Diamond dagger award for Morse author

Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter has won this year's acclaimed Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for his outstanding contribution to detective writing.

The Oxford-based author has written 12 novels about the laconic inspector and his sidekick Lewis. Mr Dexter has also appeared in the background of 27 out of 30 Inspector Morse programmes made by Central TV.

The Crime Writers' Association also awards gold and silver daggers to outstanding writers in the genre. Previous winners of the diamond dagger, founded in 1986, include John le Carre, PD James, Dick Francis and Ruth Rendell.

The trophy, made by jewellers Cartier London, is made of gold and silver with a large ruby cabochon surrounded by diamonds.

Dexter, 66, has said that "Morse, like me, is something of a miserable, old sod, semi- autobiographical..." He also shares his character's passion for classical studies, and has urged that Latin and Greek be taught in comprehensive schools.