Mike Pannett was born in York, and joined the Metropolitan Police in 1988. He became one of the youngest officers to be given his own patch, and served on the Divisional Crime Squad, Murder Squad and TSG (Riot Police).
He transferred to North Yorkshire police in 1997 as he missed the countryside - and fly fishing! He became a rural beat officer and eventually, a wildlife officer. In 2005 he starred in the BBC's Country Cops and was inspired to write about his adventures in the North Yorks force.
Mike served nearly twenty years in the police, during which he became one of the highest commended officers. Following the UK riots in 2011 he has become a key spokesman on current policing issues in the UK, giving extensive interviews on national UK radio and television. He lives with his wife Ann, who is still a serving police officer, and their three children in a small village in the shadow of the North Yorkshire moors.