In June 1997 , Straw appointed Lord Justice Stuart-Smith to conduct a review of the need for a new public inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster . He indicated to the judge out the outset that the in view of his officials " there was not sufficient evidence to justify a new inquiry " . In contrast he had told parliament " I am determined to go as far as I can to ensure that no matter of significance is overlooked and that we do not reach a final conclusion without a full and independent examination of the evidence . " He had given the families of the victims full assurance that he intended a thorough examination of the matter . He apologised in both 2012 and 2016 for the failures of his review On 31 July 1997 , Straw ordered a public inquiry , to be conducted by Sir William Macpherson and officially titled " The Inquiry into the Matters Arising from the Death of Stephen Lawrence " . Its report , produced in February 1999 , estimated that it had taken " more than 100,000 pages of reports , statements , and other written or printed documents " and concluded that the original Metropolitan Police Service ( MPS ) investigation had been incompetent and that officers had committed fundamental errors , including : failing to give first aid when they reached the scene ; failing to follow obvious leads during their investigation ; and failing to arrest suspects . The report found that there had been a failure of leadership by senior MPS officers and that recommendations of the 1981 Scarman Report , compiled following race-related riots in Brixton and Toxteth , had been ignored and concluded that the force was " institutionally racist " . It also recommended that the double jeopardy rule should be abrogated in murder cases to allow a retrial upon new and compelling evidence ; this became law in 2005 . Straw commented in 2012 that ordering the inquiry was " the single most important decision I made as Home Secretary "
the Death of Stephen Lawrence
Murder of Stephen Lawrence
Jack Straw