A BOOK telling the life story of the man who successfully crossed the divide from policing to politics was launched last night.

Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate, formerly plain Brian Mackenzie, a "policeman's policeman", has gone into print with his autobiography.

Two Lives of Brian, produced by County Durham publisher The Memoir Club, is the story of his rise from a working class upbringing in Darlington, to a 35-year police career with the Durham force, and his prominent role in recent years speaking in the House of Lords about law and order.

Speaking at last night's launch, at Cathedrals' pub/restaurant complex, fittingly in Durham city's former police station, he said he was "delighted" with the end product.

Having worked with both the Michael Howard and Jack Straw regimes in the Home Office, advising on police matters of the day, he retired from the force in 1998 and within a month received a "surprise invitation" from Prime Minister Tony Blair to take a seat in the Lords.

He spent three years as an official advisor to the Home Office, and remains vocal on policing and a regular in the Lords as one of the top six attending peers.

* Two Lives of Brian, priced £17.50, is available from local bookshops, or can be ordered direct from The Memoir Club, at Stanhope Old Hall, Stanhope, County Durham, DL13 2PF, plus £2.50 p&p.