Put victims first

Hillsborough report published

THE LANDMARK report by Bishop James Jones, the former Bishop of Liverpool, on how this country treats victims of national tragedies does not just apply to the families of the 96 football fans killed at Hillsborough in 1989. Its observations are particularly prescient as victims of this summer’s Grenfell Tower inferno embark upon their own fight for the truth. It’s a scant consolation, but they won’t have to wait up to three decades for justice.

That said, Bishop James, who was asked by Theresa May to carry out this inquiry, makes many pertinent points about the need for a “substantial change in the culture of public bodies” so they’re more responsive to griefstricken relatives and their practical and emotional needs are treated with humanity – it is said the Hillsborough families felt “dehumanised” because of “institutional defensiveness”.

There needs to be greater candour, and while the current criminal proceedings over Hillsborough take precedence, there’s nothing to stop the Government using this report as the starting point for a complete overhaul of the rights of victims. This month marks the 15th anniversary of a Queen’s Speech in which Tony Blair, the then Prime Minister, promised in 2002 to put victims at the heart of the criminal justice system. In praising Bishop James at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs May says she will “not forget the Hillsborough families” or “their experience”. She can begin by ensuring that this report is enacted at the very earliest opportunity so the police, and others, are not only reminded of their obligations, but the expectations of victims.