Policing Board ask Flanagan to stay until March

The Policing Board has asked Sir Ronnie Flanagan to remain as Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland until the end of March.

Sir Ronnie, who was recently appointed as an Inspector of Constabulary, had tendered his resignation which was to have taken effect from February 28.

In talks held on Thursday February 21 the Policing board said they had invited Sir Ronnie to remain in position a month beyond the completion of his three months statutory notice period.

At this stage however, it is uncertain if Sir Ronnie will accept the Policing Board's proposal to stay on an extra month in his capacity as Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

In a statement the Policing Board said they had also asked the current Deputy Chief Constable Colin Cramphorn to temporarily assume all of the functions of the Chief Constable between the end of March and the appointment of the new Chief Constable, to facilitate the continuity of service.

Members of the Policing Board were reportedly split over whether Sir Ronnie should be asked to remain until a replacement is found. Some unionists, who defended him in the face of fierce criticisms from Nuala O'Loan's report into the police inquiry into the August 1998 Real IRA attack that killed 29 people, want him to stay.

But representatives from SDLP party are understood to be pressing for his departure. The nationalist party have made it known they would like Deputy Chief Constable Colin Cramphorn to take up the position in the interim.

The Board is finalising the process for the recruitment of a new Chief Constable and this is likely to begin in early March.

(AMcE)