Kirby was born in 1943 in the East End of London and joined the Metropolitan Police in 1967 with half of his 26 years' service as a detective with the Yard's Serious Crime Squad and the Flying Squad. As his former commander says in the Foreword 'He has created a lasting tribute to the most successful and controversial department of the Metropolitan Police Service. Dick presents his subject with impeccable research, characteristic honesty and humour.' There have been difficult times and many changes. The Squad was decentralised and given the responsibility of dealing with all armed robberies. Dick highlights the major achievements and gives credit to Criminal Intelligence and the police firearms departments with who the Squad tackled armed robbery, head on. Coupled with the use of supergrasses, the Squad has never been so effective and it makes the TV series The Sweeney look like a picnic in the park! As crime figures soared in the 1950s and 60s the C8 Department known as the Flying Squad tackled The Great Train Robbery, Brink's Mat, The Millennium Dome and Hatton Garden heists. They concentrated on ambushing and arresting armed robbers in the act but have been haunted by corruption after the conviction of officers in 2001, and there was a very real possibility of disbandment. The history covers its establishment in 1919 patrolling London's streets in horsedrawn wagons, to the most sophisticated surveillance equipment, through targeting protection gangs who infested British racecourses and greyhound tracks and tackling black-marketeering in the aftermath of the Second World War. Drawing on firsthand accounts, a thrilling book. 234pp, many photos.
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