Sir Ronald Flanagan, GBE, QPM, (born 25 March 1949 in Belfast) was the Home Office Chief Inspector of Constabulary for the United Kingdom excluding Scotland. Flanagan was previously the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland since its creation in 2001 to 2002, and had been Chief Constable of its predecessor, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) until 2001.
He joined the RUC in 1970 while studying Physics at Queen's University of Belfast. He resigned in 2002, and was replaced by Hugh Orde. Since then he has served in Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and was appointed as HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in 2005. He was tasked to review the police arrangements in Iraq in December 2005 as part of the British involvement there. Following Flanagan's retirement in December 2008, Denis O'Connor succeeded him as Her Majesty's Acting Chief Inspector of Constabulary.
Sir Ronald then took up the post of strategic adviser to the Abu Dhabi Police Force,[1] a post he held for almost two years until he succeeded Lord Condon as chairman of the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU).[2]
On 22 January 2007 a report by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Nuala O'Loan, made findings of collusion between members of the proscribed paramilitary organization, the Ulster Volunteer Force, and officers under the command of Flanagan.[3] The reports were acknowledged by the current Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde who apologized for the wrong-doing of his officers, and by the then British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain.
“While I appreciate that it cannot redress some of the tragic consequences visited upon the families of those touched by the incidents investigated in this report, I offer a whole-hearted apology for anything done or left undone.” – Hugh Orde
Flanagan denied any wrong-doing or acting with any knowledge of the events in question. He did not deny that these events had taken place. In the aftermath of the ombudsman's report, Irish nationalist politicians said he should be forced to resign or fired from his job as Chief Inspector of Constabulary.
The Police Ombudsman had criticised Flanagan's role in the RUC inquiry into the Omagh Bombing of 1998, in a report published in 2001, to which Flanagan's response was that he would “publicly commit suicide” if he believed her report was correct, though he later apologised for the form of words he used.[4]
| Police appointments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hugh Annesley |
Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary 1996–2001 |
Succeeded by Last incumbent |
| Preceded by First incumbent |
Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland 2001–2002 |
Succeeded by Colin Cramphorn (acting) |
| Preceded by |
Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary for London and the East Region 2002–2005 |
Succeeded by Denis O'Connor |
| Preceded by Sir Keith Povey |
HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary for England, Wales and Northern Ireland 2005–2008 |
Succeeded by Denis O'Connor (acting) |