Hillsborough: 'absolutely essential' that police are prosecuted Prosecutions for manslaughter and perverting the course of justice against police and other public bodies could be considered. The inquest into the 96 deaths are almost certain to be re-opened. There have also been calls for a fresh public inquiry to question those involved. A panel given unprecedented access to 450,000 official documents about the fatal crush at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest discovered officers attempted to smear the dead by checking them for criminal records and medics had tried to prove they were drunk. Meanwhile, police and ambulance workers doctored hundreds of statements to deflect criticism. Speaking today, Mr Wells said it was "absolutely essential" to pursue prosecutions against any officers who had engaged in the cover-up, adding that it was "outrageous" that any statements were changed. He told BBC Radio 4"s Today programme: "I swallowed, maybe to my own regret now, the prevailing account that the statements had been looked at for criminal justice purposes and emotional, non-evidential material had been removed. It does seem much more intense than that. A group got together to make it better than it was. Asked if prosecutions should happen, he replied: "It is absolutely essential." He added: "I don't know how practical it is going to be now. But the inquest, if that is reopened, my help to shed further light on the details. An independent inquiry led by Lord Chief Justice Taylor in the immediate aftermath of the disaster found the main cause had been a failure in crowd control by South Yorkshire Police Mr Wells said the report was "historic" and as important as the suffragettes in changing the attitude of police, which he added was "authoritarian" and "defensiveness" at the time of Hillsborough. He added: "I am disappointed and angry that (failings in) my chosen profession for 36 years have been revealed and of course I played a part in that and I deeply regret that." A damning report, published yesterday by the Hillsborough Independent Panel, laid bare a shocking cover-up which attempted to shift the blame on to its 96 victims. The report found that 164 police statements were altered, 116 of them to remove or alter "unfavourable" comments about the policing of the match and the unfolding disaster. The report found that authorities in Sheffield knew well in advance that the football ground was unsafe and flawed inquests ignored the fact that up to half of the victims could have been saved had the rescue attempts been better. The Crown Prosecution Service is under pressure to investigate police for perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office over the doctored statements and smear tactics. Council and football club officials could also face charges of negligence manslaughter if it was proved they let the match go ahead, knowing the stadium was unsafe. South Yorkshire Chief Constable David Crompton said if officers had broken the law, they should be prosecuted. "My position is a very simple and straightforward one, which is that if people have broken the law then they should be prosecuted," he told BBC Two's Newsnight programme. It doesn't make any difference whether they're a police officer or anybody else. We will treat this with the utmost seriousness. And then if people have got serious questions to answer, we'll act appropriately.