Watchdog has been investigating conduct of South Yorkshire Police since 2012
97 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster
97 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster
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A report into the actions of police during and after the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium disaster in which 97 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed, will be published next month.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been investigating South Yorkshire Police over its actions related to the disaster since 2012. In March the families of the Hillsborough victims were told no officers would face misconduct proceedings because legislation in place at the time of the tragedy did not require a duty of candour for officers.
Last month, a historic new Hillsborough Law was laid before Parliament after decades of campaigning by the families. The new law will enforce a legally binding duty of candour on public officials.
In a new update, the IOPC said its report into the actions of the police would bring together "the key findings of our work, a summary of the outcomes of the complaints we considered and the key evidence we used to inform those decisions".
For many years after the 1989 disaster, South Yorkshire Police claimed ticketless Liverpool fans contributed to the crush at the Sheffield stadium that led to the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans.
But this false narrative was finally and comprehensively debunked by the findings of the Hillsborough Independent Panel in 2012. When fresh inquests concluded in 2016 it was found those who died at Hillsborough were unlawfully killed after a catalogue of failings by both the police and ambulance services.
The IOPC had confirmed in July that it would slim down its report to 400 pages after concerns were raised by the families.
The exact date the report will be published will be confirmed shortly and the families of the victims will be able to read it a day before publication.
In September, the ECHO travelled with Hillsborough family members - Margaret Aspinall, Charlotte Hennessy, Steve Kelly and Sue Roberts - as they met with Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street on the day the new Hillsborough Law was officially laid in Parliament.
The legislation, which has the official name of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, includes the aforementioned duty of candour, forcing public officials to act with honesty and integrity or face criminal sanctions.
The bill will also see a major reform of legal aid, to make sure that ordinary people appearing at inquests and inquiries are provided with the same level of legal representation as the public bodies they often come up against.
Keir Starmer had repeatedly committed to bringing the historic bill forward - including at last year's Labour Party Conference - where he said it would be in place by the 36th anniversary of the disaster on April 15 of this year.
But that deadline was missed as the families and campaigners pushed back against what they said were attempts by government officials to water the legislation down.
Ms Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son James in the 1989 disaster, introduced the Prime Minister on stage at this year's party in Liverpool in September.
She said: "It's not about what politics you believe in, or who you vote for, this was about getting the Hillsborough Law for the ordinary people of this country."