A SENIOR North-East detective is in East Africa as part of an international team engaged on a major corruption inquiry.

Detective Chief Inspector Denny Pygall, who is crime manager of Easington in County Durham, is one of only two British police officers invited by the United Nations to undertake the investigation.

The 45-year-old was recommended for the potentially dangerous assignment by Durham's Deputy Chief Constable Paul Garvin.

His adventure started in March when he flew to New York for a briefing at the UN headquarters, before setting off to Kenya.

But because of the nature of the inquiry, Det Chief Insp Pygall was unable to reveal what type of work he will be involved in when he is there, not even to his family or colleagues.

"This is a particularly sensitive inquiry and, at this stage, it would not be prudent to publicly discuss the details," said Det Chief Insp Pygall.

"I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, but I suspect my previous experience would have played a part in my final selection."

Det Chief Insp Pygall expects to be living in protected accommodation during the three months he will be in Africa.

He is no stranger to danger, having been seconded to work on an inquiry in the Caribbean in the mid-1980s.

While there, he was involved in a difficult and, at times, dangerous drugs inquiry in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Det Chief Insp Pygall, a miner's son from Horden, County Durham, joined the Durham force in 1974.

During a largely CID-oriented career, he has worked with the Regional Crime Squad and at New Scotland Yard, on the drugs intelligence unit.

His travels will not be over when he returns from Africa because he has been nominated by his force to go to the former Yugoslavia for a year, as a member of the international policing task force.