Orgreave report 'could prejudice Hillsborough inquiry'

Thousands of miners and police clashed at the Orgreave coking site in South Yorkshire

A full report into allegations of police misconduct at the so-called Battle of Orgreave will not be made public, the Independent Police Complaints Commission has ruled.

It said publishing its full review of the actions of South Yorkshire Police may prejudice criminal investigations into the Hillsborough disaster.

A redacted copy was released in 2015.

Barbara Jackson of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) said she was "disappointed" with the decision.

Thousands of striking miners and police officers clashed at the Orgreave coking plant near Rotherham in June 1984.

Campaigners called for a public inquiry after the IPCC ruled the passage of time meant allegations of assault could not be pursued.

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A spokesperson for the IPCC said: "After consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, the IPCC has determined that it will not publish an unredacted report.

"This is because there may be some material within that report which is relevant to the current Hillsborough investigation.

"Decisions are yet to be made on whether any criminal proceedings are to be brought as a result of those investigations and the IPCC does not want to prejudice that process."

A redacted copy of the IPCC's report was released in 2015

Ms Jackson said: "The redacted report had nuggets of gold in it [and] I think there could be clear links [in the full version] between the police culture and attitude at the time of Orgreave and then Hillsborough.

"The miners in our campaign have their hopes raised and dashed and people get very cynical. They need to see justice quite quickly before they lose what hope they are holding on to."

'Underhand tactics'

South Yorkshire Police referred itself to the IPCC in 2012 over allegations of assault and misconduct relating to the events at Orgreave.

Criminal investigations into the events at Hillsborough and its aftermath are being carried out by the IPCC and Operation Resolve.

Labour MP Andy Burnham, who called for an inquiry into Hillsborough, previously claimed the redacted report contained proof police used "underhand tactics" against both miners and Liverpool supporters.

He said: "As I've always said, we won't have the truth about Hillsborough until we have the full truth about Orgreave."