James Anderton

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Sir (Cyril) James Anderton CBE (born May 24, 1932) is a British former police officer, who served as Chief Constable of Greater Manchester from 1975 to 1991.

[edit] Life and career

Anderton was born in Wigan, and educated in local schools. He served in the military police before joining the civil force in 1953. He rose rapidly through the police ranks, studying criminology at the Victoria University of Manchester, eventually gaining a reputation as a tough but thoughtful chief officer. He became Deputy Chief Constable of Leicestershire Constabulary.

His appointment as Chief Constable of Greater Manchester was announced on October 23, 1975. Anderton frequently courted public controversy with his outspoken views on policing and morality. As a professed Christian who claimed to speak with the supreme being regularly and who characterized himself to be an instrument of divine judgment,^[1] Anderton came to be known as "God's Copper". This led to the press and the public questioning his mental health and capability to perform his job appropriately. He was often in conflict with the city's political leadership during the 1980s, especially over his ultra-conservative views on homosexuality and AIDS: he declared that homosexuality should be illegal, and he referred to homosexuals and those with AIDS as "swirling in a cesspit of their own making".^[2][3][4][5]

In 1989 he was caricatured as "James Appleton" in David Britton's satirical novel Lord Horror, in which Britton replaced "homosexuals" with "Jews" in one of Anderton's better-known speeches. This action that resulted in the book's banning and Britton's imprisonment for four months.^[6]

In 1986 he was embroiled in national political controversy when his deputy John Stalker was suspended over allegations of his friendship with a man called Kevin Taylor, who was accused of fraud and drug-dealing,^[7] when on the point of completing an official report critical of the policing policies of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

Anderton is married to Joan Baron, and the couple have one daughter. They live in Sale. Since retirement, Anderton has spent his time working for various charities and with young offenders, and supporting the Salvation Army.

[edit] References