"Q Were you aware of a build-up of numbers last year towards the latter stages at the turnstiles? A Yes. . . There was a huge build-up around 10 minutes to 3 when many, many Liverpool supporters came at that time. They had been drinking, the ones that I saw and there was quite a sizeable crush built-up - sizeable queue. Q Queue or crush? A Compacted queue, built-up in the area by the turnstiles which I believe are marked A to G. That crowd reached back almost to the gates. It never got any bigger than that and the turnstiles operated relatively freely and they dealt with that crowd. Fans were still arriving at about 10 past 3 but by then the... Q This crowd that you have described of the late arrivals at about 10 to - was it an orderly crowd? A Oh no. No. The orderly crowd had gone in, and when I say they were not an orderly crowd, obviously mixed amongst those people were... Q Of course, but taking it generally? A But by and large they had taken a lot of drink on board and they were in such numbers that excluding them from the ground was completely out of the question. Q Were they standing in an orderly queue or was there some pushing and shoving? A There was a lot of pushing and shoving. There was an urgency to get into the ground. Q But fortunately it does not appear to have been in nearly such numbers as this year. A It wasn't."
Police Intelligence in Advance
216. Apart from that experience in 1988, the tendency of Liverpool supporters to arrive late was not unknown. Witnesses said that they get through the turnstiles at their home ground, Anfield, quite quickly and tend therefore not to arrive early. Indeed, a general recent tendency to postpone arrival was noted by the Sheffield City Council Advisory Group, with police present, on 23 March 1988. The minute reads:-
"As far as the turnstile question was concerned, a pattern has developed of people arriving some 15 minutes before the start of the game hoping to gain admission. This trend may be due to the banning of alcohol at sports grounds which could lead to people going elsewhere for refreshment prior to the football match. As the available turnstiles operated quite effectively for the majority of the time, and that the late arrival problem could perhaps only be dealt with by education of the spectators" (sic).
217. In so far as Liverpool supporters' behaviour at away matches may have been indicative of what police problems might arise on 15 April, most of the facts should have been available at the planning stage. As in other forces, South Yorkshire Police had a liaison officer whose job was to seek, receive and collate relevant information as to the visiting supporters. The Association of Chief Police Officers' Guide to Policing Football highlights the importance of such liaison:"It is important that the officer responsible for policing the match determines the pre-match planning in the light of the intelligence at hand. Whilst that intelligence can be obtained from a variety of sources, the prime source for football intelligence is the Police National Intelligence System which is based on the network of police liaison officers. Summaries completed by police officers of the home club force are forwarded to the visiting club's liaison officer making available intelligence about fans' behaviour at both home and away fixtures. This information will be collated and made available for future matches involving that club".
218. The FA had also laid down in a memorandum issued in the 1985/6 season measures to be adopted by the away club which included the following:-
"It is the responsibility of the away club to advise the home club of the recent behaviour of their supporters at away matches, irrespective of whether the behaviour has resulted in disciplinary action by the Football Association or not".
219. It does not seem that information of this kind was passed to the Sheffield Wednesday Club or played
