THE new RUC chief constable designate is a man who believes in talking things out with people, and his direct, hands on approach has defused many a tricky public order situation in the North.
But he has also been in charge on other occasions when common sense, reason and straight dealing were not enough to prevent things going terribly wrong, and when RUC actions left a bitter taste in the mouths of one or other community.
A deeper skill will be required of the new RUC chief than merely that of tactical diplomacy on the ground.
Ronnie Flanagan's real test will be in the longer term: whether or not he can deliver the cultural and structural changes in the RUC which will win over nationalist and republican attitudes from regarding "reform" as a dirty word, and do this without alienating the force from the unionist community.
Whatever about the avowed neutrality of the police force, this task is highly political, and it can be stymied by many factors - the pace of events, the ill will and machinations of politicians and governments, the extent and strength of existing prejudice within the force.
Mr Flanagan is aware of these factors. So far he has been an advocate of change, but cautious change, pitched carefully in general terms exuding goodwill and common sense - terms which are difficult to assail.
We do not know where he stands on many specifics, such as the symbolic aspects of the RUC which so alienate nationalists, and which send unionists into near apoplexy at any suggestion that they might he amended or dropped. These are matters such as the title of the force, its uniform, the oath of allegiance, the flying of the Union flag over barracks, and so on.
The Police Authority has already suffered convulsions and contrived the expulsion of its chairman over attempts to come to grips with such merely symbolic, but obviously politically sensitive matters. Can Mr Flanagan succeed in building a police force whose sole priority and purpose is the even handed administration of justice?
The attitude of nationalists to him was summed up by SDLP Councillor Alex Attwood, who said that Mr Flanagan was someone who seemed to want to edge the RUC towards reform, whereas a great leap was necessary.
There are other delicate issues such as the extent of individual linkages between police officers and secretive or semi secretive organisations associated with one religious tradition.
Asked about his attitude to officers' membership of the Freemasons or the Orange Order, the canny rugby player kicked for touch. "What we have done is concentrate on the behaviour of our officers, rather than what the are members of," he said yesterday, pointing out that senior officers in Britain are examining this.
The historical baggage which he has to overcome is considerable. It ranges from the physically brutal treatment by the RUC of early Civil Rights marchers; to the questionable and coercive recruitment of informers; the obstruction of the Stalker investigation; the many controversial shootings which never led to prosecutions of RUC officers, the lack of public confidence in the police complaints procedures; interrogation methods which have been criticised by international human rights bodies, and so on.
It can be argued that many of these (apart from the oppressive treatment of the Civil Rights campaign) developed because of the vicious nature of the guerrilla campaign which the RUC had to deal with. But the legacy of hatred and distrust is still alive.
Ronnie Flanagan has been seen, and acknowledged by many moderate nationalists, to have been a fair minded and reasonable officer in hands on situations. But much of the police work in Northern Ireland has necessarily been covert, unaccountable and closed to public scrutiny.
The new chief officer will have a long haul to prove that he is untainted by the past. He takes over in November with the advantage of considerable personal goodwill - both inside and outside the force because of his open, good humoured profile.
But it is a time when suspicions and prejudices are most extreme. It is also a time of great political uncertainty, when every police action will he measured and watched for bias, and conscientious neutrality will be given little credit by either side.
He must be given time to demonstrate his potential, but how he performs will be heavily dependent on the integrity and professionalism of the many other cogs in the system of administration of justice. His role, however, will be crucial to the tenuous prospects of constructing and implementing a lasting settlement and stability in the North.