Police chief Sir Norman Bettison 'has nothing to hide' over Hillsborough (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Nothing to hide?
Only he and the rest of the senior police officers on duty that day have the blood of 96 innocent people on their hands.
If that had happened in any other part of the world the politicians and every other do-gooder in this country would be jumping up and down.
Now that the path to justice has started, let's for once, someone grow some balls in this country and stand up and be counted.
JFT 96 YNWA

Go, Bettison, go. You have lost the confidence of the people of West Yorkshire and bring discredit upon the Police Service.

Go.

Let me get this straight. Bettison was in charge of the team which gathered the police response to the Hilsborough disaster and which changed individual police officers' reports and concluded that the Liverpool fans caused the whole thing. Now that response has been shown to be a distortion of the truth if not an outright pack of lies. Cameron has apologised, Boris Johnson has apologised, Kelvin McKenzie has apologised, that Sheffield MP whose name I forget has apologised, one or two other editors have apologised. A couple of commentators have described what has happened as the biggest cover-up in police history and the former Chief Constable of SYP has called for prosecutions. I don't see how Bettison can stay in post, except that you don't give up the sort of pension he is entitled to without a fight. He better get his lawyers onto it pdq.

Notwithstanding the above, I do wonder whether all this has blown up so the government can carry through the reforms and sackings of police officers it needs to do so it can meet its deficit reduction targets. A police force in turmoil is an easier target. It all looks very dodgy.

I assume Galloway has read the 300 pages of the Hillsborough report to know that Bettison should resign?

The same goes for any comments on here. How can anybody possibly comment on whether he SPECIFICALLY was culpable unless they've read the full facts?

angry bradfordian wrote:
I assume Galloway has read the 300 pages of the Hillsborough report to know that Bettison should resign?

The same goes for any comments on here. How can anybody possibly comment on whether he SPECIFICALLY was culpable unless they've read the full facts?

Exactly.

whoflungdung wrote:
Nothing to hide?
Only he and the rest of the senior police officers on duty that day have the blood of 96 innocent people on their hands.
If that had happened in any other part of the world the politicians and every other do-gooder in this country would be jumping up and down.
Now that the path to justice has started, let's for once, someone grow some balls in this country and stand up and be counted.
JFT 96 YNWA

He wasn't on duty that day though, he was off duty sat in the stands watching the game. He states that he "put himself on duty" once he realised what was going on and went to help. I have no idea what he did afterwards but if you're going to make statements at least know some of the facts. There's been enough lies spread about this tradgedy, it's time for people to deal with the facts now.

nottrue92 wrote:

whoflungdung wrote:
Nothing to hide?
Only he and the rest of the senior police officers on duty that day have the blood of 96 innocent people on their hands.
If that had happened in any other part of the world the politicians and every other do-gooder in this country would be jumping up and down.
Now that the path to justice has started, let's for once, someone grow some balls in this country and stand up and be counted.
JFT 96 YNWA

He wasn't on duty that day though, he was off duty sat in the stands watching the game. He states that he "put himself on duty" once he realised what was going on and went to help. I have no idea what he did afterwards but if you're going to make statements at least know some of the facts. There's been enough lies spread about this tradgedy, it's time for people to deal with the facts now.

But it's not about whether he was on duty that day is it? As far as I understand it it's about a report which was prepared by SYP after the disaster which the government have now told us is a whitewash. I further understand that he was the chairman of the group which drew up that report? I wish someone would confirm or deny those facts.

Whether he new or didn't know the full facts at the time the buck stops with him and he should at least go whether he is prosecuted is another matter.I find it amazing that all these people in power think they can push the blame on some body else and they think its ok.Since he came to power in WY policing has become a joke if ever a person acted like a fish out of water its him.He should do the honorable thing and go.I forgot he does not know the meaning of the word.

MontyLeMar wrote:

nottrue92 wrote:

whoflungdung wrote:
Nothing to hide?
Only he and the rest of the senior police officers on duty that day have the blood of 96 innocent people on their hands.
If that had happened in any other part of the world the politicians and every other do-gooder in this country would be jumping up and down.
Now that the path to justice has started, let's for once, someone grow some balls in this country and stand up and be counted.
JFT 96 YNWA

He wasn't on duty that day though, he was off duty sat in the stands watching the game. He states that he "put himself on duty" once he realised what was going on and went to help. I have no idea what he did afterwards but if you're going to make statements at least know some of the facts. There's been enough lies spread about this tradgedy, it's time for people to deal with the facts now.

But it's not about whether he was on duty that day is it? As far as I understand it it's about a report which was prepared by SYP after the disaster which the government have now told us is a whitewash. I further understand that he was the chairman of the group which drew up that report? I wish someone would confirm or deny those facts.

No it's not about that, i was just pointing out that people should stick to the facts now, something which this person had wrong in his statement.

This is his statement.. http://www.westyorks
hire.police.uk/news/
hillsborough-report

Liverpool fans apparently were at fault, with Heysel also involving them but this man was a part of the biggest slur in Policing history.

They sampled dead children for alcohol!

They opened an exit gate and crammed them all in to one end, a repeat of Tottenham V Wolves in '81 so covered their backs by all means possible.


Only recently letters were sent out 'signed' by this fool, so we now have 2 horses trampling loudly at night every few days as a 'response to public calls in lack of a police presence' but failing to see a clearly visible drugs den they wander past.

Get this fool out, now!

What a sad state of affairs! This man was in charge of the team who gathered evidence for the police response to the sad and tragic events at Hilsborough.

He must clearly have known of the alteration of statements by officers and turned a blind eye to them being submitted to the enquiry that followed. I think in simple terms that is purgury. My understanding is that this is a very serious offence - one that the police view very seriously. Either this man is a deluding himself he can get away with this or he is a liar and a hypocrite.

In my view any officer, politician etc who has been involved with the alteration of statements etc or who has in any way sought to keep the truth of the events at Hilsborough from the public should be prosecuted and the full force of the law used and if necessary they should be jailed.

It is a very sad state of affairs when a service such as the police who most people rely on to keep them safe fail so miserably to do so and then try to cover up their sad part in the events.

I suggest that this chief constable should grow a pair and resign and that the powers that be make sure there are no payouts to help him on his way.

I do suspect though that there will be another attempt to protect those in power at the time(either police or politicians). This country is deeply corrupt and those in power tend to be protected at all cost.

47years wrote:
What a sad state of affairs! This man was in charge of the team who gathered evidence for the police response to the sad and tragic events at Hilsborough.

He must clearly have known of the alteration of statements by officers and turned a blind eye to them being submitted to the enquiry that followed. I think in simple terms that is purgury. My understanding is that this is a very serious offence - one that the police view very seriously. Either this man is a deluding himself he can get away with this or he is a liar and a hypocrite.

In my view any officer, politician etc who has been involved with the alteration of statements etc or who has in any way sought to keep the truth of the events at Hilsborough from the public should be prosecuted and the full force of the law used and if necessary they should be jailed.

It is a very sad state of affairs when a service such as the police who most people rely on to keep them safe fail so miserably to do so and then try to cover up their sad part in the events.

I suggest that this chief constable should grow a pair and resign and that the powers that be make sure there are no payouts to help him on his way.

I do suspect though that there will be another attempt to protect those in power at the time(either police or politicians). This country is deeply corrupt and those in power tend to be protected at all cost.

How do you know he 'must have clearly known' about it? From the detail I've heard on the radio he wasn't one of the officers who met in the restaurant to discuss changing statements and he isn't mentioned in the report which is nearly 400 pages long.

It's exactly this sort of innuendo and supposition that has dogged the families for 23 years and doing it again isn't going to help anyone.

I suspect that if he HAS done anything wrong then it'll be in the 450,000 pages on evidence and he'll finally get the treatment any cover up deserves.

I agree. At the moment there is nothing in the public domain that names him specifically as having done anything wrong. This whole report is a result of people wanting justice.
For justice to be done properly cases need to be assembled against those named in the source documents that the reports authors, the HIP, saw. None of us outside that panel know if Bettison is named in those documents, or if his name comes up if/when the SYP officers are interviewed for a possible new inquest or criminal proceedings.

at the moment, his position is fragile, but it would be wrong for him to be ousted unless there is proof of his wrongdoing.

of course we could seek to have him ousted for being a very poor cheif constable, but thats a different matter!

I have read the report. For anybody who does not believe that
Mr Bettison is mentioned in the Report,
I would refer them to Part 2, Chapter 12, paras 143 to 194. In fact, Para 190 is headed : "Superintendent Bettison visits Parliament"!!!

There is no doubt that Mr Bettison played a pivotal role in South Yorks Police's attempts to discredit Lord Taylor's report that had placed the responsibilty for the tragedy fairly and squarely with them. These false attempts to apportion blame to the fans were believed by many at the time. For him to now say that he had never held the fans responsible is unbelievable.

His position is untenable.

If you remove the crowd element from this there would never have been a problem, surely then the cause of this was the number of people gathered there. And how they behaved Yes the emergency services had questions to answer as in any major disaster and lessons are learned.
And there is a whole world of difference between altering the facts of any evidence to making it admissible in law considering there had been arrests prior to the event that evidence may have been needed in court proceedings. So does that not say it all? I think we should wait until any judicial review rather than listen to what a panel of people say who may not even understand the requirements of law.

angry bradfordian wrote:

47years wrote:
What a sad state of affairs! This man was in charge of the team who gathered evidence for the police response to the sad and tragic events at Hilsborough.

He must clearly have known of the alteration of statements by officers and turned a blind eye to them being submitted to the enquiry that followed. I think in simple terms that is purgury. My understanding is that this is a very serious offence - one that the police view very seriously. Either this man is a deluding himself he can get away with this or he is a liar and a hypocrite.

In my view any officer, politician etc who has been involved with the alteration of statements etc or who has in any way sought to keep the truth of the events at Hilsborough from the public should be prosecuted and the full force of the law used and if necessary they should be jailed.

It is a very sad state of affairs when a service such as the police who most people rely on to keep them safe fail so miserably to do so and then try to cover up their sad part in the events.

I suggest that this chief constable should grow a pair and resign and that the powers that be make sure there are no payouts to help him on his way.

I do suspect though that there will be another attempt to protect those in power at the time(either police or politicians). This country is deeply corrupt and those in power tend to be protected at all cost.

How do you know he 'must have clearly known' about it? From the detail I've heard on the radio he wasn't one of the officers who met in the restaurant to discuss changing statements and he isn't mentioned in the report which is nearly 400 pages long.

It's exactly this sort of innuendo and supposition that has dogged the families for 23 years and doing it again isn't going to help anyone.

I suspect that if he HAS done anything wrong then it'll be in the 450,000 pages on evidence and he'll finally get the treatment any cover up deserves.

Angry Bradfordian.

Well if Mr Bettison didn't know about any of the alterations to statements that would make him a very poor manager to have a team around him who with hold facts from him shows a lack of judgement and that in itself should ring alarm bells as to whether he is fit to be a Chief Constable of any force.