The force has admitted documentation was destroyed just last year
Thousands of striking miners picket outside the Orgreave coke works near Rotherham
A ‘furious’ MP is demanding answers after police admitted destroying documents relating to the miners’ strike and the Battle of Orgreave. In one of the darkest days of the year-long dispute riot police clashed with thousands of striking miners at the Orgreave coking plant in South Yorkshire on June 17, 1984.
What became known as the Battle of Orgreave resulted in 95 miners, including four from County Durham, facing serious criminal charges. But their trials collapsed when it became clear police evidence was unreliable with allegations of fabrication and perjury. While campaigners say some of the thousands of officers drafted in to police the picketing used excessive violence with mounted officers charging at the miners.
In the run-up to last year’s General Election the Labour Party made a commitment to hold an inquiry into what happened at Orgreave in its manifesto. But now as miners and their family await answers and and justice it has been revealed that Northumbria Police has destroyed all documents relating the Orgreave and the strike just last year.
Today Blyth and Ashington MP Ian Lavery has told of his anger at the move. And he has vowed to raise the issue in Parliament and find out how it could have happened.
Mr Lavery said: “I’m furious. It’s absolutely shocking. I’m going to ask how on earth this has been allowed to happen. I’m going to ask what the Home Office is going to do to ensure all the documentation is kept. It appears as if this has been done without anyone being aware of it. Who has made the decision and on what basis? I will be raising it with the leader of the house tomorrow.
Blyth and Ashington MP Ian Lavery(Image: Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)
“If the Government agree, and I think they will, to have an inquiry and other police force’s have done the same as Northumbria where do we start?”
In December 2016 the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) requested that all police forces who were involved in policing at Orgreave submitted any information they held to South Yorkshire Police for archiving ahead of an inquiry. At that time Northumbria Police’s Chief Constable confirmed the force did have relevant documents and outlined what they were. They are said to have included papers covering the “management and logistics” of the deployment of the Police Special Units in South Yorkshire, a report by a Superintendent regarding the organisation and timetable of June 18 1984 at the Orgreave coking plant as well as documents relating to the subsequent handling of one of the most violent assaults by a police officer on a miner, captured by national television crews.
But the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign discovered that Northumbria Police had destroyed all remaining papers associated with Orgreave and the strike, in April 2024, throw a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
Mounted riot police at the miners’ demonstration at Orgreave colliery, Yorkshire, where miners picketed the mine, 2nd June 1984. Soon afterwards, the ‘Battle of Orgreave’ took place
The campaign’s secretary, Kate Flannery, said: “This is extremely disturbing news. We are now understandably worried about how many other police forces may have recently destroyed or intend to destroy important information that would be very relevant in an Orgreave inquiry or investigation.”
And Kevin Horne, a miner arrested at Orgreave said: “Any argument that documents and records were simply destroyed on the basis of time passed does not make sense given that Northumbria police and other police forces had by April 2024, already kept the documents for nearly 40 years.”
Mr Lavery said it was essential that the full truth of what happened at Orgreave more than 40 years ago was revealed.
He added: “The truth is always important People need to understand how things like Orgreave have happened. There’s miners up and down this country who were at Orgreave who were beaten and who were arrested. They would like to see the truth come to the fore.
“The truth should come out and justice should be served for the miners. It was brutal.”
A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “We can confirm two boxes containing data in relation to the Miners’ Strike were disposed of in April 2024 following a formal review, retain or disposal process in line with force policy and the Data Protection Act 2018.”