Hillsborough Stadium Disaster
Sheffield, 1989
Why did it 
happen?
Police
Rookie Police Constable 
(David Duckenfield)
Trained for everything BUT overcrowding situations
Lack of common sense
Treating the events as "crowd fighting" (due to a breach in duty of care and misconduct by Duckenfield)
Sheffield Wednsday FC
Liverpool supporters were allocated the smaller end: Leppings Lane
Treated the events as "crowd fighting"
Lack of common sense
Untrained for overcrowding situations
Rookie 
Police Constable
The 
 F.A.
Fans
Unsafe venue, in breach of safety rules & regulations (negligence)
Leppings Lane pens entrances were not marked in any way
(negligence)
... and were left unsupervised (even more negligence)
No way of estimating number of supporters already in the pens
Fences blocking fans access to pitch
Allowing an unsafe stadium to host matches
Showing up late
"Open the gate!" 
instead of postponing
kick-off (negligence)
Forming a pitch barrier
instead of helping victims (breach in duty of care)
Only 1 out of 44 ambulances was allowed to enter the stadium (misconduct and gross negligence)
Media
Misinformation

"The Truth"
by The Sun
It WAS foreseeable.
The Police Inquest
Coroner cutoff: 3:15
No files were ever made public.
Question: Who investigates the Police?
Answer: The Police.
Coroner's Conclusion: 
96 "Accidental deaths"
Prosecution
1-2. Manslaughter
(for failure to prevent the crush by failing to prevent access to and divert fans from the tunnel leading to the already full pens)
Counts:
3. Misconduct
(for lying that the gates were forced open by the fans) 
Verdict:
Murray (senior officer): NOT guilty.
Duckenfield: Unable to come to a verdict - Dismissed.
The jury asked for more time to come to a verdict regarding Duckenfield. The judge DENIED the request.
Any request for a re-trial has been subsequently rejected.
1981: Hillsborough, Sheffield
Crowd crush, 38 injured

1984: Walsall
Wall collapse, 20 injured

1985: Bradford
Stadium fire, 54 dead

1985: Birmingham
Wall collapse, 1 dead & 20 injured

1985: Heysel, Brussels
Wall collapse, 38 dead & 400+ injured

1987: Edinburgh
Crowd crush, 150 injured
1988: Hillsborough, Sheffield
Crowd crush, no victims

Preview of what was about to happen in 1989

The Taylor Report
76 new regulations, including:
•Maximum Capacities, Filling and Monitoring Terraces
•Safety Certificates
•All-Seated Accommodation
•First Air, Medical Facilities and Ambulances
•Offences and Penalties
•Police and Planning
Small numbers of drunk fans outside the stadium