Chief Inspector Philip Cato     played by Philip Whitchurch

First appearance    Shock to the System (26/01/93)
Last appearance    Is that the Time? (03/03/95)
Call Sign               Sierra Oscar 5-4

Few forget Chief Inspector Philip Cato, the man they called 'the bald-headed bastard from Barton Street'. He didn't suffer fools, especially those who he perceived as being unsympathetic to his methods. His strokes were legendary - as were the grudges against police officers he thought had worked against him. When Cato transferred to Sun Hill from Barton Street, he thought he'd have some allies there. But Sergeant Ray Steele distanced himself - he angered Cato by posting on the notice-boards a meeting-report including an off-the-record remark. Similarly PC Jarvis, who was also at Barton Street, showed he was no Cato poodle.

Initially Brownlow welcomed Cato as someone even less popular than himself with the troops, but soon he realised that the new man's radical approach was having an adverse effect on station morale. Cato didn't think he was abrasive. He described himself as a no-nonsense person who had little patience with bureaucracy or sociological theorising. But he was clever enough to disguise it in the company of his superiors sometimes. With others he didn't put on an act. He was confrontational both on the street with suspects and in the station with Sun Hill officers. And what's wrong with that?

Cato applied for the post of Acting Superintendent in 1994, but lost it to Chief Inspector Conway. He later applied for the post of Area Welfare Chief, but was again unsuccessful. Frustrated with lack of appreciation and being continually passed over for promotion, he decided to leave the job.