The leading detective in Cleveland Police will clear his desk today as he retires after 27 years with the force. Graeme Hetherington talked to Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Braithwaite.

AFTER starting out walking the beat on the streets of Dishforth, in West Yorkshire, he has called time on his policing as the head of crime operations at Cleveland Police.

Having witnessed huge developments in investigation techniques and forensic examination, Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Braithwaite believes the force is in a good position to keep crime figures tumbling.

And the case that gave him the greatest satisfaction was also one of the longest-running investigations he worked during his 27 years with Cleveland Police.

The murder of Billingham mother Julie Hogg will live long in his memory, and her mother’s 17-year battle for justice was finally rewarded with a guilty plea from Billy Dunlop and a change in the law. Ann Ming’s campaign made legal history as the case was the first to see an acquitted murder defendant retried on the basis of new evidence, overturning the centuries-old double jeopardy law.

He said: “Julie disappeared in 1989 and 17 years later, Billy Dunlop finally stood up in court and pleaded guilty – that is one of my most memorable achievements.

“Seeing justice finally done for Julie’s family proved that Ann’s relentless campaigning was worthwhile.”

Another long-running investigation that has followed the detective around was the Gary Robb case.

Last month, the former Stockton nightclub owner pleaded guilty to drugs offences following a raid on the Colosseum in 1995.

After spending more than a decade on the run in Europe, Robb was finally tracked down and extradited from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Det Chief Supt Braithwaite said: “He is due to be sentenced next month, and I will be an interested civilian sitting in the gallery watching a long running case closing – that will be a good feeling.”

However, there are some crimes that remain unresolved and the detective knows officers will continue working towards bringing some relief to the families of people such as Darren Manders, Donna Keogh and Rachel Wilson.

Mr Manders was found battered to death under a pile of logs near Middlesbrough in July 2003.

Donna Keogh has been missing from her Middlesbrough home since 1998 and Rachel Wilson was last seen in May 2002.

He said: “If we could solve any of the outstanding crimes it would bring to an end the suffering of the families.

When you speak to family members, you know they think about the missing person from getting up to going to bed and that pain is indescribable.”

Looking back over 32 years in the police force, he said: “I have achieved everything that I wanted to achieve while serving in the police force.

“I have been the head of crime operation for five years, which is the longest time for any officer at Cleveland Police, and I feel it is time to hand over the baton to someone else.”