Liverpool parade police have ‘questions to answer' over how car breached roadblock and ploughed into fans
Police have 'a lot of questions to answer' after a car is believed to have tailgated an ambulance through a roadblock at Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade and ploughed into a crowd of fans, injuring 65 people.
A top security expert has warned the horrifying incident should never have happened as officials faced tough questions about safety measures at Monday's event, which saw up to one million fans flock to the city's streets.
A 53-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and drug driving was still being quizzed by police on Tuesday night as police scoured CCTV to work out how the car was able to breach road closures.
Eleven people remain in hospital after a Ford Galaxy struck fans on Water Street, off the main parade route on The Strand, at around 6pm, leaving some trapped under the vehicle.
Merseyside Police assistant chief constable Jenny Sims said there was a roadblock in place but it was temporarily lifted for an ambulance to reach a man suffering a suspected heart attack.
The people carrier is believed to have followed it inside the perimeter and onto the packed street as fans made their way to catch trains, buses and taxis home.
A security expert said the horrifying incident 'could easily have been prevented' as he questioned why enhanced measures, such as anti-vehicle security barriers, were not in place.
The road is understood to have been blocked by a flat-bed truck as part of council-run rolling road closures.
Lee Doddridge, who has trained the UK's counter terrorism security advisors at National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and planned major events including the Ryder Cup in Wales in 2010, told The Independent: 'It could have easily been prevented.
'Regardless of the circumstances, the vehicle shouldn't have been anywhere within that cordon.'
He said Merseyside Police have 'a lot of questions to answer' over the incident, which is not being treated as terror-related.
The force has said there were 'robust' traffic management measures in place for the parade. However, Mr Doddridge added: 'Merseyside Police commented that they had a well-managed traffic plan, but clearly it wasn't that well planned because a vehicle was able to get so close.'
'Clearly, they deployed the wrong tactics,' he added. 'They had police snipers on the rooftops, but you wouldn't have taken a shot into a crowd of tens of thousands of people, plus the area was covered in smoke from fireworks and flares.
'What they should have been doing was making sure that the area was safe for people to gather.'
Liverpool City Council confirmed the road was closed to vehicles under a rolling road block, and 'Hostile Vehicle Mitigation measures' were in place.
Liverpool City Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram also demanded answers to 'legitimate' questions about how the car was able to enter the area.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, AC Sims defended the policing operation during the 10-mile parade, saying they had planned for "all contingencies" - including road closures and an armed police presence.
She added: "There was no intelligence to suggest an incident of this nature would take place."
There have so far been 65 confirmed casualties, and officers are trying to identify others. Within hours of the crash, police revealed the suspect was a white British man from West Derby in Liverpool, in a move that has been described as a 'complete step change' from the response to the Southport attack, as police worked quickly to quash online disinformation about their identity.
Det Chf Supt Jaundrill added: 'Our detectives are speaking to many witnesses, including those injured, witnesses at the scene and emergency responders, as we seek to get a full picture of exactly what happened.
'In addition, extensive CCTV inquiries are being carried out across the city to establish the movements of the car before the incident took place.'
Traumatised witness Natasha Rimaldi, 31, was watching the parade from her friend's flat on Water Street, Liverpool, when she heard 'desperate screams' from below.
'We rushed over to the window and saw injured people all over the floor,' she told The Independent.
'We heard so many screams. I will never forget seeing a woman stuck under the car. It was so distressing. She was the last person to be rescued.'
Ms Rinaldi, a Liverpool FC fan for 12 years, said the collision, which injured 65 people, including four children, had 'destroyed' what was supposed to be a 'very happy day'.
'The first thing I thought was how did the driver get in,' she added. 'The roads were blocked; it was hard even to get inside as someone walking. I just don't understand how the car ended up there.
'A group of people were trying to break into the driver's car and were shouting 'get him!' It was so shocking and took us a while to understand what had happened.'
Donna Skeldon, 51, and her partner Chris Wilson, 52, from the Isle of Wight, fled into a side street in terror as the car ploughed through the crowd.
"I was just running in a panic," she said. "We weren't sure what was happening, but when you see so many people running, you just run for your life because you don't know what's happening.'
Sir Keir Starmer said the whole country 'stands with Liverpool' as he paid tribute to victims and first responders, adding that 'scenes of joy turned to utter horror and devastation'.
Princess Anne visited the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, where 11 people remain in a stable condition. Staff who treated the wounded said they were "very, very fortunate" that there were no more injuries.
Consultant Jay Rathore said: "Most of the injuries were limb injuries. No life-threatening, we were able to manage them."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
42 minutes ago
- Reuters
Bank of England's Bailey defends bond programme after Reform UK criticism
LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey defended the central bank's programme of government bond purchases and sales which has come under fire from some politicians for its cost. In a letter to Richard Tice, deputy leader of the Reform UK party which is led by former Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, Bailey said claims that the programme was more expensive than those run by other central banks did not tell the full story. Britain's government issued more long-term debt than other countries at a time when the BoE's bond-buying - or quantitative easing - was keeping borrowing costs low, giving the country a longer-lasting benefit, Bailey said. "Put simply, the cash flow cost of QE/QT is not therefore what it seems, and the outcome in these terms will be better," he said in the letter published on Monday. Reform - which is leading Britain's more established political parties in opinion polls - has said the government could save as much as 40 billion pounds ($53.6 billion) a year by stopping payment of interest to banks on reserves held at the BoE. Most of those reserves were created as a byproduct of the central bank's bond purchases which began in 2009 and reached a peak of almost 900 billion pounds in holdings in 2021. Since then, the BoE has sold much of its bond portfolio - known as quantitative tightening - and the programme is due to incur losses for the public finances because of a rise in interest rates and a subsequent fall in the value of the bonds. In his letter, Bailey said the bond purchases shielded Britain's economy from a string of economic shocks over the past 16 years. "It is easy to forget the severe problems we faced with these shocks," he said. "Although the counterfactual is unknowable with any precision, most estimates indicate that QE provided very significant support to the UK economy, protecting both jobs and tax revenues." Bailey said that ceasing paying interest on reserves was tantamount to increasing taxes on banks and would lead to lower interest payments for savers or higher interest rates for borrowers. He also disputed Reform's view that British banks were making excess profits. "Interest paid on reserves is not free money for the banks, not least as most of it is paid on to customers in the form of interest on their deposits," Bailey said.
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Former Sky News host Dermot Murnaghan diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer
Former Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan has announced his diagnosis with stage four prostate cancer. The broadcaster, 67, who spent more than 15 years at the news channel before his departure in 2023, said he is 'responding positively' to treatment in a post to X on Monday. Advertisement 'Some personal news… I've been diagnosed with Stage IV advanced prostate cancer', he said. 'I'm fortunate to have a simply outstanding medical team looking after me, who I can't thank enough – they are administering the best possible care with expertise, compassion and sensitivity. 'I'm responding positively to their excellent treatment, and feeling well.' Stage four prostate cancer can mean that the cancer has spread into different parts of the body including nearby body organs, such as the back passage or bladder, nearby lymph nodes and other parts of the body outside the pelvis, such as the bones, lungs or liver, according to the Cancer Research UK website. Advertisement 'I'm blessed to be fortified by the monumental love and support of my wife, family and close friends', Murnaghan said. 'Needless to say my message to all men over 50, in high risk groups, or displaying symptoms, is get yourself tested and campaign for routine prostate screening by the NHS.' He also said that he is aiming to take part in Sir Chris Hoy's fundraising charity bike ride in September which will raise awareness and funds for cancer charities across the UK. The Olympian announced he had a terminal diagnosis for prostate cancer in October 2024. Advertisement The Tour de 4 ride, which will begin and end at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome in Glasgow on September 7, aims to change the perception of people living with stage four cancer. NHS guidance says men over the age of 50 are at highest risk of developing prostate cancer, but Sir Chris wants to help men get screened earlier. About one in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime, according to the charity Prostate Cancer UK, and the disease often has no symptoms in its earlier stages. Dermot Murnaghan and Alastair Stewart (Gareth Fuller/PA) Murnaghan presents true crime documentary series Killer Britain and the podcast Legends Of News. Advertisement Before joining Sky News, Murnaghan presented ITV's News At Ten and the BBC Ten O'Clock News – now known as BBC News At Ten – as well as Channel 4 News. Murnaghan also hosted the BBC's quiz programme Eggheads and presented Sky News At Ten and talk show Murnaghan before his last role at the channel as a newsreader on Sky News Tonight. During his time, he covered big events such as the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the 2019 UK general election, the funeral of Prince Philip and the 2020 US presidential election.
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
PSNI disclosing information to inquiry ‘as quickly as it can'
The PSNI is disclosing information to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry 'as quickly as it can', its legal team has said. The pledge came after the overall pace of disclosure to the proceedings was deemed not to be fast enough by the inquiry's counsel. Advertisement The Real IRA bomb in the Co Tyrone town in August 1998 killed 29 people, including a woman who was pregnant with twins, in the worst single atrocity in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The public inquiry was set up by the previous UK government to examine whether the explosion could have been prevented by the UK authorities. Philip Henry KC, for the PSNI, said the police service had implemented a new team for the Omagh Bombing Inquiry review, adding that the organisation offers its sincere condolences to those who lost loved ones and its deepest sympathy to all those affected. However, he said there were significant challenges and limitations associated with old, outdated and non-interconnected information technology systems as well as paper records. Advertisement As an example, he said an electronic system that stores criminal investigation papers on the Omagh Bombing holds 26,000 documents of varying length and 2,000 exhibits. In addition, he said the 'magnitude of the request' by the inquiry to provide material in connection with 31 previous attacks and attempted attacks from 25 years ago is 'a huge undertaking'. 'It is important to emphasise that the PSNI is not offering this as an excuse. Rather, it is a candid explanation of what is involved, so that expectations are realistic as to how quickly it is possible to reliably meet the inquiry's requirements. 'The PSNI recognises that any periods of delay can cause frustration. However, the PSNI must also do the work properly – and it is being done as quickly as it can, and in good faith.' Advertisement Mr Henry outlined how it took over three months for three highly trained sensitive researchers to investigate the first three of 31 previous incidents identified by the inquiry. It was believed it would have delayed inquiry proceedings by several years if the PSNI did not allocate additional resources to the process. While the PSNI is also dealing with more than 1,100 other pieces of legacy-related litigation, it decided to reassign all its sensitive researchers who were working on other cases to join the work on the 31 previous incidents for a period of six months. He said this 'exceptional step' was done in the knowledge that it may impact on work on other legacy-related cases. Advertisement 'However, if it did not adopt this course then there would be a delay of several years in progressing the inquiry, which was unacceptable to the PSNI, unacceptable to the inquiry, and would have been unacceptable to the other core participants.' Mr Henry said it will not be possible for the PSNI to disclose all information in an open, public format but said the service would apply for restriction orders only to protect the public interest or national security and to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. On the subject of making concessions, he said the PSNI will do so if it becomes appropriate but added that it was not possible at this point in time as it is still in the process of reviewing thousands of documents. Ireland UK government's approach to Omagh bomb hearing 'ri... Read More He also said the PSNI believed that the examination of the preventability of the bombing needed to be calibrated with reference to what was reasonably practicable in the circumstances. Advertisement He added that a fair and balanced examination would also have to look at other demands and threats faced by the police at the time. Finally, he noted that it is 'much easier to join the dots after the event, when one already knows the outcome' as he said the inquiry must be aware of 'hindsight bias'.
