Letter from Dr Alan Billings South Yorkshire Police & Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable Stephen Watson, South Yorkshire Police, 18 November 2016 Thank you for your Orgreave letter dated 9 November 2016. As Chief Constable and Police and Crime Commissioner, we thought it might be helpful for you, for the avoidance of any doubt as to our respective positions, if we provide a joint reply in response to your specific queries. The South Yorkshire Police archive is held in the Sheffield Archives. These archives contain both written and other material as listed below: Photographs, negatives, VHS Videos, local newspaper cuttings, witness statements, maps, papers relating to criminal and civil proceedings, correspondence, reports, witness lists, complaint files, medical records, costs, lists of officers, arrest records, incident files, police interviews, mutual aid papers, solicitors and insurers papers and numerous other police operational papers. This material was made available to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. South Yorkshire Police also holds solicitors' and insurers' papers from the time of Orgreave, which are stored securely. Again, this material was made available to the Independent Police Complaints Commission for the specific and limited purposes of its investigation. South Yorkshire Police has recently undertaken a further search of the police estate to ensure that all material relating to Orgreave has been discovered. South Yorkshire Police has recently appointed a professional archivist, employed by Sheffield City Council and funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner, to catalogue the archive appropriately. It is anticipated that detailed cataloguing of all the material referred to above will take 12 months to complete. It is also likely that other parts of the police service within the United Kingdom may possess, material which may be relevant to Orgreave. Material in the possession of South Yorkshire Police suggests that at least the following forces were involved: Lancashire Humberside Norfolk West Mercia Merseyside Lincolnshire Northumbria The Metropolitan Police Leicestershire North Wales Staffordshire North Yorkshire Warwickshire West Yorkshire West Midlands Wiltshire Thames Valley Sussex You will be aware of the issues that arise as to the safeguarding of the information rights of individuals (arising under a range of legislative provisions that Parliament has enacted) if material is simply published. Had a public inquiry been established, then it is likely that material would have entered the public domain through that process, regulated by the procedures of the inquiry and controlled by an independent person or body. You will also be aware from press reporting that there may be a challenge by way of judicial review to the decision of the Home Secretary not to institute a public inquiry and you will no doubt have regard to this in your decision‐ making on any publication of material. The PCC and his Office hold minimal material relating to Orgreave; mainly correspondence I as the current PCC and my predecessor have had over the last 4 years in relation to engagement with the Orgreave Truth & Justice Campaign. It is possible that there may also be former Police Authority material in Sheffield Archives. It is intended that this is material the new archivist will inspect and catalogue (in addition to the work they do on the Force's behalf). If we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Yours sincerely, Dr Alan Billings South Yorkshire Police & Crime Commissioner Stephen Watson Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police .