Cop in cricket murder accustomed to big cases

By Jim Loney

KINGSTON (Reuters) - Mark Shields, the British police veteran heading the probe into the murder of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer, moved to Jamaica to help quell the island's bloody gang violence and police corruption after a career of high-profile crime-fighting in Britain.

From international terrorism to a kidnap plot against footballer David Beckham's wife, the tall, silver-haired Shields has plenty of experience handling big cases like the strangulation killing of Woolmer, one of the world's most famous cricket coaches.

Now 49, Shields started his career with the City of London police in 1976 and headed the force's special branch before he turned 30.

He helped manage London's controversial Ring of Steel project to surround the city core with closed circuit television and other measures as protection against the IRA and similar threats.

HIGH-PROFILE

Shields's resume includes work against East European drug-runners, Russian mobs, money laundering and counter-terrorism operations.

At Scotland Yard, he moved quickly up the ranks to chief superintendent.

"I've had pretty high-profile cases," he told Reuters in an interview. "I've worked in many parts of the world before, ranging from drug trafficking to kidnapping ... so it's not new to me to do this sort of work."