SUSPENDED police chief Ray "Robocop" Mallon has been lined up as a replacement for television detective Roger Cook.

The pioneer of Zero Tolerance policing has agreed to do a one-off TV special in which he will confront criminals on the streets, provided the Chief Constable of Cleveland, Barry Shaw, gives his permission.

His desire to return to work for Cleveland Police, however, has led the detective superintendent to turn down a six-figure sum to quit the police and front a series of the crime-busting programme for Carlton TV.

Det Supt Mallon took part in a screen test at CarIton's Nottingham studios in February last year.

And he said a full-time TV career is a possibility if he ever does leave the police.

The show was the idea of producer Mike Morley. Members of the public would contact CarIton describing the misery of living in areas seemingly abandoned by the police.

Using hidden and infra-red cameras, CarIton would film the drug dealers, thugs and vandals who would then be confronted by Det Supt Mallon.

The detective was very enthusiastic and put his own ideas forward. He suggested that after the yobs had been tackled, residents could be encouraged to improve their neighbourhood in other ways, and the cameras could return a year later to show how things had improved.

One suggestion for the show's title was The Ray Team, another was The Return of Robocop.

The temporary departure of producer Mike Morley from work and Det Supt Mallon's refusal to leave the police are believed to have led to the project being put on hold.

He declined to reveal how much he had been offered, but it is believed the TV deal would have quadrupled his £46,000 police salary.