Ronald Gregory

Ronald Gregory, (23 October 1921 – 9 April 2010) was a British police officer who served as chief constable of West Yorkshire Constabulary and then West Yorkshire Police from 1969 to 1983. He was head of the police force during its five-year manhunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe.

Having been born in Preston, Lancashire, Gregory served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and the Fleet Air Arm, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. Having returned to civilian life in 1946, he served as a police officer and detective in his home town of Preston. In 1962 or 1963, he was appointed deputy chief constable of Blackpool. He was then chief constable of Plymouth City Police before becoming deputy chief constable of the newly created Devon and Cornwall Police. In 1969, he became chief constable of West Yorkshire Constabulary, where he would spend the rest of his career.

Early life Gregory was born on 23 October 1921 in Preston, Lancashire, England. He came from a family of policemen: his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had been officers. He was educated at Harris College, known for its vocational and technical courses. He then underwent aircrew training in South Africa. On 18 June 1944, his commission was confirmed and he was promoted to flying officer (war substantive).

He transferred to the Fleet Air Arm as an officer of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) on 21 November 1944. He was granted the rank of temporary sub-lieutenant (A) with seniority from 18 December 1943. With the RNVR, he saw active service in the Far East. He flew Hellcats and Corsairs while being based on the aircraft carriers and . Sutcliffe would not be arrested until January 1981, after which he confessed to 13 murders. Sutcliffe would go on to kill at least three more women. In addition, when Oldfield took ill in 1979, Gregory was found to have not acted swiftly enough to ensure a clear replacement was appointed. and as chief constable he had banned his officers from speaking to the press. In 1977, he was made a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) to the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire. In the 1980 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his work as chief constable of West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police.

In popular culture Gregory is portrayed by Michael McElhatton in The Long Shadow (2023).