Non-Subscriber Extract
The true Ronnie
By Claire Haynes
25 November 2008
Q: You have been involved in UK policing for nearly four decades. What has been your proudest achievement?
A: I could not pick out any single incident or achievement. I now have 38 years in policing and I have served in more than 20 completely different roles. I have absolutely relished every one of those roles. It has been a wonderful experience, a wonderful opportunity and a great privilege.
Q: What was the biggest challenge you faced?
A: There have been challenges of course - outright terrorism down through many years, in fact for most of my career, in Northern Ireland. But then, seeing politicians who up to that point had refused to share a room let alone sit around the same table eventually working out arrangements for government, and seeing people who had been involved in violence eventually moving away from violence, was a fascinating period to go through.
Image: Sir Ronnie Flanagan says he has relished every one of the many roles he has performed during his 38 years in the police service (Andrew Carruth)