A Ripon man who served for more than 30 years as a detective with the Metropolitan Police and the National Crime Squad has been named as one of North Yorkshire’s four new deputy lieutenants. 

Shafquat “Tom” Ali led complex investigations into serious and organised crime, corruption and homicide as well as sensitive inquiries in both the UK and abroad.  

Mr Ali, who lives close to Ripon with his wife, Sarah, and their three children, was appointed by the lord-lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Jo Ropner, who is the king’s representative in the county.

The deputy lieutenants provide specialist local knowledge to the lord-lieutenant, helping her to perform her duties and giving her advice to help foster closer links with the community. 

The other new deputy lieutenants are: Rebecca Cottrell, the Harrogate-born wife of the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell; Jan Garrill, the chief executive of the Two Ridings Community Foundation; and Dr Bill Scott, the chief executive of Middlesbrough-based engineering company Wilton Universal Group. 

Mr Ali’s work has taken him from investigating major crime gangs on the streets of London to hostile locations in Libya. He has retired as a detective chief inspector, but still assists the Metropolitan Police in a consultancy role, as well as undertaking inquiries for other police services, such as the Police Service of Northern Ireland to re-investigate paramilitary murders.  

He has also helped the British overseas territory of Turks and Caicos, following a spike in organised crime-related homicides. 

Ms Cottrell, who was born in Harrogate and grew up in Essex, is a trained potter, making and selling pots and teaching ceramics, as well as working in schools supporting children with learning difficulties.

She also supports her husband’s ministry across the Diocese of York and has been a member of the organising group of two Lambeth Conferences, the worldwide gatherings of Anglican bishops and their spouses, which are held every decade.

Mrs Ropner, who has been Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire since 2018, said:

There are now 38 deputy lieutenants across the North Yorkshire lieutenancy’s area, who have been appointed from sectors including academia, the military, business, the judiciary, farming and the charity and voluntary sector. 

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