Crime and Corruption at the Yard

Crime and Corruption at the Yard PDF

Author: David I. Woodland

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2015-05-30

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 1473857406

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A Scotland Yard insider blows the whistle on police corruption in “a book . . . that everyone concerned with law and order should read” (Crime Review). During David Woodland’s nineteen years of service with the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police, the ‘thin blue line’ came under intense pressure. In addition to the routine caseload of gang crime, murder, and armed robbery, Irish terrorist groups launched a vicious and prolonged campaign of violence. Also, then-Police Commissioner Sir Robert Marks described the Criminal Intelligence Department as ‘the most routinely corrupt organization in London’, it may have been an exaggeration made out of anger—but it devastated the public’s faith in the CID. New Scotland Yard Det. Inspector David Woodland was witness to a series of major scandals and now reveals why many otherwise honest detectives strove to bend the law to their own devices. Using his own cases and experience, he demonstrates the difficulties working in a depleted, demoralized police force—not to mention fighting to overcome ‘the enemy within’. Crime and Corruption at The Yard is a gripping, shocking, and instructive insider’s account of the darker side of police work.

Crime and Corruption at The Yard

Crime and Corruption at The Yard PDF

Author: David I. Woodland

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2015-05-30

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 147383385X

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During David Woodland's 19 years' service with the Metropolitan Police, the 'thin blue line' came under intense pressure. In addition to the routine caseload of gang crime, murder and armed robbery, Irish terrorist groups launched a vicious and prolonged terror campaign.??The Author, a Detective Inspector in the Crime Intelligence Branch at New Scotland Yard, witnessed a series of major scandals. He reveals why many otherwise honest detectives strove to rectify defects in the law that allowed professional criminals to evade justice. When Sir Robert Marks, the newly appointed Police Commissioner, described the CID as 'the most routinely corrupt organisation in London', there may have been more than an element of truth in his extraordinary claim but it devastated the public's credibility in the CID. ??Using his own cases and experience, he demonstrates the difficulties faced by a depleted, demoralised Police Force not least 'the enemy within'. ??Crime and Corruption at The Yard is a gripping, shocking and instructive insider's account of sharp end police work. Salutary lessons are learnt about the effect of PC and 'human rights' on the preservation of law and order.

The Brighton Police Scandal

The Brighton Police Scandal PDF

Author: Dick Kirby

Publisher: Pen and Sword True Crime

Published: 2021-12-30

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 1399017292

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“A welcome, detailed account of the background to the prosecution of Brighton police officers around 1957 and their Chief Constable.” —History by the Yard In the late 1950s the reputation of Brighton as a popular seaside resort took a sinister and notorious turn. After a series of drunken disturbances, suspicions were raised that the owner of the Astor Club, which became known globally as “The Bucket of Blood,” was bribing members of the town’s CID to ignore licensing hours. The situation escalated to the point where Scotland Yard’s Flying Squad was called in. Their investigation soon revealed that these bribes were the tip of a police corruption iceberg. Criminality among crooked cops had been going on for years. Provided money was paid, charges were dropped, previous convictions overlooked and evidence disappeared. Others were “fitted up” unless they paid up. Police were party to burglaries, assisting in the “fencing” of stolen property and protection payments from bookmakers, clubs and bars. During the scandal filled trial of the Chief Constable and CID ringleaders there was perjury, violent witness intimidation with one having his premises burnt to the ground. All this and more is described in this meticulously researched account of one of Britain’s most publicized police corruption scandals written with insider knowledge. “Another excellent book from an established writer on the history of police and crime . . . He does not pull any punches in considering what is good and not good policing.” —The Law Society Gazette

Bent Coppers

Bent Coppers PDF

Author: Graeme McLagan

Publisher: Hachette UK

Published: 2012-11-15

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1409129276

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The inside story of a secret unit that has worked under cover to expose corruption in the Metropolitan Police since the early 1990s. 'If you want a book that is genuinely 'unputdownable' read BENT COPPERS' Johnny Vaughan, THE SUN 'A very engaging read - the outrageous nature of bent cops' behaviour guarantees that' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH Shocked by the extent of corruption within its ranks, Scotland Yard set up a new anti-corruption unit in the early 1990s. Its members had to operate in conditions of unprecedented secrecy and they became known as the 'Ghost Squad'. Bent Coppers really did believe they were untouchable: they stole cash and property, fitted-up innocent people and sold secret information to cripple court cases. Many of the bent coppers are now in jail or awaiting trial but the battle against corruption is not over. Only now can the story of the 'Ghost Squad' be revealed. Award-winning BBC home affairs correspondent Graeme McLagan had followed the investigation since the beginning. He has interviewed undercover officers and many of the bent coppers they have exposed. this is the inside story of the 'Ghost Squad' and how it broke into the secret world of police corruption.

Crossing the Line of Duty

Crossing the Line of Duty PDF

Author: Neil Root

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2019-04-23

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 0750990988

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The Metropolitan Police of the mid-twentieth century, in particular The Flying Squad and Obscene Publications Squad, has been described as 'the most routinely corrupt organisation in London'. Larger-than-life characters such as Ken Drury and Alfred 'Wicked Bill' Moody routinely fraternised with underworld figures, paid off witnesses and struck dodgy deals to get their man – regardless of whether he was innocent or guilty. And the problem went far beyond a couple of 'bent' coppers: in the end, fifty officers were prosecuted, while 478 took early retirement. Using Metropolitan Police files obtained under Freedom of Information, which have not been accessed since the 1970s, author Neil Root can finally tell the real story of how the Met became systemically corrupt, and how Sir Robert Mark, who became commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 1972, finally cleaned it up.

Scotland Yard's Gangbuster

Scotland Yard's Gangbuster PDF

Author: Dick Kirby

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2018-11-30

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 1526731541

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In the late 1960s the Richardson Torture Gang and the Kray Twins were removed from the London scene by ACC Gerry McArthur and DS Nipper Read respectively.Predictably it was not long before the vacuum this left was being filled. With McArthur retired and Read moved on, who was to sort out the new gangland threat.Step forward Detective Chief Superintendent Bert Wickstead. Having cut his teeth on young desperadoes and neo-Nazis in North London and solved Londons biggest post war bank robbery, Wickstead was well qualified to head up the Yards Serious Crime Squad.First to fall were the Dixon brothers, followed by the Tibbs family. As his fame spread he took on the West End Maltese Syndicate specialising in prostitution and extortion. When he broke up the Norma Levy call ring, two cabinet peers had to resign.Inevitably Wicksteads career was dogged by unproved allegations of malpractice but, as this riveting insider account conclusively proves, he more than earned his sobriquet The Gangbuster.

Operation Countryman

Operation Countryman PDF

Author: Dick Kirby

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2018-03-30

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 1526712563

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In the summer of 1978, rumors emerged from the underworld that huge sums of money had been paid to the City of London Police to water-down evidence and arrange bail in cases of armed robbery. Then it was suggested that Scotland Yards Flying Squad was also involved.The Home Secretary appointed the Dorset Police to investigate but it became clear to the criminals upon whom they relied to provide evidence that they were completely out of their depth. One line of inquiry after another became hopelessly compromised.While the investigation was known officially as Operation COUNTRYMAN, things were so bad that the team were variously nicknamed The Swedey and Malice in Blunderland.Despite a four year inquiry costing 4,000,000, eight Metropolitan police officers were acquitted and just two City of London officers were imprisoned. Operation COUNTRYMAN had little to do with that success; the convictions resulted from the fearlessness of a City of London policeman.The Author, a former Metropolitan police officer has used his knowledge and contacts to lift the lid on the shambolic COUNTRYMAN inquiry. He pulls no punches.

Scotland Yard’s Casebook of Serious Crime

Scotland Yard’s Casebook of Serious Crime PDF

Author: Dick Kirby

Publisher: Pen and Sword True Crime

Published: 2021-06-23

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 139900963X

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Real-life stories of cops vs. criminals from a veteran of the Metropolitan Police and author praised for his “engaging style” (Joseph Wambaugh, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Harbor Nocturne). Dick Kirby, former long-serving Met officer and bestselling author, recounts the policing of the twentieth century, when uniformed officers were visibly part of the community, patrolling their beats and protecting the public’s property. Detectives detected, cultivating informants and, like their uniform counterparts, knowing the characters on their manor. What’s more, they were backed by their senior officers, who had on-the-job experience. Drawing on both celebrated and lesser known cases, Kirby describes in plain speak crime-fighting against merciless gangsters, desperate gunmen, inept kidnappers, vicious robbers, daring burglars, and ruthless blackmailers. Using his firsthand knowledge, he highlights the often-unconventional methods used to frustrate and outwit hardened criminals—and the satisfaction gained from successful operations. Praise for Dick Kirby’s previous books “A gritty series of episodes from his time in the Met—laced with black humor and humanity.” —East Anglian Daily Times “A great read with fascinating stories and amusing anecdotes.” —Suffolk Norfolk Life Magazine

The Myth of Judicial Independence

The Myth of Judicial Independence PDF

Author: Mike McConville

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2020-06-28

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0192555278

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Through an examination of the history of the rules that regulate police interrogation (the Judges' Rules) in conjunction with plea bargaining and the Criminal Procedure Rules, this book explores the 'Westminster Model' under which three arms of the State (parliament, the executive, and the judiciary) operate independently of one another. It reveals how policy was framed in secret meetings with the executive which then actively misled parliament in contradiction to its ostensible formal relationship with the legislature. This analysis of Home Office archives shows how the worldwide significance of the Judges' Rules was secured not simply by the standing of the English judiciary and the political power of the empire but more significantly by the false representation that the Rules were the handiwork of judges rather than civil servants and politicians. The book critically examines the claim repeatedly advanced by judges that "judicial independence" is justified by principles arising from the "rule of law" and instead shows that the "rule of law" depends upon basic principles of the common law, including an adversarial process and trial by jury, and that the underpinnings of judicial action in criminal justice today may be ideological rather than based on principles.