Hillsborough: files could be opened in a matter of weeks

by Tony McConville. Published Tue 21 Apr 2009 11:01, Last updated: 2009-04-21

The entire police archive on the Hillsborough Football Disaster could be released "within months if not weeks", it is being suggested.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has said hundreds of official documents about the tragedy in Sheffield 20 years ago could be made public 10 years early.

The documents would normally be subject to a 30-year secrecy rule meaning they would not be open to public scrutiny until 2019 or 2020.

But a senior Whitehall source has briefed journalists that the files could be made public "within months if not weeks" following a meeting this week between Ms Smith, Justice Secretary Jack Straw and Sports Secretary Andy Burnham.

The chief constable of South Yorkshire Police said earlier this week that he hopes to be able to make public a large store of information on the Hillsborough disaster saying his force had "no secrets".

Meredydd Hughes said South Yorkshire Police hold 300 boxes of material on the tragedy, not all of which is in the public domain.

Mr Hughes said he has not yet had any request for any information from the Government but is due to speak to the Home Secretary.

In an interview with the BBC the chief constable said: "South Yorkshire Police has no secrets, has a lot of information that we hope can be made public and, if it's possible to do so, we will."

He added: "We have 300 boxes of material, some of which has been seen and some of which has not."

Mr Hughes denied there had been a cover-up by his force and said he would not have stood for it if there had been.

He added: "If I thought there had been a cover-up I would already have dealt with it. I don't need an anniversary to make me want to put right an injustice. I didn't join the police force to be part of conspiracies and cover-ups and I never have done."