Jackie Malton (born 1951 Duncan Campbell, ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'', 22 January 2012
The cop and the robber – a unique friendship
) is a UK television script consultant and former senior

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

officer best known for being the inspiration for the character of DCI Jane Tennison in the ''

Prime Suspect ''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television drama series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who ...

'' drama written by

Lynda La Plante Lynda La Plante, CBE (born Lynda Titchmarsh; 15 March 1943) is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the ''Prime Suspect'' television crime series. Early life Lynda La Plante was born Lynda Titchmarsh on ...

. Malton's police career, initially in the

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

and then the

Metropolitan Police Service The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

, was notable for her rise within the ranks of a very male, heterosexual establishment while being a woman detective who was openly gay. Malton worked in a number of areas, including the

Flying Squad The Flying Squad is a branch of the Serious and Organised Crime Command within London's Metropolitan Police Service. It is also known as the Robbery Squad, Specialist Crime Directorate 7, SC&O7 and SO7. It is nicknamed The Sweeney, an abbrevia ...

, Murder Squad and Fraud Squad. She also acted as a whistle-blower against police corruption in the 1980s. Following her work with La Plante on the Prime Suspect series, and her involvement with ''

Cracker Cracker, crackers or The Crackers may refer to: Animals * ''Hamadryas'' (butterfly), or crackers, a genus of brush-footed butterflies * '' Sparodon'', a monotypic genus whose species is sometimes known as "Cracker" Arts and entertainment Films ...

'' and '' Band of Gold'', Malton retired from the Metropolitan Police in 1997 to pursue a career in script consultancy and has subsequently worked on over twenty major television police series including ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'', ''

Trial & Retribution ''Trial & Retribution'' is a feature-length ITV police procedural television drama series that first aired on 19 October 1997. Written and devised by Lynda La Plante as a follow-on from her successful television series ''Prime Suspect'', each ep ...

'', ''

Life on Mars The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ...

'', '' Ashes to Ashes'', both series of ''

Murder Investigation Team Major Investigation Teams (MIT) are the specialised homicide squads of the Metropolitan Police in London, England. Forming part of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, there are 24 MITs within the Met. MITs investigate cases of murder, manslau ...

'' and '' The Level'' for

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

. Malton also wrote a play, which was aired on BBC Radio 4 entitled "''Be Mine''". Between 2008 and 2012, Malton achieved an MA in Creative Writing and an MSc in Addiction Psychology. She contributed a chapter to ''Addiction, Behavioural Change and Social Identity'', edited by Sarah A. Buckingham and David Best. Malton, who was already a

Freeman of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...

, was awarded an honorary doctorate from

London South Bank University London South Bank University (LSBU) is a public university in Elephant and Castle, London. It is based in the London Borough of Southwark, near the South Bank of the River Thames, from which it takes its name. Founded in 1892 as the Borough Po ...

in October 2019 as Doctor of the university. Malton continues to volunteer in a prison with men who have a range of addiction issues, that often have had the most profound effect on their lives and the lives of others. Her TV documentary series, ''The Real Prime Suspect'' examined ten high-profile murder cases and was aired in 2019; the second series was released in 2020. Both have been seen in the US, South Africa and across Europe. "The Real Prime Suspect" Jackie Malton's biography. Published by Endeavour 2023. In which she admits to once having had a drink problem and is gay.

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Twitter:@Thursley {{DEFAULTSORT:Malton, Jackie 1951 births Living people British television writers LGBT law enforcement workers Women Metropolitan Police officers British women television writers Place of birth missing (living people) English lesbian writers 20th-century English women 20th-century English people 21st-century English women 21st-century English people 20th-century British women writers 21st-century British women writers Metropolitan Police officers