Scotland Yard's Casebook of Serious Crime

Seventy-Five Years of No-Nonsense Policing

Dick Kirby

• Publisher: Pen & Sword True Crime
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN:
  9781399009638
• Print ISBN:
  9781399009621

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

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• About the Author
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Greeno and the Safe-Blowers
• Chapter 2 Barmy Army
• Chapter 3 Devoted to his Wife and Seven Children
• Chapter 4 Hit and Run?
• Chapter 5 A Popular Jeweller’s
• Chapter 6 A Selection of Thieves, Dips and Conmen
• Chapter 7 The Adventures of ‘Australian Denny’
• Chapter 8 ‘The King of the Blackmailers’
• Chapter 9 Call in the Yard
• Chapter 10 A Quartet of Gunmen
• Chapter 11 A Wheeler-Dealer
• Chapter 12 The Blackmailed Baronet
• Chapter 13 The Battle of Heathrow –the Aftermath
• Chapter 14 The Caseload of Peter Sinclair
• Chapter 15 ‘The Velvet Kid’
• Chapter 16 The Safe-blowing at Martin’s Bank
• Chapter 17 ‘Peter the Plotter’
• Chapter 18 Diamonds and Accusations
• Chapter 19 ‘The Terrible Twins’
• Chapter 20 A Pretty Collection of Villains
• Chapter 21 Convicted by the Skin of his Finger
• Chapter 22 A Zealous Cop
• Chapter 23 An Old Master
• Chapter 24 The Enigmatic German
• Chapter 25 ‘Ray the Cat’
• Chapter 26 The Safe-Blowing Cop
• Chapter 27 Just When You Least Expect it!
• Chapter 28 Scandal in Mayfair
• Epilogue
• Glossary of Custodial and Punishment Terms
• Bibliography
• Plates