The revelations of a toxic culture of cover
up and denial and blame in the South Yorkshire police force, which are now
revealed following the Hillsborough inquests, contribute greatly to our
understanding of what went wrong in Rotherham, a town served by that same police
force, where young people were ruthlessly sexually exploited without effective action
by the police and other agencies to protect them.
Clearly on that fateful day in 1989
terrible mistakes – errors of judgement - were made in the policing of the
football match. If only the reaction of the police had been to be immediately open
and frank about the disaster, to be honest about what may have gone wrong and to
look for safety lessons, not scapegoats, it could all have been so different. A
great deal of needless unbearable pain and suffering could have been avoided.
Whether it be football crowd control or
responding to child abuse and neglect, the message from recent events is clear.
There are no greater enemies of public safety than secrecy, fear, blame, denial,
conspiracy and self-protection.
