THE DEATH has been announced of Sir John Hermon, who headed the RUC during the 1980s.
He died peacefully on Thursday night after a long battle against Alzheimer's disease. He was 79. His wife, Lady Sylvia Hermon, and family were with him when he died.
Sir John was the longest serving RUC chief constable, who led the force throughout some of the worst events of the Troubles and the most turbulent political events of that decade.
His leadership took him and his officers into direct conflict with both loyalist and republican protesters.
He was responsible for policing the events which surrounded the republican hunger strikes at the Maze prison in 1981 and for clamping down on paramilitary displays at IRA funerals.
But he was also a key figure in rerouting contentious loyalist parades, a decision which put him on a collision course with unionist politicians, most notably the Rev Ian Paisley.
He denied running a shoot-to-kill policy against republican paramilitary suspects in Co Armagh following the killing of six unarmed men in 1982. He crossed swords with John Stalker, the senior Manchester police officer who was sent to Northern Ireland to investigate the claims.
In 1985 the RUC suffered the loss of nine officers when the IRA fired a mortar at Newry police station. It was the worst single attack on the force under Sir John's leadership.
Political figures have praised his courage and character. Nationalist representatives in particular have marked his passing by largely avoiding the criticisms levelled at him when he was chief constable.
Extending his sympathy to Sir John's family, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said: "Jack Hermon was the chief constable of the RUC during a particularly intense period of the conflict. Today we are still grappling with the legacy of that."
First Minister Peter Robinson said Sir John was "to the fore of the battle against terrorism and he played a leading role in stamping it out".
Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward said Sir John had fought his illness with fortitude and dignity and was "strongly committed and dedicated" to the RUC.