The story of sixty years of Scotland Yards top crime-busting department
has been written over a twenty year period by a former detective who
spent over eight years with the Flying Squad The Sweeney.
The meticulous research by the author has uncovered files never before
released by the Yard and he has amassed the tales of bravery and
top-notch investigations, carried out by the Squad officers of
yesteryear.
The book commences with the dramatic account of the daring gold bullion
and jewellery raid in 1948 by a gang of well-organised criminals from
the newly-opened Heathrow Airport. The Flying Squad were lying in wait
for them and what happened next, was described by a judge at the Old
Bailey as, The Battle of Heathrow.
The Flying Squad was formed to stem the tide of lawlessness, following
the First World War; from humble beginnings using horse-drawn wagons,
they swiftly progressed to high-speed cars. Taking on the might of the
Racetrack Gangs, armed robbers and smash & grab raiders, the Squad was
brought to the forefront of the publics attention.
The war years, the secret post-war Ghost Squad, the horse-doping
scandals, the Great Train Robbery, the Bank of America robbery,
Supergrasses and corruption are recounted with its scrupulous attention
to detail. The book is filled with thrilling, amusing and always
compelling anecdotes from the men who were there. It was the Flying
Squad who inspired the popular TV series. This book reveals what life
was really like in The Sweeney.
