The aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool fans in 1989, remains a deeply sensitive subject in the United Kingdom, especially for the families and survivors who have spent decades seeking justice and accountability. The recent release of the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) final report into police actions on the day of the tragedy has reignited debate, criticism, and, ultimately, a public apology from the police body at the center of controversy.
On December 5, 2025, the IOPC published its long-awaited findings, concluding that 12 officers involved in the handling of the disaster—10 from South Yorkshire Police and two from West Midlands Police—would have faced charges of gross misconduct if they were still serving. According to the BBC, the report was described by the South Yorkshire Police Federation as “opinion dressed up as fact” and “a waste of taxpayers’ money.” The Federation’s statement, released just two days earlier, further claimed that former police officers, some of whom are now elderly or deceased, had been denied due process and the ability to formally respond to the allegations, warning that they “should not face trial by media.”
This response triggered immediate backlash from survivors, victims’ families, and local officials. West Derby Labour MP Ian Byrne, himself a survivor of the Hillsborough disaster, condemned the statement as “disgraceful,” “arrogant, dismissive, and disrespectful to families and survivors.” In a letter to the Police Federation of England & Wales, Byrne insisted the statement “revealed a deep-seated contempt for the process of investigation into Hillsborough by the IOPC and for its findings.” He urged the national Federation to “make urgent representations” to their South Yorkshire colleagues to remove the post from all online platforms and to apologize for the pain their “callous” words had caused.
Families of those lost at Hillsborough echoed Byrne’s outrage, calling the Federation’s statement an insult. Charlotte Hennessey, whose father James died in the disaster, rejected the notion that officers had been denied the right to reply. Margaret Aspinall, whose son James was just 18 when he was killed, told the BBC that the officers were “lucky” to have grown old, adding that the Federation’s response was “an insult.”
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram also weighed in, expressing disbelief at the Federation’s stance. “Trial by media? When the Hillsborough families just days after their loved ones had been pronounced dead at a football match had a trial by media, they had sleepless nights, they fought for decades to clear the names of fans,” he remarked. “It beggars belief that even to this day there are people who will not accept accountability for the deaths of 97 people.”
The controversy did not end with these criticisms. On December 7, 2025, Mukund Krishna, CEO of the Police Federation, issued a public apology for the now-deleted statement. In a letter addressed to Ian Byrne, Krishna admitted the post was “wrong” and that Liverpool had suffered “unimaginable loss.” He wrote, “The statement intended to raise a narrow and legitimate point about due process for police officers; a principle which is fundamental to our justice system and applies to all citizens. However, it was expressed in an inappropriate and insensitive way that did not reflect the events at Hillsborough or the lived experiences of families since then.”
Krishna’s apology marked a significant shift in tone from the initial Federation response. He offered to meet with families affected by the disaster to apologize in person and to “discuss the report and its impact on policing.” According to the BBC, MP Ian Byrne accepted the apology and welcomed the decision to reach out to the families, stating it was “the very least they deserve.”
The IOPC’s report itself was a damning indictment of senior officers’ behavior during and after the tragedy. It concluded that, had the officers still been serving, there would have been sufficient evidence to bring gross misconduct proceedings. The report also followed a 2021 admission by both South Yorkshire and West Midlands police forces that they had made “serious errors” in their handling of the disaster and its aftermath. That year, the forces agreed to pay damages to more than 600 people for the cover-up that followed the stadium crush.
For many families, the apology from the Police Federation was long overdue, but it did little to erase the pain caused by the original statement. Margaret Aspinall, who has been a prominent voice for the bereaved, reiterated that the Federation’s response was an “insult.” The sense of injustice lingers, rooted in the decades-long battle for truth and accountability. The original Federation statement’s assertion that elderly or deceased officers had no means to respond to the allegations was met with skepticism and anger by families who felt they themselves had been denied justice for years.
Charlotte Hennessey, speaking to the BBC, rejected the idea that officers had not had the opportunity to reply, pointing out the numerous inquiries and legal proceedings over the years in which police had the chance to present their case. The frustration among families and survivors is palpable, not only because of the statement itself but because of what it represented—a lingering reluctance to fully accept responsibility for the failures that led to the disaster and its subsequent cover-up.
Krishna’s letter did attempt to bridge this divide, acknowledging the “unimaginable loss” suffered by Liverpool and the need for greater care, sensitivity, and respect in public statements about the tragedy. His offer to meet with families in person was welcomed as a step in the right direction, though many believe much more must be done to rebuild trust between the police and the communities affected by Hillsborough.
As the city of Liverpool continues to remember the 97 lives lost at Hillsborough, the episode serves as a stark reminder of the enduring wounds left by the disaster and the importance of candor and compassion in official responses. The IOPC’s findings have brought renewed attention to the need for accountability, and the apology from the Police Federation, while significant, is just one part of an ongoing journey toward justice for the families and survivors of one of football’s darkest days.
For those who have fought for decades to clear the names of the fans and to hold authorities to account, the hope is that recent developments represent not just another chapter in a long and painful story, but a meaningful step toward healing and recognition of the truth.
