ONE of East Lancashire's most senior detectives has left the force to take up a post training the police officers of the future.

Detective Chief Superintendent Graham Gooch, 51, has retired after 30 years service and will start a new job as a lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire.

He will lead the first course of its kind in the country in police and criminal investigation at the university's department for forensic science.

It starts in September and will include training for those wanting a career in the police and other investigative careers. It will include the study of law, criminology and forensic science.

DCS Gooch said: "Although I am retiring from the force, I do not want to be part of police history. I want to be part of its future.

"This is a very exciting time and hopefully the course will help prepare people who want to work in the police or in jobs such as customs or with the DSS."

DCS Gooch, who lives in Longton near Preston, joined the Metropolitan Police in 1971 after serving in the RAF. He worked with the serious fraud office on several major investigations, including the takeover of the House of Fraser group.

In 1991 he was promoted to Detective Superintendent and transferred to Lancashire where he has served in the serious crime squad investigating murders, kidnapping and other major crimes, including the shotgun shooting of pub doorman Darren Bell in Blackburn.

Throughout his career DCS Gooch has seen service in Egypt, Pakistan, Europe and the USA. He said: "Hopefully the experience I have gained during my time in the force will be useful in my new job. I am certainly looking forward to it. It will be a new challenge."

Pete Wearden, a lecturer in forensic science, said the university was hoping that DCS Gooch's experience would rub off on staff and pupils alike.

"It's a coup for us on our exciting new course. This is an area of growing importance for the police and we are looking forward to working with him."

"We advertised for the position and he applied for it, so we are very pleased. We have enjoyed discussions with him already and he has shown he can answer a lot of questions off the cuff."

The department has been running for one year and the new course will be a full-time undergraduate course.