Sir Cyril James Anderton (24 May 1932 – 5 May 2022) was a British police officer who served as
chief constable of
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
from 1976 to 1991.
Early life and career
Born and brought up in a coal mining family in
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
, Lancashire, he was educated at St Matthew's Church School and later at
Wigan Grammar School. Anderton performed three years
National Service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The ...
in the
Royal Military Police
The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations ...
before joining the
Manchester City Police
The Manchester City Police (also known as the Metropolitan Manchester City Police and from 1842 to 1853 the Manchester Borough Police) was, from the early 19th century until 1968, the territorial police force of the city of Manchester, in northern ...
force in 1953. He began his career as a beat constable in the
Moss Side
Moss Side is an inner-city area of Manchester, England, south of the city centre, It had a population of 20,745 at the 2021 census. Moss Side is bounded by Hulme to the north, Chorlton-on-Medlock, Rusholme and Fallowfield to the east, W ...
area of Manchester before being talent-spotted by the then Superintendent
Robert Mark
Sir Robert Mark (13 March 1917 – 30 September 2010) was a senior British police officer who served as Chief Constable of Leicester City Police, and later as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1972 to 1977.
Mark was the first Metr ...
, who later became
Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head of London's Metropolitan Police Service. Sir Mark Rowley was appointed to the post on 8 July 2022 after Dame Cressida Dick announced her resignation in February.
The rank of Commissioner ...
.
Anderton rose rapidly through the ranks of the Manchester City Police, studying
criminology at the
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. Afte ...
. He became a
chief superintendent
Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces, especially in those organised on the British model.
Rank insignia of chief superintendent
File:Sa-police-chief-superintendent.png, South Australia Police
File:RCMP Chief Superintendent.pn ...
of
Cheshire Constabulary
Cheshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the English unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Borough of Halton and Borough of Warrington. The force is responsible for policing an are ...
and later the assistant chief constable of
Leicestershire Constabulary
Leicestershire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Leicestershire and Rutland in England. Its headquarters are at Enderby, Leicestershire.
History
Leicestershire Police was formed in 1839. In 1951 it amalgamated ...
. In 1975, he became deputy chief constable of the
Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England.
, Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...
(GMP), which had been founded a year earlier.
On 23 October 1976, he was appointed chief constable, at the age of 44.
Chief constable
One of Anderton's first acts as chief constable was a drive against pornography and prostitution. A special squad raided 284 bookshops, newsagents and warehouses, confiscating a total of 160,000 magazines to a street value of £200,000. Seizures included ''
The Sun Page Three Annual''. The crackdown received support from some feminists and
anti-pornography campaigners, but was criticised by civil liberties groups as a moral crusade. Anderton replied to his critics by stating that he was responding to public complaints regarding the graphic nature of the material available in shops across Greater Manchester. It has also been argued that organised crime gangs in Manchester controlled the sale and distribution of pornographic material as well as running brothels, massage parlours and street prostitution.
There was also a drive against late night drinking in the city centre of Manchester with particular focus against illegal drinking clubs and after hours drinking in licensed bars and clubs. As a result, 24 nightclubs had their licences revoked by magistrates.
Regular patrols were also conducted into the
Canal Street area of central Manchester, the centre of Manchester's gay community. Anderton was frequently criticised by
gay rights activists of devoting undue attention to the policing of the area due to his alleged prejudice towards the gay community. According to ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', Anderton "encouraged his officers to stalk its dank alleys and expose anyone caught in a clinch, while police motorboats with spotlights searched for gay men around the canal's locks and bridges".
[Beatrix Campbell]
"Village People"
''The Guardian'', 7 August 2004. Anderton responded to criticism by stating that he was merely enforcing the law regarding sexual activity in public toilets and that there had been a significant number of complaints from local people regarding police inaction.
In 1977, Greater Manchester Police was the first English police force to deploy a plainclothes "decoy" squad to lure street robbers or "muggers" into the open. Anderton adopted the tactic from the
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
.
Also in 1977, Anderton ordered the creation of the Tactical Aid Group. Modelled on the Metropolitan Police's
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 ...
, the Tactical Aid Group (TAG) was responsible for providing Greater Manchester Police with a mobile reserve for combating public disorder and crime. The Tactical Aid Group was regularly deployed to combat football violence and disorder during demonstrations and industrial disputes. Greater Manchester Police became the leading English police force outside the Metropolitan Police for the development of public order tactics and use of firearms.
Between 1977 and 1979, Anderton received national media attention by successfully ensuring a series of marches by the far-right
National Front passed without serious incident garnering a reputation as a tough, hands-on chief constable.
During the summer of 1977, marches in
Ladywood
Ladywood is an inner-city district next to central Birmingham. Historically in Warwickshire, in June 2004, Birmingham City Council conducted a citywide "Ward Boundary Revision" to round-up the thirty-nine Birmingham wards to forty. As a result o ...
in Birmingham and
Lewisham
Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
in south London had been marred by riots. After initially banning a march proposed for October 1977, he met secretly with the National Front's deputy leader,
Martin Webster
Martin Guy Alan Webster (born 14 May 1943) is a British neo-nazi, a former leading figure on the far-right in the United Kingdom. An early member of the National Labour Party, he was John Tyndall's closest ally, and followed him in joining t ...
, and agreed to allow a march to take place if the location was kept secret. To control opposing demonstrators, GMP was placed on standby, reinforcements drafted in from neighbouring forces and helicopters deployed. The cost for this operation – the most sophisticated public order operation in Britain up to that date – amounted to £250,000. Another two massive policing operations allowed Front meetings to take place in
Hyde and
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...
town halls in January and February 1978.
The 1981 Moss Side riot
In July 1981, Anderton had to deal with the
Moss Side riot. That year a
series of riots in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
Brixton and
Toxteth
Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the historic county of Lancashire and the ceremonial county of Merseyside.
Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Dingle, and Edge Hill.
The area ...
had hit England, with GMP officers having been deployed as reinforcements to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
. To avoid the high police casualties seen in the Toxteth riots, Anderton decided not to deploy static cordons of officers with long protective shields, judging that such defensive tactics would only encourage prolonged confrontations. He instead ordered the Greater Manchester Police to be supplied with protective crash helmets – at the time the only English police force with such equipment.
When rioting broke out at Moss Side in July, GMP at first kept a low profile, while community leaders tried to defuse the situation and disperse the crowds. However, after two days of street disorder and looting, Anderton ordered a swift and hard intervention, sending in the Tactical Aid Group (TAG) to clear the streets using a vehicle-based rapid dispersal strategy developed in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
by the
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). The specially trained TAG officers using snatch squads deployed from fast moving vans made 150 arrests in the space of two hours and quelled the disorder. Interviewed in 1992, Anderton described his strategy during the Moss Side riot:
When trouble arises and violence occurs on the street, you hit it fast and hard. And that's what we did the following night. We hit the rioters fast and hard with all the force at our disposal – legitimate and lawful force – and we crushed the riots in Manchester in 24 hours.
Greater Manchester Police's rapid and flexible mobile response was unique in British public order policing at that time and received much praise from the media, politicians and the general public. The leadership of Anderton was contrasted favourably with the perceived police loss of control in other venues.
In December 1981, Anderton formed the first specialist unit within GMP based in Moss Side to investigate racially motivated violence and other crimes. This was followed later by other police forces across England, Wales and Scotland.
Relationship with politicians
Cyril Smith
Anderton was close friends with
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
politician
Cyril Smith
Sir Cyril Richard Smith (28 June 1928 – 3 September 2010) was a prominent British politician who after his death was revealed to have been a prolific serial sex offender against children. A member of the Liberal Party, he was Member of ...
, who shared his traditionalist values and emphasis on
law and order
In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...
in the police. Speaking to the
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in England and Wales was an inquiry examining how the country's institutions handled their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse. It was announced by the British Home Secretar ...
in 2018,
Baroness Brinton said that
Gordon Lishman
Arthur Gordon Lishman , known as Gordon Lishman (born 1947) is a British social and elder rights activist, Liberal politician, writer and former Director General of Age Concern England.
Career
Lishman graduated in economics and political science ...
, a senior Liberal figure, was told in passing that Anderton had given Smith an informal warning regarding allegations Smith had
sexually abused boys in Rochdale.
Clashes with Labour
During his tenure as chief constable of Greater Manchester, Anderton repeatedly clashed with the Greater Manchester Police Committee and later the Police Authority, especially with its
Labour Party members. Anderton openly regarded them as part of an extensive left-wing conspiracy to overthrow British democracy.
Central to the policing philosophy of Anderton was the fear of political influence interfering with police duty especially during protests, demonstrations and industrial disputes, issues which dominated British policing during the period he was chief constable, fearing that such interference would weaken and undermine the police.
Following this particular speech, Anderton was called in front of the Greater Manchester Police Committee, where he was told to lower his public profile and to allow himself to be directed by its members regarding police operations but Anderton refused. He gave speeches in the context of attempts by Police Committees in Liverpool and in Manchester to increase their influence over operational decision making by chief constables.
Anderton was particularly criticised by members of his Police Committee for his attitude toward armed police. In 1983, he announced mobile armed patrols to counter an increase in armed robberies in Greater Manchester. These patrols later became known as Armed Response Vehicles and are now routinely used by police forces across the United Kingdom. In 1986, Anderton issued 9mm MP5 carbines to selected officers based at
Manchester Airport on security patrols. Following the riots in Brixton,
Tottenham
Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Wal ...
and
Handsworth in 1985, Anderton announced that the Greater Manchester Police would be equipped with
plastic baton round
A plastic bullet or plastic baton round (PBR) is a non-lethal projectile fired from a specialised gun. Although designed as a non-lethal weapon, they have caused a number of deaths when used incorrectly.
Plastic bullets are generally used for ...
s. Anderton justified his decision with police casualties suffered during these riots:
"We have two choices in the police force – either we stay where we are and die or we ignominiously cut and run. As long as it is in my power, I have no intention of leaving my officers unprotected... I shall never abandon the citizens of Greater Manchester to the mercy of rioters, rapists, looters and criminals."
In 1986, Anderton was embroiled in national political controversy when his deputy
John Stalker
John Stalker (14 April 1939 – 15 February 2019) was a British police officer who served as Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police. He headed the Stalker Inquiry that investigated the shooting of suspected members of the Provision ...
was suspended over allegations of his friendship with a man called Kevin Taylor, who was accused of fraud and drug-dealing through an alleged association with the
Quality Street Gang
The Quality Street Gang operated in Manchester, England, in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Although considered by some senior officers in the Greater Manchester Police to be the instigators of much of Manchester's major crime, many others believed ...
when on the point of completing an official report, the
Stalker Inquiry, critical of the policing policies of the
Royal Ulster Constabulary.
Outspokenness and controversy
Anderton praised his officers, and warned the British public during the height of the
Cold War with the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
of the threat of left-wing subversion.
When challenged by left wing Labour councillors and community activists on what they believed was his heavy-handed approach as chief constable, Anderton directly confronted his opponents and accused them of subversion, undermining police morale and threatening British democracy. He also denounced some defence lawyers as belonging to a "Society for the Prevention of the Conviction of the Guilty", attacked the "Race Relations Industry" for creating tension between ethnic minority groups and the wider population and detected a threat by left-wing extremists operating in the trade union movement and in society in general. He called for the creation of a national police force – thereby abolishing local police authorities
– especially in the case of monitoring
British football hooliganism.
Anderton's outspoken views sparked public controversy throughout his period as chief constable of Greater Manchester. The media often depicted Anderton as the polar opposite of
John Alderson, chief constable of
Devon and Cornwall. While Alderson was portrayed as a liberal and progressive thinker who favoured community or "soft" policing, Anderton was often depicted as a tough, uncompromising and bombastic figure who endorsed a philosophy of "hard" paramilitary policing against crime and public disorder. Anderton disagreed with this juxtaposition, stressing that his policing in Greater Manchester was community-based.
Views on morality
Anderton was vocal about his Christian faith – he was a
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
lay preacher before converting to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
due to the Catholic Church's stance on moral issues. It has been claimed that Anderton said he had "a direct line to God",
and Anderton became known as "God's Copper" due to his views.
He saw the police as a means of providing moral enforcement against "social nonconformists, malingerers, idlers, parasites, spongers, frauds, cheats and unrepentant criminals", and was a vocal opponent of gay rights, feminism, pornography and those who "openly hanker
dafter total debauchery and lewdness".
He attracted controversy due to a 1987
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
interview, where he claimed to be used by God to speak out on moral issues. This led to calls for his resignation from a police monitoring committee based in Manchester, as well as Liberal and Labour MPs.
1984 Miners' Strike comments
In March 1984, during the
Miners' Strike
Miners' strikes are when miners conduct strike actions.
See also
* List of strikes
References
{{Reflist
Miners
A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are tw ...
, Anderton said of the strict curfews and patrolling of the pit villages,
"It appears that the police have imposed a curfew on the community as a whole, not just on the miners, and also that they have restricted free movement. These are things we normally associate with countries behind the iron curtain. The police are getting the image of a heavy-handed mob."
1986 remarks on HIV/AIDS
In December 1986, Anderton's remark that homosexuals, drug addicts and prostitutes who had
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
were "swirling in a human cesspit of their own making" received widespread criticism. Lawrence Byford,
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 ...
, said, "Mr Anderton was told that some of his recent public statements had brought ridicule upon both the association and the police service and had helped fuel the case of left wing militants", adding:
"He is his own worst enemy. At his best he captures the public's imagination and support when he articulates his views so persuasively but then he tends to ruin his fruitful endeavours by going too far with his extreme language and religious overtones."
''Woman's Own'' interview
Anderton supported the reintroduction of
corporal punishment for criminals saying in a December 1987 ''
Woman's Own
''Woman's Own'' is a British lifestyle magazine aimed at women.
Publication
''Woman's Own'' was first published in 1932 by Newnes. In its early years it placed women's rights and social problems firmly in the foreground. Its first "agony aunt" was ...
'' interview that:
"Corporal punishment should be administered so that riminalsactually beg for mercy. They should be punished until they repent of their sins. I'd thrash some criminals myself, most surely."
Anderton also called for the castration of rapists and renewed his attack on gay men, saying:
"The law of the land allows consenting adult homosexuals to engage in sexual practices which I think should be criminal offences. Sodomy
Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non- procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''sod ...
between males is an abhorrent offence, condemned by the word of God, and ought to be against the criminal law."
However, he did comment that
capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
was not a deterrent and "it serves no purpose to shorten one person's life. We are all going to die".
Public perception
Anderton was and remains a deeply polarising figure in both British policing and in the history of Manchester. Many sections of public opinion admired his outspoken and independent style of leadership as well as his tough approach to policing and crime.
However other sections viewed Anderton as a populist, reactionary, autocratic chief constable, insensitive to the concerns of minority groups, who personified an authoritarian style of policing. Anderton's pronouncements on public morality led to frequent accusations by his critics of bigotry and religious fanaticism.
Anderton was also able to count on the support of the Conservative government of
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
. According to documents released in 2012, Thatcher had supported Anderton after he made his AIDS remark and used her position to prevent an inquiry into his conduct.
However, his outspokenness might have cost him an appointment as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Anderton was seen as a potential successor to
David McNee
Sir David Blackstock McNee (23 March 1925 – 26 April 2019) was a Scottish police officer who was Chief Constable of the City of Glasgow Police (later Strathclyde Police) from 1971 to 1977, and then Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police ...
in 1982 and a leading contender following the retirement of
Kenneth Newman
Sir Kenneth Leslie Newman (15 August 1926 – 4 February 2017) was a senior British police officer. He was Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) from 1976 to 1980, and Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1982 to 1 ...
in 1987.
Anderton served as president of the
Association of Chief Police Officers
The Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland (ACPO) was a not-for-profit private limited company that for many years led the development of policing practices in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Established ...
from 1986 to 1987 and received a knighthood in 1990, before retiring the following year.
Depiction in popular culture
Anderton was often depicted in fiction, almost universally in a critical fashion. In 1990, the BBC musical satire on Margaret Thatcher ''Ten Glorious Years'' showed actor
Ricky Tomlinson
Eric "Ricky" Tomlinson (born 26 September 1939) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Bobby Grant in '' Brookside'', DCI Charlie Wise in ''Cracker'' and Jim Royle in '' The Royle Family'', and playing the titular cha ...
portray James Anderton in the style of a US-style Moral Majority television evangelist preaching against "Poofs" and "Pinkos". In the same year, the
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up was Shaun Ryder (vocals), his brother Paul Ryder (bass), Gary Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry later joine ...
song "God's Cop" (from their album ''
Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
''Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches'' is the third studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays, released on 5 November 1990 by Factory Records. DJ Paul Oakenfold and collaborator Steve Osbourne were previously enlisted by the band for remixe ...
'') lampooned Anderton.
In the same vein, Anderton was also the – sometimes thinly veiled – inspiration of various fictional characters. In the first season of the
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English actor, stand-up comedian and writer. He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University and was a pioneer of alternative ...
satire ''
The New Statesman
The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...
'', police chief Sir Malachi Jellicoe (
John Woodvine
John Woodvine (born 21 July 1929) is an English actor who has appeared in more than 70 theatre productions, as well as a similar number of television and film roles.
Early life
Woodvine was born in Tyne Dock, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, Engla ...
) believed himself to be in direct contact with Christ, and to be doing His will on earth. One of many anti-Semitic characters in
David Britton
David Britton (18 February 1945 – 29 December 2020) was a British author, artist, and publisher. In the 1970s he founded ''Weird Fantasy'' and ''Crucified Toad'', a series of small press magazines of the speculative fiction and horror genres. ...
's 1989 satirical novel ''Lord Horror'' was chief constable "James Appleton", who recites Anderton's AIDS remark verbatim except replacing the word "homosexuals" with "Jews". The novel was seized from the publisher by Greater Manchester Police under the
Obscene Publications Act 1959
The Obscene Publications Act 1959 (c. 66) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom Parliament that significantly reformed the law related to obscenity in England and Wales. Prior to the passage of the Act, the law on publishing obscene mater ...
, and a ban for anti-Semitism imposed but later overturned.
Awards and decorations
*
Queen's Police Medal
The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...
(1977)
*
Deputy Lieutenant for Greater Manchester (13 February 1989)
*
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...
(1990)
*
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
*
Knight of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem
* Companion of the
British Institute of Management
The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is a professional institution for management based in the United Kingdom.
The major membership classes are ''Member'', ''Fellow'' - for those with significant expertise - and ''Companion'' - the most sen ...
(CBMI)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderton, James
1932 births
2022 deaths
People from Wigan
Royal Military Police soldiers
Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester
Chief Constables of Greater Manchester Police
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Knights Bachelor
Knights of the Order of St John
English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal
Deputy Lieutenants of Greater Manchester
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Methodism
English Roman Catholics
20th-century British Army personnel