Sir Kenneth Leslie Newman (15 August 1926 – 4 February 2017) was a senior British
police officer
A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...
. He was
Chief Constable of the
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the ...
(RUC) from 1976 to 1980, and
Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...
of the
Metropolitan Police from 1982 to 1987. He is best known for initiating a major reform and restructure of the Metropolitan Police during his tenure as Commissioner and for seeing the RUC replace the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
as the dominant security force in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
during his tenure as Chief Constable.
Early life and career
Newman was born on 15 August 1926 in
Hackney, London
Hackney is a district in East London, England, forming around two-thirds of the area of the modern London Borough of Hackney, to which it gives its name. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross and includes part of the Queen ...
and grew up in
North Bersted
Bersted is a civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England. It is made up of two independent villages, North Bersted and Shripney.
Governance
An electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward contains a little of Bognor Regis ...
. He joined the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
in 1942, three days after his 16th birthday.
After basic training, Newman trained to be a wireless operator at
No. 1 Radio School RAF when he was nicknamed "
Jankers" but he did not complete the course and remustered to become a Mechanical Transport Driver. Completing his training, Newman served for two years with the
RAF Far East Air Force
The former Royal Air Force Far East Air Force, more simply known as RAF Far East Air Force, was the Command organisation that controlled all Royal Air Force assets in the east of Asia (Far East). It was originally formed as Air Command, South Ea ...
.
Career
Life in the Met
On his return to England, he promptly joined the
Palestine Police Force
The Palestine Police Force (, ) was a British colonial police service established in Mandatory Palestine on 1 July 1920,Sinclair, 2006. when High Commissioner Sir Herbert Samuel's civil administration took over responsibility for security from ...
in the
British Mandate of Palestine, where he served as a uniformed officer before being seconded to the Palestine Special Branch as a detective. When the Palestine Police were disbanded in 1948, the Metropolitan Police sent several recruitment officers from London to convince interested officers to transfer to the Met – Newman signed up and returned to London shortly afterwards where he was stationed at
Bow Street
Bow Street is a thoroughfare in Covent Garden, City of Westminster, Westminster, London. It connects Long Acre, Russell Street and Wellington Street, and is part of a route from St Giles, London, St Giles to Waterloo Bridge.
The street was ...
.
Newman rose up the ranks quickly: promoted to
Sergeant
Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
in 1953; a Detective
Inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.
Australia
The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...
with the Vice Squad;
Chief Inspector at
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
in 1963 and
Superintendent and
Chief Superintendent
Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces, especially in those organised on the United Kingdom, British model.
Rank insignia of chief superintendent
File:Sa-police-chief-superintendent.png, South Australia Police
File:RCMP Chief S ...
at Gerald Road from 1965. Noted by his colleagues and superiors as a high-flyer, Newman had developed several important initiatives including a
scheme and, having been present and having taken a very active role on the 'front line' during the riot, reviewing police
public order Public order may refer to
* Public security: the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger or property damage
* Public order policing: police maintenance of order ...
tactics during the major anti-
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
demonstration outside the US Embassy in
Grosvenor Square
Grosvenor Square ( ) is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of Westminster, Greater London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was deve ...
, which had taken place on 17 March 1968.
After undertaking
external studies at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
, Newman received a
Bachelor of Laws
A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...
with Honours in 1971, and was promoted to
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
, serving in various capacities at
New Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...
.
Northern Ireland
In 1973, Newman applied for the position of Deputy
Chief Constable of the
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the ...
(RUC) in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
and was promoted to Chief Constable in May 1976. Using his experience in public order policing, and his penchant for reform, Newman was instrumental in transforming the RUC from a "poor cousin" of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
in the region, to the dominant security force in Northern Ireland,
police force. He introduced the policy of Ulsterisation. Newman was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
in the
1978 New Year Honours after his work with the RUC.
Bramshill
Newman was recalled to England in 1980 and served for three years as
Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), formerly Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), has statutory responsibility for the inspection of the police forces of England and Wales, and since ...
and
Commandant
Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...
of the
Police Staff College, Bramshill
The Police Staff College, Bramshill, Bramshill House, Bramshill, (near Hook) Hampshire, England, was until 2015 the principal police staff training establishment in England and Wales.
History
The need for a training college for the police was ...
, where he once again honed his skills in public order policing and management reform.
Commissioner
Newman's appointment as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 1982 came at a time when the Met was under intense public and media scrutiny. Newman subsequently initiated one of the most major reform campaigns the Met had ever undertaken.
Among his initiatives were:
* expanding the controversial
Special Patrol Group
The Special Patrol Group (SPG) was a unit of Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for providing a centrally based mobile capacity to combat serious public disorder, crime, and terrorism, that could not be dealt with by loca ...
into the
Territorial Support Group
The Territorial Support Group (TSG) is a Met Operations unit of London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) which focuses on public order policing and other specialist areas. In 2012 it consisted of 793 officers and 29 support staff. The TSG ...
by merging it with the District Support Units
* the establishment of "Area-based policing", divesting the centralised officers and resources of New Scotland Yard into eight geographical areas
* publishing Principles of Policing to replace the traditional Standing Orders, with the assistance of the new MPS Policy Committee, changing the fundamental guidelines for policing in London for the first time in 150 years
Newman spoke out against the prevalence of
Freemasonry
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
in the police, although a police Freemason's Lodge, the Manor of St James, was set up and flourished shortly after his comments. He retired in 1987, his reforms paving the way for his successor,
Sir Peter Imbert, to implement further reforms known as the PLUS Programme. He took directorships with Control Risks, Automated Security Holdings and the Automobile Association.
Death
Sir Kenneth Newman died on 4 February 2017 at the age of 90, presumedly in
Bournemouth, Dorset where his funeral was held.
He was survived by his wife Eileen (née Freeman), their son, Laurence, daughter, Melanie, and three grandsons.
Honours
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Kenneth
1926 births
2017 deaths
British people of the Palestine Emergency
Royal Air Force airmen
Military personnel from the London Borough of Hackney
Commissioners of Police of the Metropolis
Chief Constables of the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Knights Bachelor
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal
Metropolitan Police recipients of the Queen's Police Medal
Alumni of University of London Worldwide
Alumni of the University of London
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
Mandatory Palestine people of World War II
Palestine Police Force officers
Inspectors of Constabulary
Commanders of the Order of St John
People from Hackney, London