe criticism of the force's conduct during the Hillsborough inquiry. The force's police and crime commissioner, Alan Billings, said he had no choice but to suspend chief constable David Crompton.
"The continuing criticism that has been directed at the chief constable and the eroding trust and confidence in South Yorkshire Police I have been left with no choice other than to suspend David Crompton from his duties. I have reached this decision with a heavy heart following discussions with David," Dr Billings said.
The announcement came as relatives of the 96 people who died at Hillsborough stadium in 1989 gathered in Liverpool for a vigil to commemorate the victims. A jury on Tuesday concluded after a two-year inquest that the victims, who were crushed to death at the stadium, were killed unlawfully.
Home secretary Theresa May old MPs on Wednesday that the inquest was "not the end of the process" and that the offences under investigation following the verdict include gross negligence, manslaughter, misconduct in public office, perverting the course of justice and perjury, as well offences under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
“The authorities that should have been trusted have laid blame and tried to protect themselves instead of acting in the public interest. No one should have to endure what the families and survivors have been through,” she said.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is investigating whether to bring criminal charges relating to what happened on the day of the disaster and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating a possible police cover-up of the events.
Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham accused South Yorkshire Police of a cover-up, asking why, after apologising in 2012 for its conduct at Hillsborough, it reversed its position during the inquest. And he blamed the police and the media for the delay in holding the inquest and the jurors reaching their verdict.
“When it came, their verdict was simple, clear, powerful, emphatic. But it begged the question – how could something so obvious have taken so long? Three reasons. First, a police force which has consistently put protecting itself above protecting people harmed by Hillsborough. Second, collusion between that force and complicit print media. Third, a flawed judicial system that gives the upper hand to those in authority over and above ordinary people. This force hasn’t learned and hasn’t changed,” he said.
Mr Burnham, who was applauded in the House of Commons in a rare breach of parliamentary protocol, said he did not blame rank and file police officers. But he claimed that the culture at the top of South Yorkshire police was rotten to the core.
“This cover-up went right to the top. It was advanced in the committee rooms of this House and in the press rooms of 10 Downing Street. It persisted because of collusion between elites in politics, police and the media,” he said.
The Times newspaper on Wednesday apologised for not reporting the Hillsborough verdict on the front page of its first edition. The Sun, which is also owned by Rupert Murdoch, was the only other British paper not to carry the story on its front page.
The Times said it had made a mistake and changed its front page for its second edition. The Sun, which apologised in 2004 and 2012 for its coverage of Hillsborough, again apologised on Wednesday for smearing the dead Liverpool fans in the days after the disaster.
