Denis O'Connor (police officer)

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
CBE QPM
Sir Denis O'Connor in 2012
Chief Inspector of Constabulary
In office
11 May 2009 – 31 July 2012
Preceded bySir Ronnie Flanagan
Succeeded byTom Winsor
Personal details
Born (1949-05-21) 21 May 1949
ProfessionPolice 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 G-20 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]


RibbonDescriptionNotes
Knight Bachelor (Kt)
  • 2010
Order of the British Empire (CBE)
  • 2002
  • Commander
  • Civil Division
Queen's Police Medal (QPM)
  • 1996
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
  • 2002
  • UK Version of this Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
  • 2012
  • UK Version of this Medal
Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal

References
  1. "O'Connor, Sir Denis (Francis)". Who's Who. A & C Black. 2019. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U28723. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. "Policing must be responsive to local needs says Surrey's new chief constable". Surrey Live. 3 July 2013 [21 April 2000]. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  3. "Knighthood for ex-Surrey chief constable Denis O'Connor". BBC News. 12 June 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  4. "Police watchdog quits". The Times. No. 70533. London. 29 March 2012. p. 9.
  5. "Chief Inspector of Constabulary to retire". HM Government, gov.uk website. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  6. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Denis O'Connor (7 July 2009). "Adapting to Protest" (PDF). Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  7. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Denis O'Connor (24 September 2010). "Stop The Rot" (PDF). Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  8. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Denis O'Connor (24 September 2010). "Anti Social Behaviour". Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. Archived from the original on 17 October 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  9. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Denis O'Connor (23 September 2010). "Police retreat from the streets has nothing to do with money". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  10. "No. 59446". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2010. p. 1.
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