Hillsborough police chief Sir Norman Bettison to retire

SIR Norman Bettison is to retire as Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police after controversy over his role in the Hillsborough tragedy.

A complaint was made to police watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) that he had supplied misleading information in the wake of the disaster.

Sir Norman said in a statement: “Recent weeks have caused me to reflect on what is best for the future of policing in West Yorkshire and I have now decided to set a firm date for my retirement of 31 March 2013.”

The IPCC also said that there was a second element to the referral, which related to a statement Sir Norman made in September following the report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

In the statement, Sir Norman said the Liverpool fans’ behaviour made policing the tragedy in 1989 “harder than it needed to be”.

His comments sparked fury, and led to calls for him to resign.

Sir Norman responded with an apology and said his role was never to “besmirch” the fans and added that the Liverpool supporters were in no way to blame for the disaster.