Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77553 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
'Graeme McLagan is in the perfect position to write this expose of dirty, thieving, filthy police scum. An experienced undercover journalist and a decent writer, he confirms in massively comprehensive and thoroughly shocking detail what most of us knew already - that you should never, ever trust a copper. Cash and drug-gobbling, fit-ups, murder involvement - it's all here. Includes photos of the scum.' ZOO magazine

About the Author
Graeme McLagan specialises in long-term investigations for BBC news and current affairs programmes. He has been the BBC's expert on police corruption for more than twenty years, presenting three Panorama programmes on the subject as well as several major stories for Newsnight. He won the Royal Television Society prize for his scoops while covering the 'Arms for Iraq' scandal and was commended in 1998 for Bent, the second of his Panorama programmes on police corruption. He is the co-author of Mr Evil, the story of David Copeland, the neo-Nazi bomber. Born in London and still living there, Graeme McLagan is married with two grown-up children. He joined the BBC in 1971, becoming Home Affairs reporter and then Special Correspondent.

Customer Reviews

A former Scotland Yard detectives thoughts...
An interesting read, naming many people known to me, and with whom I have worked.

However, the authors sources at Scotland Yard have been very selective with the information they have furnished him. The book would have been far more interesting had he revealed the seedier side of two of the CIB detectives he refers to - both of whom I know personally and who the average reader of this book will mistakenly view as crusaders. Both, had they been caught, would have 'gripped the rails' at Crown Court prior to their postings to CIB. Nonetheless, these issues can be covered in the sequel to my first book, 'The Filth.'

Further research by the author would have revealed CIB are not the élite squad as suggested, and that prior to the creation of the so-called Ghost Squad, was seen within the Met itself as a dysfunctional posting for has-been police officers, many with no detective experience at all. The reader has the right to be made aware of such facts. I noticed, for example, there is no mention of Detective Superintendent Niccol flying with his bag-carrier at tax payers expense to the Caribbean, to investigate matters relating to an arrested informant, a quantity of drugs and an alleged corrupt detective.....me - information supplied to CIB, ironically, by me! Perhaps such events are more suitable for a book about Metropolitan Police farce.

On a positive side, it was interesting to read about 'DC Larry Hart.' It would be harder to find a straighter, more hard working, detective. Further research by the author would have unearthed this and allowed for the average reader not privy to the internal workings of the Metropolitan Police, to form an honest opinion of the man.

A disgrace to investigative journalism
What a PR puff-piece for Scotland Yard who just want to cover up all the crimes committed by CIB (now re-named the Directorate of Professional Standards). How on earth Graeme McLagan can call himself an investigative journalist is beyond me. He has been spoon-fed lies by Scotland Yard and like an idiot, he has just gone and published them without question. If you want to read a proper book by proper investigative journalists, then read 'The Untouchables' by Gillard and Flynn - the book Scotland Yard don't want you to read.

Repetitious
I found a lot of repetition in this book and self promotion of the author and his time on Panorama. Factually very good but the padding lets the book down.