A RETIRING police officer is switching careers from arresting people to offering them legal advice.

Detective Constable Ian Snowdon, 56, leaves Derwentside CID at the end of this week to pursue a career as a legal representative. It means he will be returning to police stations across the North-East where he served, offering legal advice to people arrested by his former colleagues.

"There is a good chance that I could be representing people that I have locked up in the past," he said.

"I have mixed feelings about it at the moment. If it happens, I am hoping I can be professional and just get on with the job.

"I decided to go into something that fitted my skills. It is one way of getting back into a system that I am already trained in."

Det Con Snowdon, who is married to Brenda, 53, joined Durham Police in May 1974. He worked as a uniformed officer in Chester-le-Street, Pelton, Newton Aycliffe, Ferryhill and Spennymoor, before joining the CID in 1979.

During his career, he received commendations from judges, magistrates and the force chief constable.

He said: "The force has been very good to me and I have made a lot of friends."

His eldest son, Paul, 25, followed in his footsteps and is a PC at Farringdon, Washington. Younger son Stephen, 23, recently graduated as a graphic artist.