A DETECTIVE who has worked on some of the country's most high-profile cases is taking up a role with the North Yorkshire force.

Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Mann, who formerly served in Hertfordshire, is taking over as the head of specialist support.

During his time in Hertfordshire, the cases he worked on included the murder of an Albanian asylum seeker Driton Perdoda and the murder of an identical twin, Anne Cook, killed while walking her dog in parkland near Watford. He was also a negotiator during the Afghan hijack at Stanstead Airport and was the senior investigator in the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Riley Workman, who was shot dead on his doorstep in Furneaux Pelham, Hertfordshire.

He joined the Hertfordshire force, aged 18, in 1983, and was promoted to superintendent in 2002 becoming the director of intelligence and head of serious crime task force.

"I am delighted to be joining North Yorkshire Police and look forward to working with what I already know to be a dedicated, professional and hardworking team of people," he said.

Det Chief Supt Mann is married with four daughters. His interests include rugby, and he is a qualified rugby union referee.