Crossing the Line: Lessons from a Life on Duty

by John Sutherland

As a society, we are captivated by policing; we watch police procedurals and fly-on-the-wall documentaries and absorb the headlines on the rolling news. Yet how much do we really know about the world that policing inhabits and reveals?
In his deeply revealing new book, John Sutherland invites us to step behind the cordon tape and bear witness to the things that he has seen in his twenty-five years of service with the Metropolitan Police. Tackling ten of the biggest challenges facing society today - from alcohol abuse, drug addiction and domestic violence to knife crime, terrorism and sexual offences - we are introduced to people who have been pushed to the limits and beyond. In doing so, we gain a clearer sense of what needs to be done to make our neighbourhoods safer and to transform the lives of those we live alongside. Eye-opening, courageous and moving, CROSSING THE LINE is a book that will change the way you see the world around you.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Crime, Politics, Autobiography, True Crime, Police

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2020

About the author

John Sutherland is a married father of three and he lives with his wife and children in South London.

He joined the Met Police in September 1992 and served a variety of ranks and roles across London.

Heretired on ill health grounds in February 2018.

He writes blogs about life and policing – about the extraordinary people he served alongside and the challenges they face.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review This is the other side of policing. It's not the sexy side that's always in the news, the the racism, the corruption, the ignoring of the rape and exploitation of vulnerable girls because the men were from an ethnic background and they'd rather sacrifice the girls that be called racist, it isn't from those who say the police wouldn't investigate the theft of their bike, the persistent kicking of rubbish bins into their gardens, no, it is about the honest policement trying to do their best.

Why did I leave out shooting? Because this is policing in the UK, and whereas guns are not unknown, gun crime is at a minimum. This is not the trigger happy US where shooting a burglar who isn't armed is considered legal murder. Did you know the leading cause of death for children in the US is by being shot, over 4,500 children were killed by a gun in 2021? There were over 300 mass shootings in the first six months of 2022, some of them in schools. In the UK mass shootings are very rare. The last one was in 2021 when 5 people died. There were four between 2010 and 2020. So this book doesn't go into guns, as it would have to in the US.

This doesn't mean that there aren't murders and violent crime in the UK, and that people don't get shot. With street gangs though, the weapon of choice is a knife, often a big serrated zombie knife. Wicked. But they only injure or kill one person at a time.

The book delves into ten areas of what the author calls 'challenges', alcohol abuse, drug addiction, sexual offences, mental illness, domestic, sexual and child abuse, murder, domestic violence to knife crime, terrorism and sexual offences mental illness, rape, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, murder, and trafficking. The link between most of these crimes is that they are social ills which means that there is a great deal of interdepence between social agencies and the police.

I personally believe there are only two kinds of people in this world, them and us. We just want to live peacefully, fall in love, have a good job with some spare money to have fun, nice housing and get on well with the family and neighbours. They want to spoil it for us. They want to interfere with that, take our money, take our lives, make us fearful, make it harder to be happy. But sometimes it is the fault of 'us'. If too many of 'them' have too little and no means of making more legitimately, then some of them will turn to crime and they become 'them.

In between them and us is a fence, it can be weak like now, chicken wire tacked on to four by four posts, or it can be a solid chain link fence of well-paid, well-educated policemen with a great career structure who work in a well-funded and supportive environment. The posts are our teachers, the schools. Equally well-educated and well-paid with a great career structure and supportive environment.

I think it would make a huge difference to society and to crime. But no one wants to pay. No one wants to give and demand better qualifications for these people, no one wants to ensure that as in a private company, if they do well, they will be able to move on up, if not in that place, then another location, even cross country. We would do well to treat police forces and educationalists in a nationwide rather than parochial way.

But that's just my opinion, in part derived from reading this excellent book.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book was very powerful and incredibly interesting.

I loved the structure of this book. Breaking the book down into 10 areas of crime which are currently pressing issues for the UK made the book really easy to read and follow.

I have the highest respect for John laying out his experiences very openly and honestly as he has done in this book.

He doesn't place the police on a pedestal or make them out to have no flaws or vulnerabilities. He does a fantastic job in laying out the rough hand the police have been dealt without asking for sympathy.

The cases and topics this book deals with are largely well known in the UK but the fresh insight from a perspective within the blue and white cordon is very interesting.

The topics are very emotive and distressing to read at times but I felt like I got a lot out of this book. I highly recommend.

TW: discussions of mental illness, rape, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, murder, violence, drugs and sexual exploitation/trafficking

[Catherine Stead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love letter to the police.
This book highlights underfunding, misplaced priorities and the harrowing impact of having a high ACE score.

[Adam Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A state of the union address

John Sutherland's latest book serves as a handbook for the current state of the Police Force, the issues that they face and the potential solutions.

The word Austerity is used a lot. When police numbers drop by 40,000 in 8 years, you can understand why so. As big a part as that has to play, John goes deeper, attempting to identify the root causes of crime.

The book touches on the Force's relationship with victims, criminals, politicians and the press.

I found John to be very well balanced in his assessments. He is not afraid to accept responsibility for the forces failings but defends the force he loves citing statistics and historical data where necessary.

For a layman like me, this book is a real eye opener and makes me respect the police even more. For a member of the force this will be an absolute must read. 4.5 stars.

[Undomiel Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who has a "F*ck the police" attitude, I urge you to read this book. It's not full of empty defensive comments, but evidence, equal sided arguments for what it's really like to be a policeman, both in respects to solving crimes and addressing public attitudes towards you.

A really insightful read.

[R Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Sutherland illuminates and reminds the reader of the realities of policing and the human side that is often ignored amid negative and critical headlines. Whilst he is as critical of the mistakes, sometimes particularly serious ones, including institutional failings, Sutherland is also passionately keen to restore a certain level of balance, of particular importance when you note how vital they can be in intervening to help those with nowhere else to go, and those suffering the worst abuses, through violent crime, domestic violence, sexual assaults, child trafficking, and slavery for instance.

As he notes in his epilogue, during the pandemic the BBC created a montage video of thanks to all key workers and public servants, well, almost all of them. Despite including every job from the NHS workers to the bin men, the police force was missed off this list, and this is a bemusing slight on the part of the author considering the range and degree to which they are called upon as both first line and last line of defence in many people’s lives. The high-profile negative failings have drowned out and stereotyped an entire profession, one of whom we rely on for a breadth of support that goes beyond the obvious role in crime prevention and arrests.

Of course, Sutherland does not diminish the failings, or deny concerns over institutional racism, but he is concerned that a discourse encouraged by both politicians and the media that loves dramatic headlines and hungry for bad news, will always end up giving a disjointed reflection of the police profession as a whole. It needs more than a brief period of respect when an officer is killed such as in a terrorist attack.

Enter Sutherland’s reflections drawn from 25+ years in the police force. Roughly segmented into different types of crime, he provides case examples from his own work alongside well-known crimes that hit the national headlines during this time. He emphasises the role the police officer will need to take in dealing with situations from burglaries, knife crimes, domestic violence, assaults and child trafficking, but also dealing with mental illness, and alcoholics and the homeless. The personal stories emphatically remind you of the human lives involved, both the victims, and the officers themselves and how they attempt to handle the situation, but also the breadth and diversity of people they encounter. Inevitably it invites the conclusion that the police force is often stretched, and raises the question of how you train officers to deal with such a diversity of problems.

Particularly haunting are the chapters on domestic violence, and child assaults and murders, not that the other chapters are much easier to read, mind, but the heart-breaking stories of people trapped in abusive environments, the constant regressive cycle of violence and abuse often carried down inter or intra-generationally is depressing. These chapters are also underpinned by a quite evident sense of frustration in the limitations of what the police alone can do, and the unwillingness of people, particularly those in power, to appreciate the holistic approach that is needed and the necessity of investment not austerity. The consequences of the latter only serve to make the problem worse and thus far more costly anyway, not to mention it creates a huge burden on the individuals themselves struggling to cope – both the victims and the officers.

The consequences of austerity come in for particular focus throughout the book, and it is a very compelling case that illustrates the damage that short termism headline seeking causes. Indeed, Sutherland as a police officer who has had to deal with so many types of criminal behaviours and victims is invested in understanding the causes. Surely if we can appreciate how these crimes are occurring, we can focus more on prevention. Prevention being infinitely better than the cure.

Understanding is not excusing, he is quick to note, heading off those of a more draconian simplistic bent. If you commit violent crime, you will and should face the consequences of that in terms of long prison sentences. But grappling with the dynamics that lead young men to become part of knife gangs, or other products of broken homes to repeat the behaviours they’ve seen is necessary to make long term headway.

On this note the level of interdependence among society is unavoidable. The police service, the mental health organisations, youth workers, charities and support networks for those suffering domestic abuse, and all these organisations trying to work together, they need help, not their legs being cut off from under them. Improve education and housing, getting people into help young people with no role models, help them find work and ways out of binary choices of death or prison.

It is an essential read for anyone who has found themselves slipping into easy dismissals of social ills, and just as valuable to those who haven’t. As Sutherland also notes, in a world where debate is going down the toilet, and we are being manipulated through aggressive debate to be on side or off , with you or against you, appreciating the realities helps us remember nuance, but more importantly helps restores empathy to us, a much missing quality these. As he acknowledges in the book, the police force have been guilty of not listening too often in the past, and that is something we all need to do now, and not just limited to police-themed issues.

Belonging and a sense of connection are so vital to so many of us, that for those who are dislocated and pushed out, it is easy to be drawn into any nefarious group that promises identity, be it gang-related criminality or extremist sympathies. The more we as a society can provide those options instead, the harder we make it for those criminal connections to spread.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This another gift from a son who knows well my range of interests, and is a clear and chilling look at the burdens placed on the police today and how little they are supported by today's demand for quick-fix, look-good solutions, not just for the police force but in education and health care too. Of course, John Sutherland's view may be biased, but it is very, very well-informed, to an extent the majority of us are not. That majority including too many politicians who do not appear to understand their primary role, and the press who report perceived failures and ignore successes.

The final chapter looks at reasons for today's antisocial behaviour: too few people have someone who cares for them. Who loves them. And the lack too often goes back generations.

I could say more but best read it for yourself. It is a book that needs to be read by us all.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this rather serious look at modern policing, touching on issues such as human trafficking, domestic abuse, assault and drugs. The author is an accomplished officer and uses his experience to draw focus on issues he feels particularly passionate about. He writes in a self aware tone, noting that as a young officer, he held certain views and closet prejudices that he had to work to overcome.

The greatest takeaway from the book is that crime prevention is key. It starts from very early life, and involves a host of disciplines, such as schools, community leaders, role models etcetera.

If the author were to write another, I’d hope to read more frontline stories whereas this book was more of an overall look at policing.

[Claire Geraghty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Book! Very interesting reading about his life in the Metropolitan Police. I found it all very interesting and it’s certainly gives you a different perspective on the police and what they have to deal with on a day to day basis. I liked how the chapters weren’t to long and it wasn’t difficult to read and understand. Very good book!

[Jenny Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, in particular the way it is split into different crime types. My only complaint was, while he made some very valid points about policing, crime, reform, etc - it did all get a bit repetitive. I’d like to read his other books though.

[Inky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into police work and the reality of what it takes to be a cop!

[Amelie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful view of policing! Would highly recommend for anyone wanting a better understanding of why policing is the way it is 👮🏻‍♀️

[Helen Stead · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard work. I'm sure it was an interesting read, but I got tired of all the facts and figures. Certainly an eye-opener into the challenges faced by the police force today.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Violence is infinitely more complicated than we want it to be, and it follows that the answers to violence are too."

Please, please, please take some of your time to read this! There are so many important issues that are addressed with the empathy and understanding they deserve from someone whose experience is impressive and whose attitude is both hopeful and compassionate. While some parts of the book occasionally makes for uncomfortable reading, it is insightful whether you know someone who works in the industry or not - more importantly it takes time to humanise individuals behind uniforms as much as it puts efforts into explaining why some people end up in the situations that they do, and how all of us have some degree of responsibility in helping them find their way to peace.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is perhaps a book better read by those who have not already had the pleasure of reading Blue, John Sutherland's personal memoir of his policing career from entrant to senior officer as the themes will be familiar.

This felt a little too superficial, there were perhaps too many name checks of well-known circumstances without adding much to what is already out there in terms of facts and analysis... a kind of long form Twitter in which people feel some sort of obligation to make a statement on anything and everything. I felt the book needed a stronger editor so that this sort of baggy filler which ultimately feels a little distasteful to me could have been swept away and we could have had more of Sutherland's ideas and analysis. His selection of topics to discuss is interesting but I felt I wanted more depth, especially at a time when the police are in a tremendously delicate position and the insight of someone who was once an insider and now an outsider, someone who has been a PC and a senior officer, would be tremendously valuable.

I sense his continued discomfort at having had to take ill health retirement, perhaps an unwarranted guilt, which seems to result in some platitudes about the wonders of those who continue to serve as if they and they alone as a profession are uniquely at risk and uniquely subject to societal ambivalence - listing a variety of professions the public love (and making me wonder where he has been if he's not seen the criticisms). It's not unreasonable that he writes mostly about the Metropolitan Police as that's what he knows, but I would argue that generalising from there as representative might be a grave mistake.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another on point and dedicated book about Policing in the modern world. John Sutherland, a former Police Commander with the Met, brilliantly captures what he and the wider public, believe are inherent crisis’s facing the UK. From knife crime to Domestic Violence, to issues facing modern policing in 2020.
This is by no means a complete defence of the Police, in fact Mr Sutherland states they should be open and transparent. However, and more interestingly, he defends this worldwide renowned service, as one that shouldn’t be criticised as much as it is in the media and by politicians.
As described by the various papers that have reviewed this book, this is a love letter to Police officers, and my god, isn’t that the truth.
Honest, open and warm hearted, a very much needed review of this wonderful service.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no getting away from it. The Police, most evidently of late especially the Met, as an organisation and, in some cases, as individuals have not received a good press. Quite rightly so. Misogyny, racism, violence, abuse and, the most heinous of all recent incidents, the abduction, assault and murder of Sarah Everard, have all served to dent public confidence in the very people who are meant to be there to protect us from all of this. The people who are meant to enforce law and order being responsible for some of the most bewildering and sickening headlines. It is easy, therefore to forget that the vast majority of those who serve are good people. Very good people. They very people who run into danger as others are running away.

John Sutherland, to me, is one of those very good ones. I was fortunate a couple of years ago to her him in conversation with fellow former Police Officer, Matt Johnson, and his passion for and love of the job was so clear. It's a job that has cost him dearly, and his first book, Blue, is an emotional and compelling look at the toll the job took on his mental health. I was absorbed by it, and would heartily recommend a read if you have time. Crossing The Line is not quite a memoir, although it does include some more moments from the author's time serving in the police, alongside some of the real life incidents that impacted friends and colleagues. More so for this book, it is a dissection of the challenges that are facing the police, both in the days in which he served at varying grades within the Met, through to the challenges of modern day policing and the impact of the continual budget cuts and conflicting priorities that they have all faced.

The book is broken down into twelve chapters, in a way serving as almost as a series of essays on different aspects of policing. From tackling domestic abuse, to the impacts of alcohol and drugs on society and the most vulnerable, the author paints an often brutally clear picture of life on the streets. This is not a 'woe is me, we had a really hard job' portrayal of policing, it is a warts and all recounting of both the bad and the good of life in the police. The begins with the statement that the author is 'no blind apologist' for the police, their past and present, and that is certainly made clear from that point on. I part listened to the audiobook, part read the book, and to be honest the audiobook, read by the author himself, really captured the sincerity, passion, and compassion, of the man behind the words.

There are startling statistics, ones that will make your toes curl and certainly act as an eye opener to me. There is an honesty about the many differing targets that officers were set in terms of crime clear up rates, ad how they focused more on the quick wins rather than the underlying causes of crime. Imagine a structure that prioritises car crime over domestic violence and rape? Well, that's what we had, because car crime is infinitely easier to resolve. That honesty, that glimpse behind the headline statistics that can, after all, tell you just what you want to hear, is, in some ways, shocking but probably also anticipated.

This is not a quick book to read, the nature of how it is presented allowing you to spread the book easily over a couple of weeks if you choose to. But for me, as someone who has never had to face the impossible choices the police have faced, never had to decide to arrest a drunk for no other reason than because a night in the cells will keep him safer than leaving him on the streets, it is certainly an enlightening and important read. It's too easy to get lost in the headlines, the extremes of those who commit heinous acts whilst feeling protected by the uniform, and those who lose their lives, or their health in act of true heroism, and forget that there are literally thousands of hard working individuals out there, people who do take their roles and responsibilities seriously, and who do deserve our respect.

Most of us only see the police on some of the worst days of our lives, others will come into contact in a moment of conflict, where tensions are high and prejudice, potentially on both sides, exaggerates and inflates emotions. The reality of policing is far more complex, part crime solving, part community liaison and, sadly, far too much politics these days, but all of this is presented to us in a balanced and open way by a man who clearly still cares deeply for his former career. Whether you're a police officer or not, probably especially if not, this is definitely recommended.

[Helen Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Another fab book by John Sutherland! I read it as soon as I'd finished "Blue" so did have fears it would be too similar but I needn't have worried. In this book John takes chapter by chapter the big issues facing policing today. I particularly wanted to read it as I'd been involved in EGYV, SYV and GAWG myself in 2012 when funding was originally put into these initiatives and I certainly wish he'd written this back then!! Each chapter John gives examples of true cases and then discusses in very thought-provoking ways his views on how these issues are dealt with and how he thinks they should be. His wisdom bounces off the pages! I honestly loved this book and genuinely believe senior officers, decision makers and politicians should all read it as suggested by a previous review. It broke my heart to hear that last year the BBC produced a montage of clips to show support to all the various front line workers throughout covid and the police had not been included! I had not realised that. It breaks my heart to hear "all coppers are b******s" but I've heard it on the street and I've heard it from friends. Its disgusting! Yes I am biased! I still love the police. I think they have such a hard job, which gets harder every day, where their positives are ignored and their negatives magnified. As I said in my review of Blue, these guys are no different to you and I. They put on their uniforms and it doesn't make them superman, they're still people like you and I, but they have to act like superman, they run into danger when we run away, they cross the lines when we can't and wouldn't want to. And don't even get me started on them having to deal with the mental health crisis which currently dominates this land!! They're not mental health workers, they're not social workers, they're not paramedics, they're not housing officers but in the middle of the night when they're first persons and sometimes only person on scene they become all of these and so much more. OK rant over!! This book was an eye opener and would be for anyone. Thank you John Sutherland for this book, and Blue and I sincerely hope it's not your last.

[Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read John Sutherland’s first book “Blue; a memoir” a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

Crossing the Line is a very different book to Blue. It is a not simply re-telling of war stories, but a reflection of who crime has changed during John’s career. The book explores different aspects of crime such as knife crime, domestic violence and gang culture. It looks at the reasons why people turn to crime, the factors which exacerbate it and the increasing strain that it places on the shrinking resources of the police.

 

Whatever you think of the police (and I am the first to admit that they do not always cover themselves in glory), there are few of us who would willingly do the job that they do with the pressures that they face. The book also looks at the socio economic factors which affect crime. I was saddened and disheartened to read a section in the book about the common factors in a group of teenagers who were involved in a fatal stabbing. The book also talks about the background of Tracey Connelly – the mother of Baby P. Its easy to dismiss her as evil, but reading a brief overview of her life in the book made me reflect on the circumstances of her life and the cyclical nature of abuse and neglect.

 

This is a difficult book to read in places and the author’s vision of how the root causes of crime should be tackled is easy to dismiss as “fanciful and expensive”. But it did make me reflect on the responsibility that society has to the most disadvantaged and neglected in society and how we have a duty to break the cycle that drags people into a miserable existence and waste their lives.

[Katie 'KT' · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crossing the Line: Lessons from a Life on Duty is a revolutionary piece of brilliance. John Sutherland is a person that we need to bottle, protect and learn from, an author with an incredible amount of insight and clarity on the matters that are plighting the UK and Police service today. A balanced exploration of ten of the most pressing 'crime' related issues of our time. Sutherland takes the time to offer experiential anecdotes and referenced stats to backup his statements and does so in such an eloquent and measured way. There is no political agenda or hard-faced rhetoric- This book is full of plan common sense and human responses. An eye opening read for anyone that wants to really understand the issues our Police service take on every day and to allow yourself to step into their shoes, if only for a few hundred pages, to gain a new perspective on the way the world is today.

[Dawn Davies · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt more like reading a really long essay for university purposes than an actual novel. It was useful to the reader, that at the beginning he outlined what criteria he wanted to talk about and each chapter related to one criteria. He covers lots of topics such as drug and alcohol abuse as well as domestic violence and knife crime. He includes information from his own life as a police officer including his chapter on mental health dealings and his nervous breakdown and depression. He also covered topical things that I remember growing up such as the deaths of Ben Kinsella/Damilola Taylor, the Rotherham child abuse ring and the London riots of 2011. He isn't afraid to admit that sometimes the police do act in wrongful ways such as the death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protests. Overall, this is an honest look at the main issues that a police officer comes into contact with during their service. It is just a shame that it was so dry and not as compelling to read as it has the potential to be.

[Tracey White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a lot of food for thought in this memoir. I'm not a policewoman (am I allowed to say that or should it be police person?) but I am a mother. As a mother, if my kids are acting out I think, 'Are they tired, are they hungry or bored?' I look for the underlying causes of their behaviour so I can better help them. Most of the issues raised in this book are symptoms of an unhappy childhood or as a result of poverty. Some of the issues are to do with a total lack of understanding on the part of many people who have some degree of responsibility to help those on the edge of society. It is never as simple as nature or nurture, yet people are quick to judge when things go wrong without looking at the bigger picture. This book has made me look beyond the violence, the drugs and the mental health to see that we as a society fail the most vulnerable people because we don't see past the immediate problems and we haven't learnt from the past.

[Read By Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝑰 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅, 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔.’

This book was such an interesting read, it’s a honest depiction of policing during the past decade or so and highlights how frequently misunderstood police officers are.

Sunderland was a police officer for over 25 years and in this book he discusses what he believes are the ten biggest challenges regarding crime facing society today, including drug addiction, domestic abuse, knife crime, sexual offences etc.

I found this book extremely moving and the author’s love of policing really shines through. The stories he tells really touched me and gave me a new level of appreciation for all the sacrifices police officers make to help keep us safe.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

[Eliza Shire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book of John Sutherland that I have read and immensely enjoyed. Sutherland takes an important and urgent topic per chapter and really dissects it’s problems. He provides interesting insight into policing and the everyday realities officers face. I loved that at the end, he really dug into what is needed from the British people and politicians to solve some of the most urgent and horrific of these issues. He didn’t shy away from the stark truth that we have major problems to deal with here and that the solutions are far more difficult and complex than we let ourselves imagine. A great read and an important one too for anyone who has ever wondered about crime in Britain and whether we should all be looking out for each other.

[Andrew Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something of a manifesto for Policing and associated social ills.
Very readable and thought-provoking. The content needs "a grown-up conversation" but as he points out, politicians and the media seem to be obsessed with short-termism rather than seeking to resolve intractable problems in society.
Written by a man who has been there, seen it and can speak with authority - one make not agree with all his conclusions but if we're not to sink further into an abyss of violence & lawlessness then the conversation needs to be held.
The unanswered question is, if one sidelines the politicians & media - who will host be included in the conversation and who will make the difficult decisions needed.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would definitely recommend this to anybody who is an armchair critic of the police and what they do (or don't) do. This is an open and honest account of policing which is also very fair and takes into consideration why things are the way they are. I'm a Police staff member and it really is a job like no other where you see the worst in humanity and deal with the urgency of completely awful circumstances.. but its not urgent tomorrow (or even within an hour of it happening) because you have to switch off and crack on with the next traumatic event. Not for the faint hearted, probably why so many ate quick to judge but won't get up and join!

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little disappointing for me. I wanted stories from a career in the police and while I did get that, there was too much politics in this for me.

I understand they form part of the story with all the reports mentioned and historical facts and figures but I thought this was just going to be different tales of cases he had witnessed as a police officer and it wasn't how I expected at all.

The book focused on 10 different punishable crimes and I did enjoy the way that was set out, but for me it was too heavy with numbers rather than solely based on cases.

[Sean Flatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great non fiction book on this author time in the Met Police

I enjoyed reading this non fiction autobiography book of this fine gentleman time in the Met Police based in and around London. The stories were both funny and shocking and an eye opener as to what a police officer face daily while on duty.
I would highly recommended it to anyone considering joining the Police service as it will give you an idea what to expect.
Overall a great well written book and throughly recommended. Best wishes Sean ex RE

[Mr. N. V. White · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would be wrong to sayI enjoyed this book because it opens up the Pandora’s box of the ills of society
I think it would need a peaceful revolution to even begin to bring a civilised, caring society back from the brink. Overcrowding is not mentioned nor is the totally uncontrolled Asian immigration of the 50s mentioned both of which have a bearing on racism and crime. Everyone should read how critically stretched our police are.

[Amy Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book covering a range of topics and challenges faced by the police. Was a book I had to dip in and out of rather than read continuously as it felt very heavy and in places confusing with lots of facts and figures. A great book for those unfamiliar with the struggles of police, but if you’re a police officer yourself, the book is just a reminder of how hard, dangerous, and thankless everything was, is, and continues to be.