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TH.E FIFE REGIONAL COUNCIL

HOUSE, NORTH STREET, GLENROTHES

FIFE KY7 5LT Telephone Glenrothes 754411

rDr P. S. DAVISON

The Lord Mayor, Sheffield City Council Town Hall,Sheffield.

Halbeath House, Kingseat Road, Halbeath, Dunfermline KY12 OTZ Telephone Dunfermline 723535

11-8-89

THE MOST SERIOUS ASPECT OF THE HILLSBOROUGH REPORT

Dear Lord Mayor,

The most serious aspect of the Hillsborough tragedy itself is of course the unnecesary and tragic loss of lives, especially young lives, and the bereaved famil i e s left behind. This, however, is now in the past and cannot be undone, but the report from Lord Justice Taylor raises e x t r e m e l y serious m a t t e r s of a different and separate nature and it is m a i n l y because of these I write.

As a M e m b e r of the Fife Protec t i v e and General Services Committee, I am well a w a r e of the res p o n s i b i l i t i e s of police in football crowd control and licensing of football grounds and our committee has visits to all the grounds in its area (when out of use m a y I add) along w i t h p olice and engineers so that safety barriers, crowd separation, police procedures, and capacities of each section of the ground can be properly debated. The errors at the Hillsborough match were glaring and startling and there is no way that responsibility can be ducked: either the resignation of Chief Constable W r i g h t m u s t be acce p t e d or that of the Chairman of the responsible Committee.

There is, however, an even m o r e serious c o m m e n t from Lord Justice Taylor. After a situation where the main reason for the loss of 95 lives w^s failure of police control, the Lord Justice describes senior police offi cers as "defensive and evasive" and states t h a t the q u a l i t y of t h e i r e v i d e n c e w a s in i n v e r s e proportion to t h e i r r a n k ( T i m e s 5-8,-89). T h i s r e m a r k is extraordinarily serious. It m e a n s that, senior officers lied or sought to d e ceive a court on a m a t t e r involving the loss of 95 lives.

As someone who has when young (and alone')* been deliberately falsely charged by (two) British policemen with an offence which they k n e w I had not c o m m i t t e d , I take a very serious v i e w of lying by police officers. It does happen. The only reason why I do not have a finding of guilt as charged, w h i c h as one w i t n e s s against t w o a p p a r e n t l y i n d e p e n d e n t p o l i c e o f f i c e r s w o u l d certainly have been supported by a court, was a m e c h a n i c a l defec t

r

which c o u l d n o t be seen, w h i c h m a d e the o f f e n c e c h a r g e d or anything like it physically impossible.

We live in strange times in Britain in 1989, times when the traditional British freedoms are under threat as rarely before in peace t i m e from the e v e r - e x p a n d i n g p o w e r of government. The borderline between the British state of freedom and the "freedoms" of the peoples of, for example, E a stern Europe b e c o m e s n a r r o w e r and greyer. One of the essential e l e m e n t s of that b o r d e r l i n e is a truthful police force, m a n n e d and o f ficered by m e n w h o can be relied on to speak the truth despite pressure. Often that is the 0NLY protection the citizen has against injustice. It is a vital protection which, c o m b i n e d w i t h truly i n dependent courts, can prevent Britain slipping over that most da n g e r o u s of borders -- into becoming a police state.

The police are very hi g h l y paid people,' often of m o d e s t attainment in ordinary skills. Their key q u a l i f i c a t i o n s are uprightness, truthfulness and honesty. If they lack these key qualities, it is not a m a t t e r for m i n o r d i s c i p l i n a r y action, it is a m a t t e r for i m m e d i a t e d i s m i s s a l or resig n a t i o n of all who give false or tainted evidence.

Make no mistake, the B r i t i s h police are on trial here. If after H i l l sborough w h e r e — perhaps u n d e r s t a n d a b l e — b u t ’very serious mistakes were made, the British people see that promotion in the police goes to those w h o "bend" or "economise in" the truth or directly lie in order to achieve their ends (which many of the public think is the m a i n c r iterion for high office elsewhere) Britain has taken a very serious step towards a police state. Our youth, w h o m we seek to persuade to law and order will be watching.

Yours faithfullv

P.S.Davison, Independent Councillo

Copied to Home Secretary and Yorkshire Post

Mr. D. Hurd,Home Secretary,50 Queen Anne's GateLondonSW1H 9AT

3

16th August 1969

Dear Sir,

I write to ask you most strongly to ensure that Mr. Wright Chief Constable of South Yorkshire is held responsible for his officers actions and the honourable thing is done by accepting his resignation.

I also enclose a copy letter which if you read it will show you another case of bad management at work.

Having written to you on two occasions before and not receiving the courtesy of even an acknowledgement I hope to receive a reply to this letter.

Yours faithfully/

The Managing Director/Wembley Stadium Limited/We/bleyLONDON

15th August 1989

Dear Sirs,

On Saturday 12th August I attended Wembley Stadium for the Charity Shield match between Liverpool and Arsenal.

I left St. Helens at 8.15 a.m. and arrived at Wembley at 1.05p.m. At 1.30 p.m. I made my way to the Stadium. I went in Block F as per my ticket and eventually found Entrance 78 as per my ticket. I was stopped at the entrance 78 by a Steward who looked at my scarf and saidyou are a Liverpool fan you have to go to anotherentrance. He told me the number and pointed in the general direction. I proceeded to this other entrance where I was again told to go to another entrance. I eventually arrived at this entrance and a man took my ticket off me without a word and handed me another ticket and then said "You on your own, this is a good seat iust ao up there".

I climbed up yet more stairs and then I started on a walkwhich I thought was never going, to end. I laterdiscovered I had had to walk from Block Fwhere my original ticket was for to Block D. I walked and walked along this corridor which I later found out was the Olympic Gallery. Eventually feeling very hot and bothered I found the seat I had been re-allotted. When I sat down in it I could not see properly as there was a sort of yellow rail in front of me and the only way I could have seen was to bend my head right down.

By this time I was very annoyed. I went out to the Steward and asked to see someone in authority, he asked me what was wrong I explained, and he said just sit anywhere and I said and supposing someone comes in with a ticket for the seat I am sitting in, I will have to move again. He said it was not his fault and I told him that was why I had asked to see someone in authority.

2

He went away and returned with a gentleman in grey pants, white shirt and carrying a walkie talkie in one hand and a wad of tickets in the other hand, who asked me what the trouble was. I told him. He said just pick your seat and I will give you a ticket for it. I said the seat I wanted to sit in was the seat I had purchased at the Anfield Ticket Office the day after the tickets went on sale for the price of £15. I told him I did not want to sit up in the Olympic Gallery away from all the Liverpool Supporters, away from my two daughters who were in another part of the ground closer to to the original place I should have been sitting and whom I was to meet outside Block F at the end of the game.

He could see I was getting agitated and said that it wasnot his fault when I asked him why I could not sit in theseat I bought a ticket for. He said that the Arsenal andLiverpool fans had both been given tickets for the same area and that they had decided to move the Liverpool fans. When I again complained he said it was not his fault and I asked him whose fault it was and the n he said 'those famous words we heard so often last- year "it was just an unfortunate happening".

I started the day with a £15 ticket for Block F Row 20 Seat No. 4 which I purchased from the Anfield Ticket Office after handing in the appropriate voucher from my Paddock Match Book. That ticket was taken from me and I was handed a £35 Olympic Gallery ticket when I c nplained about the view from that seat I was handed yet another £35 Olympic Gallery ticket.

I wish to protest most strongly as follows -

How was it possible for tickets to be sold at Anfield to a season ticket holder and also to be sold to Arsenal fans ?

Who is to blame for this ? It is not "just an unfortunate happening" it is gross bad management.

Why was this not realised before and why were the Liverpool fans the ones to be moved ?

Why were we shoved upstairs to the Olympic Gallery which was full of business men, foreigners and to add insult to injury for me personally I was sitting next to two Arsenal fans with an Arsenal fan sitting behind me. I was told the reason I could not sit in the seat I had purchased a ticket for was because of the Arsenal fans being there but I ended up sitting between the self same fans and infront of them.

2he ticket I purchased was from Anfield, I gave the appropriate voucher in and paid my £15 the day after the tickets went on sale. If I had bought the ticket from one of the many touts who were selling them outside the stadium and along Wembley Way I could have understood it but ast"hi Tiers T ran sac nt-olv n« wali/^ v-Aaas-»-> f i w

3

having to go through such a terrible time and end up in a seat I did not want to be in surrounded by Arsenal fans and other people who were definitely not Liverpool Season Ticket Holders like myself.

I await to hear from you with an explanation of the above.

Yours faithfully/

c.c.

Iced Justice Teller Liverpool Fbsfall dub Football Association Spccts Minister SraSports Minister Hare Secretary Liverpool Eaily Post Daily MirrorSaLicitccs cn behalf of the Sq gcrters Association Supporters Association

EKRadio Msrseyside

2 2 AUG 1989

The Managing Director,Wembley Stadium Limited,We,bleyLONDON

15th August 1989

Dear Sirs,

On Saturday 12th August I attended Wembley Stadium for the Charity Shield match between Liverpool and Arsenal.

I left St. Helens at 8.15 a.m. and arrived at Wembley at 1.05p.m. At 1.30 p.m. I made my way to the Stadium. I went in Block F as per my ticket and eventually found Entrance 78 as per my ticket. I was stepped at the entrance 78 by a Steward who looked at my scarf and said you are a Liverpool fan you have to go to another entrance. He told me the number and pointed in the general direction. I proceeded to this other entrance where I was again told to go to another entrance. I eventually arrived at this entrance and a man took my ticket off me without a word and handed me another ticket and then said You on your own, this is a good seat iust ao up there".

I climbed up yet more stairs and then I started on a walkwhich I thought was never going, to end. I laterdiscovered I had had to walk from Block Fwhere my originalticket was for to Block D. I walked and walked along thiscorridor which I later found out was the Olympic GalleryEventually feeling very hot and bothered I found the seat Ihad been re-allotted. When I sat down in it I could notsee properly as there was a sort of yellow rail in front ofme and the only way I could have seen was to bend my head right down. *

By this time I was very annoyed. I went out to the Steward and asked to see someone in authority, he asked me what was wrong I explained, and he said just sit anywhere and I said and supposing someone comes in with a ticket for the seat I am sitting in, I will have to move again. He said it was not his fault and I told him that was why I had asVor) to see someone in authority.

2

He went away and returned with a gentleman in grey pants, white shirt and carrying a walkie talkie in one hand and a wad of tickets in the other hand, who asked me what the trouble was. I told him. He said just pick your seat and I will give you a ticket for it. I said the seat I wanted to sit in was the seat I had purchased at the Anfield Ticket Office the day after the tickets went on sale for the price of £15. I told him I did not want to sit up in the Olympic Gallery away from all the Liverpool Supporters, away from my two daughters who were in another part of the ground closer to to the original place I should have been sitting and whom I was to meet outside Block F at the end of the game.

He could see I was getting agitated and said that it wasnot his fault when I asked him why I could not sit in theseat I bought a ticket for. He said that the Arsenal andLiverpool fans had both been given tickets for the same area and that they had decided to wove the Liverpool fans. When I again complained he said it was not his fault and I asked him whose fault it was and the n he said'those famous words we heard so often last year “it was just an unfortunate happening".

I started the day with a £15 ticket for Block F Row 20 Seat No. 4 which I purchased from the Anfield Ticket Office after handing in the appropriate voucher from my Paddock Match Book. That ticket was taken from me and I was handed a £35 Olympic Gallery ticket when I c mplained about the view from that seat I was handed yet another £35 Olympic Gallery ticket.

I wish to protest most strongly as follows -

How was it possible for tickets to be sold at-Anfield tc s season ticket holder and also to be sold to Arsenal fans ?

Who is to blame for this ? It is not "just an unfortunate happening" it is gross bad management.

Why was this not realised before and why were the Liverpool fans the ones to be moved ?

Why were we shoved upstairs to the Olympic Gallery which was full of business men, foreigners and to add insult to injury for me personally I was sitting next to two Arsenal fans with an Arsenal fan sitting behind me. I was told the reason I could not sit in the seat I had purchased a ticket for was because of the Arsenal fans being there but I ended up sitting between the self same fans and infront of them.

The ticket I purchased was from Anfield, I gave the appropriate voucher in and paid my £15 the day after the tickets went on sale. If I had bought the ticket from one of the many touts who were selling then outside the stadium and along Wembley Way I could have understood it but asi-hi nnc e1-ar>rl T

having to go through such a terrible time and end up in aseat I did not want to be in surrounded by Arsenal fans andother people who were definitely not Liverpool SeasonTicket Holders like myself.

I await to hear from you with an explanation of the above.

Yours faithfully,

c.c.

Iced Justice Teller Livecpod Football dub Rxtball Association ^xrts Minister 2iadow Sports Minister Hare Secretary Livacpod Eaily Bast Eaily MirrorSolicitors on behalf of the Supporters AssociationSupporters AssociationBBCRadio Msrseysids

\The Rigit Hon. Douglas Hurd P.CyM.P*

The Home Secretary The Home Office iQueen Ames Gate iLONDON |

16th August 1989

'•’"a

Dear Hr. Hurd,

Having followed fee course of Hie Hillsborou# tragedy and fee ®suing enquiiy with great care, I am writing to you to express sujjort for the line taken by fee South Yorkshire Police Comaittee in not accepting the resignation of the

Chief Constable. I find the Interim Report of Mr. f'stic© a [?OT. «.eunsatisfactoiy and totally biased agiinst a good Police Farce who have, over years, controlled not only football crowds but a^ o teiiiger^t ^ k i n g mmers and steelworkers without allowing 1he situation to get out of hand.

To my mind Hr. Taylor has given insufficient consideration to five facto®:

a) The Sheffield Wednesday football ground has for many years been selected^bythe FJL. as a venue for Cup semi-finals. There has never been any suggestion

that the ground was dangerous, or crowd control negligent.

b) The ground was selected in 1966 for International matches in fee World Cup

and as such met high FJE.F.A. standards.

c) The ground has been recognised generally both iraide and outside footballing

circles as one of fee best grounds in fee Country.

d) The visits to fee ground by Liverpool F.C. and their J en frequent. The Police fee re fore knew what they couM aspect, and from their experience feey must have known the best positions for crowd control.

e) What marked out feis occasion from all others, however, was feenumbers of Liverpool supporters arriving just before J ^ t c h ® 3 to begin in a vary drunken state (and some without tickets), all determined to forcB J T S i S T t h e ground at all costs to see the kick off. * * * ■ » ■ » ? 1316 sort of riotous assembly fee Police could have been expected to anticipate.

I consider feat Mr. Justice Taylor has clearly taken fee ‘ s o f t * option of _ blaming fee Police rather fean recognising fee feet feat in any civilized it is the duty of all citizens to behave themselves in a decent manner. Without such behaviour law e n f o r c e m e n t is impossible unless we becane something akin

ns«n-s«o-Stffte* There were several witnesses at the enquiiy "ho testified to t h e b e h a v i o i a r of many of the <tma' but tteir testimony « . <=1“ ^ ?4 -in the desire to attach no bLame to ihe Liverpool ‘fans . In short,

i^b of the Police was made near impossible by these people’s behaviour.It wuld have n e e d e d hundreds of Policemen outside the ground to control such a

drunken mob»

The Interim Report has the effect of exonerating 1fae louts ifco caused■ * «

tragedy and victimising the very people who saved lives xn an imposs

Many people in Sheffield who were sympathetic at first are becoming sick and tired of^hearing fee work Liverpool and the complaints from the so ca^ed fans S T m u ^ t take a major share in the responsibility Ibr this tragedy which killed

many of their fellows*

If you wish to 86M a copy of this letter to Hr. Justice Taylor, please

feel free to do so.

Every good wish*

Yotus sincerely,

\ \ 2XSS C\ W

6 th August, 1989

The Right Honourable M. Thatcher, Prime Minister,10, Downing Street,LONDON

Dear Madam,

Re: Hillsborough Enquiry

SO ell if T'\.

! 2 3 AUG 1989h , . .

...» J D^ mic OiiC'c J onilT1

British justice - NO - how can Lawyers or any persons connected with the judiciary advocate a parallel between the police at Hillsborough and the Zeebrugge tragedy (Daily Mail front page 5th August).

Police officers are human beings - NOT ROBOTS - they do the job they do because they are, on the whole, a caring sector of our sick society. Perhaps there were errors of judgements and slow responses to the overwhelming horror of the unfolding disaster BUT can any other human being be adamantly certain of his or her responses to any given set of circumstances?

In the case of the Zeebrugge disaster all the passengers were innocent and faultless. This cannot be said of the Hillsborough situation when, had all the supporters had tickets, arrived on time and behaved in a civilised and sober manner, this calamity would never have happened and my thoughts and prayers to-day need not be with the police officers involved. These officers must be distressed enough after such a harrowing experience.

It is time our Police Force received more support in its frequently thankless and dangerous task of maintaining law and order in situations which are often extremely volatile.

Yours faithfully

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