John Stalker

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John Stalker (born 1939 in Manchester) is a former Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police. He is most notable for heading the Stalker Inquiry, a police investigation into the shootings of a number of suspected members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1983. His temporary suspension from duty and removal from the inquiry in 1986, based on false allegations that Kevin Taylor, an acquaintance of his, was a professional criminal, caused considerable public outcry.

1 Career
2 Retirement
3 Trivia
4 References

[edit] Career

After Grammar School he joined Manchester City Police as a cadet in 1956, he joined the CID in 1961 and was promoted; Detective Sergeant (1964), Detective Inspector (1968), Detective Chief Inspector (1974), Detective Chief Superintendent (1978). He attended the Senior Command Course at the Police Staff College, Bramshill in 1979 and was appointed Assistant Chief Constable of the Greater Manchester Police in 1980.

[edit] Retirement

Since his retirement from the police, he has written frequently for the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Times newspapers amongst others.

Following an incident in which Mr Stalker had to fend off two rottweilers biting his wife Stella in June 2006, it is reported he supports an overhaul of the Dangerous Dogs Act. It took at least sixty stitches to mend her wounds and the significant injury was requiring treatment for many weeks after.^[1]

[edit] Trivia

Stalker has also appeared as a guest panellist on Question Time and Have I Got News For You.

Presented Crimestalker for Central Television for a number of years.

He is also known for the Inside Crime series for Carlton TV.

His self penned book Stalker topped the best sellers for several weeks with worldwide sales of over 400,000 copies.

Nowadays, he and his dog Drummer are familiar on television and press adverts endorsing products including garage doors, awnings and various blinds manufactured by Nationwide Ltd.

Advertisements and TV appearances would regularly identify him using his job title, leading a number of comedians to joke that "John Stalker-Former-Deputy-Chief-Constable-of-Greater-Manchester" was his full name.