Solicitors for many of the families of victims of the Hillsborough disaster have called on the government to place South Yorkshire police under remedial measures.
Broudi Jackson Canter (BJC), which represents families of 20 of the 96 people killed at Hillsborough, has written to the home secretary, Theresa May, asking her to send a team of inspectors to investigate the “shambles” at the force.
The suggestion – backed by Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Commons home affairs committee – could lead to the imposition of special measures.
South Yorkshire police were severely criticised after Tuesday’s inquest verdict found that the 96 fans were unlawfully killed.
BJC said: “We believe the rank and file officers in the force are being let down by their leaders. Sadly the only solution would appear to be the application of remedial measures.
“The home secretary needs to send a team in to look at the force root and branch, to speak to the rank and file and see what they think is wrong in the force and what needs to be done. We believe there needs to be a rigorous and continuing examination of the ethical behaviour of the force at every level.”
On Wednesday the chief constable, David Compton, was forced out of his job, to be replaced by the deputy chief constable, Dawn Copley, who then stepped down 36 hours later after it emerged her conduct at a previous force was being investigated.
Elkan Abrahamson, a solicitor at BJC, said the force appeared to be “rudderless”. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme, he said: “It suggests that whoever is running SYP simply has no idea what’s going on. If you look at what has happened over the last few days it does suggest that there is real problem at the heart of that force.
“We were concerned by the continuing refusal of SYP to face up to its failures at Hillsborough – to accept the ruling of the inquest, and by the way they conducted themselves during the inquest.”
Abrahamson explained that remedial measures could be avoided if the force cooperated with the inspectors. He said: “We are asking for a process not a knee-jerk reaction. The first step would be to send in Her Majesties Inspector of Constabularies [HMIC] to look at the force. HMIC [would] then report back to the home secretary, who then consults with the force and explains what if anything she feels needs to be done. If they accept her suggestion it may be that there is no need for the home secretary to impose measures on the force. But ultimately she has the powers to do that.”
His comments came in the run-up to the election next Thursday of a new police and crime commissioner to replace Dr Alan Billings.
Vaz, chair of the home affairs committee, urged May to act on Abrahamson’s advice. “This is a troubled police force. It has been troubled for a while ... What is new is the verdict of Hillsborough. And what we need to do is listen very carefully to the views of the families of the victims, because they have always been right on these issues. So I think we should take seriously their call.”
Vaz said remedial measures could help improve the force in the long term, but it also needed urgent short-term intervention. “The home secretary should call the commissioner together with the chief inspector of constabulary to put together a proper plan as to how South Yorkshire is going to be run over the next few weeks and months,” he said.
“Getting an effective acting chief constable in place, making sure they carry out their proper duties is a short term thing she needs to do, but in the long term I think you need to look very carefully at the whole organisation and consider this in the light of a history of activity not just over Hillsborough.
“Otherwise you will get a continuation of this mess that seems to have gripped this particular police force. It is not good for police officers doing their job and its certainly not good for the public in South Yorkshire.”
