the rank of Detective Sergeant. He had entered the RUC's CID section and was based at Musgrave Street station. Many members of the RUC found themselves targeted by both republican and loyalist paramilitaries as the conflict known as The Troubles grew in intensity during the late 1960s and early 1970s. C Division In September 1973 he was promoted to Detective Inspector and moved to head up the RUC's C or "Charlie" Division based in Tennent Street, off the Shankill Road, the heartland of loyalism and home of many loyalist paramilitaries. C Division covered not only the Shankill but also the republican Ardoyne and "The Bone" areas. The area had already been subjected to bombing attacks, rioting, home-burnings, vigilante patrols, street barricades, random sectarian murders and killings as part of sporadic loyalist feuds. Nesbitt's responsibilities were immense as C Division covered an entire fifteen square mile district which contained a population of 150,000 and more sectarian killer gangs than any other district in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, the majority of the violence committed within an area of just three square miles contained every paramilitary group – loyalist and republican – which existed in Northern Ireland at that time. The UVF Brigade Staff (Belfast leadership) was based on the Shankill Road. Shortly before he was sent to C Division his policing abilities were highly praised in this assessment, He stimulates interest among his colleagues, often drawing on his personal experiences marrying theory with practice. He is thoroughly sound and reliable and upholds the best traditions of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He brings great credit to the Force. Although he encountered considerable suspicion from his subordinates when he arrived at Tennent Street, he managed to eventually create much camaraderie within the ranks of those under his command when before there had been rivalry and discord. C Division would lose a total of 12 men as a result of IRA attacks. Described by Martin Dillon as a controlled man, he was also friendly, generous and displayed a "black" sense of humour. Moreover, he was a devoted family man and highly respected by his subordinates, who typically addressed him as "Boss" or "Sir". Belfast News Letter journalist Bobbie Hanvey who interviewed him, described him as "gentle in manner, extremely soft-spoken and a dapper dresser. During his tenure as Detective Chief Inspector at Tennent Street, Nesbitt and his team investigated a total of 311 killings and solved