The RUC Chief Constable, Mr Ronnie Flanagan, and the senior Ulster Unionist politician, Mr Reg Empey, have received knighthoods in the New Year Honours List. A total of 67 people in the North, including 13 RUC officers, were honoured. They include Sgt Philip Marshall, who directed emergency services after the Omagh bomb.
It is understood that several individuals from the nationalist community who were offered honours declined them. Mr Flanagan (49) was appointed chief constable two years ago. He joined the RUC in 1970 and is regarded as one of the force's more innovative senior officers. "I feel tremendously honoured and I deeply appreciate this award," he said. "But if ever there was a case of the real honour belonging to the organisation rather than the individual, this must surely be it.
"Those who really deserve recognition are the men and women of the RUC, past and present, who have never received the full credit for their tremendous contribution to holding this society together or for the appalling price so many have paid.
"It is thanks to them, in no small part, that the people of Northern Ireland can now have more reason for hope than at any time in the past 30 years. I feel privileged to receive this honour but also to lead what I firmly believe to be the finest police service in the world."
The other knighthood in the North went to UUP Assemblyman Mr Reg Empey (51), who was a senior negotiator during the Stormont talks and is a close associate of the party leader, Mr David Trimble. He is widely regarded as a moderate. He is probably nationalists' favourite UUP politician and is disliked by many in the DUP and UK Unionist Party.
He lost the party whip eight years ago when he spoke at a conference in Belfast attended by the then Taoiseach, Mr Charles Haughey. Active in unionist politics for over 20 years, he is his party's economic spokesman and a former Lord Mayor of Belfast. The 13 RUC officers honoured include Sgt Philip Marshall, who received an MBE for his efforts after the Omagh bomb. He stayed at the scene for five hours, leaving only with the last of the dead. "The horror of Omagh will never leave me or my colleagues. There are people living with a lot worse and they haven't received any awards. I just hope more will be recognised for what they did in the next honours list," he said. He was shocked but pleased to be honoured. "It's a great honour for my entire family. But I knew many of those who were killed and injured, so I am very sensitive to all the pain that many in Omagh are still suffering."
The North's chief electoral officer, Mr Pat Bradley (53) , received an OBE. Mr Bradley has had a varied career in the civil service in both London and Belfast. He joined the electoral office in the North in 1974 and has visited various eastern European countries since 1989 to advise on and observe their elections.
Ms Pearl Sagar of the Women's Coalition received an OBE for services to the community and women's issues. Ms Sagar, from a working-class Protestant background in Belfast, was one of the coalition's negotiators during the talks, but is not a member of the Assembly.
Mr Billy Nutt received an MBE for services to motorcycling. He is widely regarded as having made the North West 200 Europe's leading motorcycle road race. He has been working for the past four years to improve safety at the Ulster Grand Prix.