Whilst reading up on some of the more recent articles I came across this. Very sad

[Link]

Edited by kenbarr (29 Apr 2016 4.28am)

Sad indeed. The 97th victim.

"You can feel the stadium jumping. The stadium is actually physically moving up and down"
FA Cup MOTD 24/4/16

Again agree with this view point too. Anyone policing football matches in that area regularly experienced drunk, rude / abusive sections of football fans. Yes part and parcel of the job some would say but when you are used to dealing with a certain group of people or section of society you begin to form an opinion of them. Many of the police had a low opinion of fotball fans as a result ofwhatbthey were subjected to week in week ut. Cruhes were happening regularly at games. Several people here have commented to the effect that if it hadn't been Hillsborough at that semi it could have been another game there or another ground.

When I was a young girl my Mother said to me.. You listen here kid you're CPFC

The ESPN/BBC documentary "Hillsborough"

[Link]

If you get nothing else out of this programme, go to 1:40:54. Former PC Martin McLoughlin, who was later invalided out of the police, gives his reaction to his statement being edited for comments deemed "unhelpful" by his superiors. Here is what he said.

"They showed the statement I made, my Hillsborough statement. Well, there were two. There was the one I made and there was a second one with my name on it. The one I made had big lines crossing things out, entire paragraphs, altering sentences, altering phrases. Everything that had been removed from my statement were things that had been critical of police command at Hillsborough. And the statement that had been submitted under my name had been completely sanitized, but it had my name on it. That's (sigh) when I found out that I weren't the only one."

"Unless I forget my law, altering a person's statement is a criminal offense without their knowledge or consent. If you get a group of people doing that as a matter of policy or as a strategy, call it what you will. Now I might be an old washed up bobby but that to me that is still conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, which is a criminal offense.a criminal offense. I don't like criminals."

Senior police officials of both the South Yorkshire and West Midlands Police did the very same thing to over 160 police statements. It started with Duckenfield lying to Graham Kelly about how Gate C was opened. Then they had concocted the lie about dunk and fans with no tickets. Finally, they took the statements of their own officers and doctored them to suit their purposes rather than the truth. The inquest jury got it right. NO football supporter was responsible for the death of the 96, the over 700 injured and those who have to live the memories of that horrible day. The powers that be covered up their own incompetence, negligence and perjury. Then they compounded these offences by making their subordinates unknowing and unwilling accomplices.

Divorced...And LOVING it!
VJRAM Rev.
CPFC since Boxing Day 1989 CPFC 2-2 CFC
Gregg Berhalter, US International & USMNT Head Coach
Jill Ellis, England International & Retired USWNT Head Coach
Trevor Francis, International PRAT

The evidence doesn't say that there were absolutely no ticket less fans or fans worse for drink, although the inquest did say that any of the 96 who had a blood alcohol content were both well within the legal limit. However, forensic engineers took the turnstile count for that end, added 2,000 (the number estimated by all sources that came in through Exit Gate C) and the sum total was close to but not over the stated capacity for the Leppings Lane end. It was therefore concluded that the stated capacity was too high, which is what made both Sheffield Wednesday & the engineering firm culpable in the jury's eyes.

As I said earlier, I had many experiences of both home and away supporters trying to crash their way into Selhurst Park without tickets, including attempted bribery. However, at Hillsborough, there was a concerted and deliberate attempt by the authorities to concoct a scenario where it was all down to drunks and the ticket less, which it was not by all objective evidence presented to Lord Justice Taylor, the HIC and the inquest. Plus, even if I were to believe it was not exaggerated, both conditions were foreseeable but not adequately planned for. I know this because SGT John Boldock (Ginger), who was part of the South Norwood police that regularly worked at Selhurst and later went on to the National Football Task Force, described the type of intelligence that all police forces did prior to major matches since Heysel. It was highly sophisticated and information was shared throughout the various constabularies, particularly the Met, West Midlands, the Yorkshire Constabularies, Greater Manchester and Merseyside. There were members of the Merseyside force at Hillsborough on the day. However, according to the HIC and the inquest, they were ignored by South Yorkshire and relegated to background duties. When it comes to the fan behavior issue, the bottom line is that old cliche, failing to plan is planning to fail.

Divorced...And LOVING it!
VJRAM Rev.
CPFC since Boxing Day 1989 CPFC 2-2 CFC
Gregg Berhalter, US International & USMNT Head Coach
Jill Ellis, England International & Retired USWNT Head Coach
Trevor Francis, International PRAT

Completely agree. Well put

@sxp55555