Police and Crime Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird QC supports Chair of Home Affairs Select Committee in continued drive for Orgreave Justice.
19th February 2018
The Home Affairs Select Committee Chair, Yvette Cooper MP, has written to the Home Secretary asking her to ensure that the files on Orgreave identified by South Yorkshire Police and other forces are now independently reviewed for release.
Dame Vera Baird QC, Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria has given her support to Ms Cooper, and reiterated her call for the Home Secretary to get a grip and sort the Orgreave files.
Back in May 2016, Dame Vera called upon the then interim Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police to open up the forces archives to the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign and to urge the then Home Secretary, Theresa May, to put in place a structure to ensure an honest, open and transparent investigation.
At the time Commissioner Baird said “The interim Chief Constable can help secure an investigation in to Orgreave by opening up the forces files and showing that South Yorkshire Police respect the miners and their families by giving them the answers that they deserve. I defended miners involved in Orgreave and I stand ready to give evidence to the inquiry.”
Nearly two years on Dame Vera said “It is disappointing that the Home Secretary and Prime Minister have still not released this information. Orgreave needs to be fully resolved and the way to achieve this is to ensure the files are independently reviewed for release. Despite mines having closed, traditional mining communities deserve to know what happened, so Orgreave can be fully resolved”.
Dame Vera added “This is a simple task, and the Home Secretary should action the independent review for the files to be released as a matter of urgency”.
All media enquiries can be made via this email address (scott.duffy@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk)
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