Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) first Asian detective inspector, who joined the force 50 years ago, has spoken about his remarkable career and some of the high-profile cases he has worked on. Mo Shafiq, 72, from Bury, has worked with Lancashire Constabulary, and West Yorkshire Constabulary as well as GMP, where he was often placed in Bolton . The retired officer’s family hail from Pakistan, and as Mr Shafiq's own dad served in the Indian army, he was persuaded to initially join the Bury force after playing rugby with officers at the Bury Sports Club.
(Image: Mo Shafiq) After becoming a sergeant and a detective inspector in Bolton, he retired in the town in 2003. He said: “I was grounded in Bolton and that’s where I learnt all my skills as well as my probation period too, so it is close to my heart.” One of the high-profile cases Mr Shafiq still remembers is the Danielle Moorcroft murder in Bolton in 2002.
Miss Moorcroft was a pregnant prostitute when she was murdered. Her body was found "battered" and the former official recalls having "difficulty" obtaining statements from girls she knew. The case was solved in 2005 when Mr Shafiq was retired, and Stuart Milsted was arrested and given life for her murder.
(Image: Mo Shafiq) He said: “It was long hours and going home late. “The intel had dried up and we thought about how we could bring the case back to life again. “You had to gain the trust of the girls for them to speak to police.
“I am happy of course when.
