The officer in command of policing at the Hillsborough disaster when 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death admitted today that he was “not the best man for the job”.
David Duckenfield, a former chief superintendent, said he should have considered his limited knowledge of policing at the stadium having been promoted just 15 days before the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.
The match-day commander ordered the opening of gate to relieve a crush at the turnstiles which led to a surge of 2,000 fans into a pen on the Leppings Lane terraces at the Hillsborough stadium in April 1989, the inquests have been told.
He has been accused of telling a “wicked lie” by allegedly blaming Liverpool fans for forcing open the gate.
Relatives of some of the victims later brought a private prosecution against Mr Duckenfield and former superintendent Bernard Murray, who was second in command at the match.
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Hundreds of relatives attended the inquests being held today at a specially constructed court in Warrington.
Mr Duckenfield told the court he had not been involved in policing at Hillsborough for a decade and his most recent experience of controlling large crowds included a Bruce Springsteen concert and Billy Graham convention.
Preparing for the match was just one of a “number of major priorities” during his 15 days as divisional commander in South Yorkshire Police, including overseeing the “traumatic” move to the local police headquarters.
The retired officer said: “With hindsight I should have thought about my limited knowledge of my role as a commander of [capacity] event. I am older and hopefully wiser. Probably I was not the best man for the job on the day.”
He said at the time “it did not cross my mind that the semi-final was something I could not cope with, with the assistance of the very skilled people around me”.
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“I was assured by Mr [Walter] Jackson, the assistant chief constable, that whatever experience I lacked then, those around me … were very experienced officers and were of a calibre and had sufficient experience to assist me on the day,” he said.
Mr Duckenfield, 70, said he had been promoted the previous month to divisional commander of an area with a large immigrant community, problems with gypsies and high levels of deprivation.
He said: “There was a culture in the police service at that time and the culture was you would be moved without an overlap and learnt on the job.
“It did not cross my mind to say I was not up to the job. I just got on with it. It was a serious mistake, with hindsight, knowing events of the occurred on the day, that I continued in the role [as match commander].”
“Nobody, including me, knew what might evolve on the day and difficulties we might face.
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Mr Duckenfield, who joined the South Yorkshire Police as a cadet aged 16, said he had to “rely totally” on Superintendent Murray “in the knowledge I was the ultimate commander on the day”.
He said he could not remember if he had read national guidelines on policing football matches before taking control of the semi-final.
The retired officer admitted that he did not know the codeword – “catastrophe” – which was meant to be used by the emergency services in South Yorkshire to designate a major incident.
Roger Marshall, a former superintendent who was in charge of policing outside the stadium, agreed when giving evidence last year, that Mr Duckenfield told a “wicked lie” when he accused Liverpool fans of forcing open the gate which led to the fatal crush.
The inquests continue.