West Yorkshire police chief to retire after Hillsborough controversy Sir Norman Bettison, chief constable of West Yorkshire police, who was criticised for his role in the Hillsborough disaster. Photograph: Dave Higgens/PA Sir Norman Bettison is to retire as chief constable of West Yorkshire police after controversy over his role in the Hillsborough tragedy. A complaint was made to the police watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) that he had supplied misleading information in the wake of the disaster. Bettison said in a statement: "Recent weeks have caused me to reflect on what is best for the future of policing in West Yorkshire and I have now decided to set a firm date for my retirement of 31 March 2013." The IPCC has said that there was a second element to the referral, which related to a statement Bettison made in September following the report of the Hillsborough independent panel. In the statement, Bettison said the Liverpool fans' behaviour made policing the tragedy in 1989 "harder than it needed to be." His comments sparked fury, and led to calls for him to resign. Bettison responded with an apology and said his role was never to "besmirch" the fans and added that the Liverpool supporters were in no way to blame for the disaster. Bettison was a chief inspector with South Yorkshire police in 1989 but was off duty on 15 April and went to the match as a spectator. Later, he was involved in an internal inquiry held by the force in the aftermath of the tragedy. He has denied any wrongdoing in relation to the disaster. Questions about Bettison's role in the investigation of the tragedy have dogged him as he has risen through the higher ranks of the police - most notably when there were protests from the families of those who died when he became chief constable of Merseyside in 1998. In a message posted on the West Yorkshire police website, Bettison said he hoped his departure would assist the IPCC in its inquiry. He said: "I hope it will enable the Independent Police Complaints Commission to fully investigate allegations that have been raised about my integrity. They need to be fairly and fully investigated and I welcome this independent and formal scrutiny. The former chief constable of Merseyside had refused to leave his post after the publication of a damning report on the Hillsborough disaster. It laid bare a shocking cover-up which attempted to shift the blame on to the 96 victims. The inquiry 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. Bettison previously defended his role in the aftermath of the disaster, saying: "I never altered a statement nor asked for one to be altered." He also said: "I really welcome the disclosure of all the facts that can be known about the Hillsborough tragedy because I have absolutely nothing to hide."