Although Bob has been involved in musical and performance activities all his life, he has in fact also had a day job. This section tells you something about his "other" career.
Bob (or to give him his full title - Dr Robert Eagle CBE, BSc, PhD) was brought up in Clacton on Sea where he attended the local schools including Clacton County High School. It was there that, inspired by one of his teachers, he gained a fascination for physics. He is very proud of the fact that at the end of his fourth year at school he got 95% for Physics in the end of terms exams, but only 35% for English!
He went on to study at King’s College, London, where he gained a BSc in physics. He completed a PhD in nuclear physics at Bedford and King’s Colleges.
He contemplated a career in banking or the oil industry, but was intrigued by a job he saw advertised in the Police Scientific Development Branch of the Home Office. The department was chiefly involved in developing new computer systems for the police service. New computerised command and control systems, criminal information and criminal intelligence systems were being produced. Bob recalls that it was an exciting time. It had the flavour of a university research department with much creative energy - but, in his opinion, it was developing a useful and practical product, compared with the largely academic and intellectual pursuits at university research departments. He started his work influencing driver behaviour, particularly at accident blackspots, to assess whether police action could help.
After the Yorkshire Ripper case in the early 1980s he led the project to develop a computer system to run police incident rooms. Initially called MIRIAM (Major Incident Room Index and Action Management) it went on to become the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System (HOLMES) which enabled police forces to link up their information on serious crimes.
From there he moved into mainstream Home Office administration, where his first job was working as the secretary to the review of financing the BBC, the Chairman was Professor Sir Alan Peacock, in the mid 1980s, which looked at the whole of broadcasting. Amongst other things this led to Channels 3 & 5 and franchising of the ITV system.
Subsequently he worked in the prison service, responsible for policy relating to women prisoners in the late l980s, before returning to broadcasting and working with the Bill team behind the Broadcasting Act 1990.
Next he led the implementation team on the Criminal Justice Act 1991 before moving to the Department of National Heritage, (which had just been set up) with the late Sir David Calcutt QC, who had already done one review of press self-regulation and suggested the press should be allowed one last chance to get it right.
Between 1993 and 1997 he was head of Home Office finance until 1997 when the New Labour government came in with major law and order manifesto commitments. He then became head of the Crime and Disorder Bill team, which was responsible for the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
He led the team which developed and then became the first head of the National Asylum Support Service, which brought relief to hard-pressed councils nearest the ports in Kent, Sussex and London, and dispersed asylum seekers around the country.
He briefly took up a post concerned with the reform of sentencing powers before returning to the immigration department after the tragedy of 9/11 to lead a Nationality and Immigration Bill team tightening up legislation.
He took a secondment to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise for two years where he was head of the department responsible for Customs and International Trade. On his return to the Home Office he was appointed head of the Asylum Casework Directorate which is responsible for considering all claims for asylum made under the United Nations Convention. With the opportunity for early retirement in 2007, he is looking forward to spending more time on his professional musical activities.
He was made a CBE in the 2002 New Year’s honour list.
