The Stalker Affair [Paperback]

John Stalker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 1989

In 1984, when he was Deputy Chief Constable of Manchester, John Stalker was asked to go to Northern Ireland to investigate the alleged "shoot to kill" policy by RUC policemen of suspect terrorists. With a team of six experienced policemen he spent two years conducting three murder enquiries. He came to some very startling conclusions. Just as he was about to complete his inquiry he was called back to Manchester, suspended from duty and subjected to an intense investigation for alleged improprieties. This book reveals what Stalker found out about the RUC, the links between what he was finding and the allegations against him and the extraordinary nature of the investigation into his own career.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stalker is the former deputy chief of the Greater Manchester police who, in 1984, was sent to Northern Ireland by the British government to investigate the killing of six unarmed Catholic men by officers of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). The killings, unrelated incidents that occurred in 1982, provoked questioning and controversy, the prime allegation being that RUC had a "shoot to kill" policy in the ambushes of suspected members of the IRA. Even as Stalker narrates the chronology of his two-year-quest in Belfast, "the story still twists and turns." What emerges clearly is that Stalker, a highly regarded professional and skilled investigator, was deliberately frustrated and obstructed the closer he came to the revelation of scandal, coverup by the RUC and out-of-control policemen. When he was summarily dismissed on grounds of consorting with a suspected criminal, Stalker, who had recommended prosecution of eight RUC officers, attracted the attention of the media. This book, currently a cause celebre in England and Ireland, vividly details the failure of truth and justice in the jungle of Northern Ireland politics.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In Ireland and Britain, this book has provoked a great deal of controversy. Touching the delicate nerve of Northern Ireland, it exposes abuses by the police in Ulster that embarrassed London and outraged Ireland. Stalker, a highly respected police officer in Manchester, was asked to investigate the deaths of six men killed by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1982. He collected evidence of a systematic pattern of police deception, and his work was increasingly stonewalled. While not uncovering a "shoot to kill" policy, he found police deception that warranted criminal charges. Ultimately suspended from his position, Stalker's reputation was tarnished and the investigation ended. He tells the chilling tale with clarity and damning effect. This book is important for those looking seriously at Northern Ireland. Highly recommended. Richard B. Finnegan, Stonehill Coll., North Easton, Mass.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Revised edition (May 2, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140110518
• ISBN-13: 978-0140110517
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,683,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The RUC shoot to kill, March 5, 2010

By 

Sugafoot (The Fields of Athenry) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stalker Affair (Paperback)

In northern Ireland in late 1982 over a one month period six unarmed IRA suspects were shot dead. John Stalker then the deputy chief of the Greater Manchester police was brought in as an independent arbiter to investigate accusations of a "shoot to kill policy." He discovered a host of illegal activities perpetrated by the Special Branch officers of northern Ireland's police force, the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He strongly suspected that the suspects were shot as revenge due to the fact that four of them were linked by intelligence to the murder of four policeman just three weeks before their own deaths. Ultimately, he stated that the RUC Special Branch operated like a 'Central American assassination squad--truly a police force out of control'.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True Story - Give the man a medal, October 2, 2003

By 

Gray Buckley (Lakewood, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stalker Affair (Hardcover)

Every professional police investigator becomes a writer, but rarely an author. Mr. Stalker does a fine job in his first, and probably only, book documenting the case that ended his career. The last thing a corrupt leader needs or wants is an honest, competent investigation of the leader's deeds. The leadership that sent John Stalker to Ireland hoped to pacify the public. Instead they got an honest investigation. Read this book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest Cop Framed For Uncovering Death Squads., June 11, 1998

By 

Chris Fogarty (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Stalker Affair (Paperback)

John Stalker; one of Britain's highest-ranking policemen, was sent to Occupied Ireland to investigate allegations that the Royal Ulster Constabulary includes Death Squads. The day before his scheduled interrogation, under caution, of Occupied Ireland's ranking RUC officer, John Hermon (now "Sir John"), he himself was falsely charged with "associating with criminals" and removed from the investigation. Though completely exonerated, Stalker still pays the price for his statement; "I'm a loyal British subject but I draw the line at murder." His 16-volume official report remains suppressed, he was ruined and his landmark book is still smeared (see accompanying review). Stalker heroically attempted in 1986 what McPhilemy's "The Committee" accomplishes in 1998. Read both books - they complement and confirm each another; also "An Index of Deaths From the Conflict in Ireland" by Malcolm Sutton. The officially-vilified John Stalker is about to be publicly vindicated along with the many decent British army officers and men who, since then, have paid horrible prices for refusing to commit war crimes in Ireland. Read Stalker! He, an honest Englishman, tried to end Britain's centuries-long genocide in Ireland in 1986. He will help to end it now if enough people discover his riveting "The Stalker Affair."