Anthony Peacocke (police officer)
Sir Anthony Peacocke was a United Kingdom police officer. He was Inspector-General of the Royal Ulster Constabulary during 1969.
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Early life and education
Peacocke was born in Bangor, County Down, in 1909. He was awarded a degree in natural sciences from the University of Cambridge, and joined the RUC in 1932.[1]
Police career
During his career, prior to his appointment as Inspector-general, he served in Ballymoney, Belfast and Enniskillen. He was Deputy Inspector-General in 1963.[2] He was appointed as Inspector-General on 5 February 1969.[3]
Inspector-General
During the increasingly violent period in Northern Ireland in 1969, Peacocke initially resisted the deployment of the British Army[4] although changed his view, after a telephone call from Graham Shillington, the Deputy Inspector-General, early in the morning of 13 August.[5] The extent of disorder in Northern Ireland at that time prompted the commissioning of the Hunt Report,[6] which was published in October 1969.[7] A few days earlier, Peacocke had been asked to resign, and his resignation, although tendered immediately, was not announced until 10 October.[8]
References
Further reading
- Ryder, Chris The RUC: A Force Under Fire (1989) Meuthen ISBN 0-413-15340-1
