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IOPC report finds the Former chief constable would have a gross misconduct case to answer over Hillsborough if he were serving today
Former West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison.
Former West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison. (Image: )
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There are fresh calls for former Merseyside Police chief constable Norman Bettison to be stripped of both his knighthood and his police pension. It comes after a major investigation found Bettison would have a gross misconduct case to answer were he still a serving police officer.
In December last year, a report revealed the appalling extent of police failures that led to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, and officers’ actions in a subsequent cover-up that tried to blame Liverpool fans.
Based on the investigations by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and Operation Resolve, the report found a number of high ranking officers, including former SYP chief constable Peter Wright, match commander on the day David Duckenfield and former Merseyside Police chief constable Norman Bettison, would all have faced gross misconduct cases if they were still serving officers today.
In a first full Knowsley Council meeting since the IOPC report was published, Cllr Jayne Lonergan spoke passionately about the lasting impacts of the Hillsborough disaster, and introduced a motion calling for Bettison to be stripped of his knighthood. and police pension.
Cllr Lonergan said: “As it’s highly unlikely that he will hand back the knighthood at his own volition, I call on the whole of the council to support this motion, calling for him to be stripped of the honour, and in a similar vein, given the findings of the IOPC investigation, consideration must be given to removing his pension from him also.”
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