The death of Colin Cramphorn, the former Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police who served as a senior officer in the PSNI and the RUC, has been announced today.
Chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board Professor Sir Desmond Rea said he was deeply saddened by the news. He said that Mr Cramphorn would be sadly missed by many friends and colleagues within policing circles in Northern Ireland indeed further afield.
Mr Cramphorn was appointed Deputy Chief Constable to the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1998. He continued service as Deputy Chief Constable in the PSNI and, following the resignation of Sir Ronnie Flanagan, served as Acting Chief Constable from April 2002 to September 2002.
He left the PSNI on 10th November 2002 to take up the position of Chief Constable of the West Yorkshire Police, from where he retired earlier this month.
"On behalf of all the members and staff of the Northern Ireland Policing Board I would offer sincere condolences to Colin's wife and family at this time," said Sir Desmond.
"Colin battled long and hard against his illness, and even when fighting his own personal battle, he continued to played a positive role in policing - right up until his recent retirement from West Yorkshire Police.
"During his service to policing in Northern Ireland, through his work as a professional police officer, Colin made an important contribution to the community and civic society as a whole," he added.
SDLP Policing Spokesperson, Alex Attwood, stated: ""This is very sad and very tragic news. Colin Cramphorn took over the role of Chief Constable at a crucial moment after the departure of Sir Ronnie Flanagan and before the arrival of Sir Hugh Orde. It was not an easy challenge particularly working with a recently established Policing Board. He made a full contribution and helped the full implementation of Patten."