More than three decades after the Hillsborough disaster claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool fans, a damning report and a groundswell of public outrage have reignited calls for accountability at the highest levels of British policing. Survivors, families, and campaigners are uniting in a bid to strip former Merseyside Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison of his knighthood and Queen’s Police Medal, arguing that his role in the aftermath of the tragedy is incompatible with the honors bestowed upon him.
The renewed campaign comes in the wake of the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) £150 million investigation, which concluded that 12 police officers—including Bettison—would have faced gross misconduct proceedings for their actions before and after the 1989 disaster. The IOPC’s report, released on December 6, 2025, paints a stark picture of “fundamental failures” in planning and a “concerted effort” to shift blame from police to supporters, a narrative that haunted families for decades.
The Hillsborough disaster unfolded on April 15, 1989, during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium. In an attempt to alleviate crowding, police opened an exit gate, inadvertently directing thousands of fans into already packed central pens. The resulting crush killed 97 people—an event that remains one of the darkest days in British sporting history. Fresh inquests in 2016 concluded that the victims were unlawfully killed due to police failings.
According to the BBC, the IOPC investigated 27 complaints from 25 people connected to the disaster, many alleging police surveillance and intimidation. The report confirmed that one family member was followed by police for almost a week, with direct interaction occurring at least once. Another complaint was upheld after West Midlands Police officers were found to have behaved in an “unnecessarily intimidating way” when retrieving a document from a family member. The IOPC also criticized West Midlands Police for being biased in favor of South Yorkshire Police during its investigation, undermining the pursuit of justice.
“We will never truly know the full extent of South Yorkshire Police force's deception, but there is no hiding, there is no destroying, and there is no way to cover up that they failed their duties and then they sought to blame the victims,” said Charlotte Hennessy, whose father James was among those killed, speaking at a press conference following the report’s release.
Beyond surveillance, the IOPC probed a series of burglaries at the Hillsborough Centre, the Hillsborough Justice Campaign shop, and the home of a campaign member. Although five complaints suggested possible police involvement—since documents valuable only to police were stolen—the watchdog found no evidence to support those claims. Nonetheless, the IOPC criticized Merseyside Police for its “disappointingly slow” response and poor record-keeping, noting that one incident log conflated two separate burglaries and that no information was recorded about the break-ins at a campaigner’s home.
In the years following the tragedy, South Yorkshire Police repeatedly blamed Liverpool fans for the disaster, alleging that supporters arrived late, drunk, and without tickets. These claims—later proven false after decades of relentless campaigning by families and survivors—were echoed in presentations and press statements by key police figures, including Norman Bettison. The IOPC found that Bettison, then a chief inspector, gave a video presentation to MPs deflecting blame from the police and played down his role in the cover-up when he applied to become Merseyside’s police chief in 1998.
Sir Norman Bettison was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the 2000 Birthday Honours and was knighted in 2006. Now, the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance is urging the public to back a petition demanding the removal of these honors. The petition, launched on December 5, 2025, quickly gained traction, amassing nearly 5,000 signatures within hours. “On 15 April 1989, the Hillsborough disaster unfolded—a tragedy that claimed the lives of 97 innocent Liverpool fans, forever scarring the families and communities of those affected,” the petition reads. “For years those who bore witness have been painfully aware of the gross misconduct and unforgivable actions of those meant to protect and serve the public. Among them, former Merseyside Police chief constable, Norman Bettison, plays a significant role in this blemish on justice.”
The petition continues: “It was revealed that had he still been serving as a police officer he would have faced gross misconduct charges. This revelation demands accountability and it’s imperative that Bettison no longer be honoured with a knighthood or the Queen's Policing Medal. Bettison's part in the attempt to deflect blame from those truly responsible and his role in the misinformation campaign against Liverpool fans, painting them as instigators, has inflicted untold damage on the victims' families and survivors who have spent countless years fighting for the truth to come to light.”
Signatories have not minced words in expressing their anger. Comments on the petition include: “Typical of UK to reward outrageous gross failure,” “Should be doing jail time. Has blood on his hands,” and “Under no circumstances should this man be called a 'sir'! His conduct while a member of SYP (regarding the Hillsborough disaster) should've prevented him from receiving a knighthood in the first place!” Another wrote, “This should have been done a very long time ago and also should be taking his police pension too. Justice for the 97.”
The IOPC’s findings are clear: if current laws, amended in 2017 to allow ex-officers to face misconduct proceedings, had applied retroactively, Bettison and 11 other officers would have faced charges. However, the law does not apply to cases before its enactment, leaving families and survivors frustrated at the lack of formal accountability.
Margaret Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son James at Hillsborough, questioned Bettison’s continued honors. “Liars should not have knighthoods. What has he got a knighthood for? For going to the House of Commons, to Parliament, and trying to give a narrative, his narrative, and not the truth's narrative,” she said earlier this week.
Sir Norman Bettison has declined to comment on the calls for his honors to be revoked. When approached at his home, his wife simply stated, “No comment.”
As the petition gathers momentum and the wounds of Hillsborough remain raw, campaigners argue that stripping Bettison of his knighthood and police medal would be a long overdue acknowledgment of the pain and suffering caused by a profound breach of trust. For the families and survivors, it’s not just about justice for the 97—it’s about restoring faith in the values those honors are meant to represent.
