Denis O'Connor (police officer)
British police officer (born 1949)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Denis Francis O'Connor CBE QPM (born 21 May 1949[1]) is the former Chief Inspector of Constabulary. He was appointed on 11 May 2009 and retired on 31 July 2012.
Sir Denis O'Connor | |
|---|---|
Sir Denis O'Connor in 2012 | |
| Chief Inspector of Constabulary | |
| In office 11 May 2009 – 31 July 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Ronnie Flanagan |
| Succeeded by | Tom Winsor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 May 1949 |
| Profession | Police officer |
Career
Born in Drogheda, Ireland,[2] O'Connor's police career began in 1968 as a constable with the Metropolitan Police.[3] He left in 1970 to attend the University of Southampton, but rejoined the police as a graduate entrant in 1974.[2] In 1985 he was appointed as a superintendent in Surrey Police and returned in 1988 as a chief superintendent to the Metropolitan Police Service. He rose to the rank of commander in the MPS. In 1991, he was appointed as an assistant chief constable with Surrey Police[2] before transferring to Kent Police where he was appointed as deputy chief constable between 1993 and 1997.[3] In 1997, he became a Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner and from 2000 until 2004 was appointed chief constable of Surrey Police.[4]
From 2004, he was one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary, and became Acting Chief Inspector on 1 December 2008. On 28 March 2012 the Home Secretary announced Sir Denis would retire on 31 July after more than three years in the role.[4][5]
O'Connor is trustee of the Surrey Care Trust in Woking Surrey, which provides education, training, skills and volunteering opportunities to those who need motivation or a second chance in life. The charity also runs a fund to help those facing hardship throughout Surrey.
Reports
- Adapting to Protest published 7 July 2009. This report concerned the policing of the 2009 G20 London summit protests.[6]
- Stop the Rot, published 24 September 2010, that examined the effects of anti-social behaviour and the withdrawal of police street patrols.[7][8] According to the Stop the Rot report, it confirmed the widely held belief by UK people, that the police had largely retreated from policing anti-social behaviour on the streets, by grading calls and not replying to incidents deemed to be below a specific grade of offence. The results was a rapid increase of yobbish behaviour in the last decade.[9]
Awards
He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in 1996.[2] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2002,[1] and was knighted in the 2010 Birthday Honours.[10]
_Ribbon.png){kind=small}
| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
| Knight Bachelor (Kt) |
|
| Order of the British Empire (CBE) |
|
| Queen's Police Medal (QPM) |
|
| Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal |
|
| Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal |
|
| Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal | |