Gold from copper Derek!
Discussion
Interesting thought on the reason for there not being any prosecutions; no point as the rest of the legal system was equally as bent - not something I'd considered previously.
All before my time, but I remember reading about it a few years later and being shocked that no-one got it in the shorts at all.
All before my time, but I remember reading about it a few years later and being shocked that no-one got it in the shorts at all.
jimmyjimjim said:
Interesting thought on the reason for there not being any prosecutions; no point as the rest of the legal system was equally as bent - not something I'd considered previously.
All before my time, but I remember reading about it a few years later and being shocked that no-one got it in the shorts at all.
The highest rank to 'get it in the shorts' under Countryman was a chief inspector. There were officers much higher up. One ACPO officer in the City of London police was described by one corrupt officer as 'the biggest unhung villain', one who could be sorted for £350 - presumably a month. Yet he stayed on in the job until his death, so I won't name him, some 15 or so years later.All before my time, but I remember reading about it a few years later and being shocked that no-one got it in the shorts at all.
Ooops forgot to do a review will do one now on amazon
Bought the "book" last friday and finished it just before midnight on sunday
Thoroughly good read and had me laughing in quite a few places ( "So You're putting your hands down to it then?"
)
Bit of a shame knowing there won't obviously be a follow up (unless you've lead two lives!)
As you can tell by the short time it took to read I rarely put the book down, surely that's a good sign
Bought the "book" last friday and finished it just before midnight on sunday
Thoroughly good read and had me laughing in quite a few places ( "So You're putting your hands down to it then?"
)Bit of a shame knowing there won't obviously be a follow up (unless you've lead two lives!)
As you can tell by the short time it took to read I rarely put the book down, surely that's a good sign
This was brilliant, just finished it. The only thing I'd read that is similar was wasting police time by David copperfield. After reading that I was left feeling he was an angry ex cop (who might not of even been a cop) with an axe to grind. Not the case with this at all, it's a great insight, that comes across as balanced despite being written by a copper.
Is there any chance that this book will appear in conventional 'woodware' format, rather than electronic?
Perhaps with a contribution from the profits to a Police Welfare Fund?
If Mad Frankie Fraser can publish a book about a lifetime of villainy, surely someone would print a book written by one of good guys?
I don't do Kindle and I always thought that an iPad was some female sanitary item......
Perhaps with a contribution from the profits to a Police Welfare Fund?
If Mad Frankie Fraser can publish a book about a lifetime of villainy, surely someone would print a book written by one of good guys?
I don't do Kindle and I always thought that an iPad was some female sanitary item......
had ham said:
I shall have to ask HH junior #3 to download as I don't do Kindle, but off on holiday next week and I will look forward to reading this as I've always enjoyed DS's posts and his pragmatic, honest, and revealing opinions.
Unlike that cop-bot chap whose name I can't remember (but who epitomised the reason why most of the public dislike/distrust the police due to his complete inability to apply anything remotely close to common sense to anything and everything, and kept preaching 'the law'), DS was a copper we could all respect and look up to. If policing was still like that, the world/UK would be a far better place...
Not just me then.Unlike that cop-bot chap whose name I can't remember (but who epitomised the reason why most of the public dislike/distrust the police due to his complete inability to apply anything remotely close to common sense to anything and everything, and kept preaching 'the law'), DS was a copper we could all respect and look up to. If policing was still like that, the world/UK would be a far better place...
As it happens I date back from a little before Derek joined this site. At that time it was full of Derek like characters. The ones with a degree of empathy and common sense oozing from each sentence.
That was before respect was assumed rather than aquired though.
ZOLLAR said:
Derek Smith said:
Thanks for the comments, guys. As any writer will tell you, a comment such as 'not bad' can boost the ego so this is great.
Please note: I have a high threshold of embarrassment so don't hold back in concern.
Are you writing any other books?Please note: I have a high threshold of embarrassment so don't hold back in concern.
The novel is about how corruption corrupts. Lots of experience of that.
There was one case where a victim of a whole series of sexual offences was messed around cynically by the defence brief. For some months, going into more than a year, I used to have vivid dreams of grabbing hold of, variously, the brief's head or that of the offender and bashing it up against a wall near my office, opening up the side of his face down to the bone.
I saw a casualty once where the side of his face had been opened up, revealing the teeth and tongue. It was really quite repulsive. I used to dream of doing this to the comrades in arms. I went for counselling, which didn't work, and then to a psychiatrist, which did. The counseller couldn't understand that the problem wasn't the dream but the fact that I enjoyed the brutality. I would go to sleep looking forward to the dream - not nightmare. I won't say what condition I often woke up in but it took some explaining.
The worry was that I might lose control. When I explained this to the psychiatrist he understood immediately.
The counsellor said that she realised that I was worried what I might do if I came across the specific offender again or one doing a similar act. I said that I was looking forward to just such an eventuality. I looked up whether I'd have a defence in law or not. There was every possibility that I would get away with any such offence even though I'd checked in law.
By the way, the bloke with the protuding teeth, although sideways, tried to talk to me but, rather obviously, it proved a waste of time. I sort of slapped the side of his face back into position and told him to hold it there. I then asked him what he was saying and he shook his other hand and said: I know the answer now.
St Barts were superb. I met the bloke, a student at medical school (so obviously the injury was as a result of drunkenness), some time later and you could hardly see the scar. It was more prominent, he said, when he was sunburned but other than that it was ok. He said he put on make-up when he wanted to get into clubs but then I moved to Brighton and realised a lot of men do that.
OldJohnnyYen said:
The only thing I'd read that is similar was wasting police time by David copperfield. After reading that I was left feeling he was an angry ex cop (who might not of even been a cop) with an axe to grind.
"PC David Copperfield" was actually PC Stuart Davidson who served with Staffordshire Police (Burton on Trent).He moved to Canada. He is now a police officer with Edmonton Police. He has described how the police in Canada are much more able to "police" and provide a better (in his opinion) service to the public with much less bureaucracy and hinderance from government. I have to say he makes some good points.
Edited by Red 4 on Tuesday 31st July 17:59
OldJohnnyYen said:
This was brilliant, just finished it. The only thing I'd read that is similar was wasting police time by David copperfield. After reading that I was left feeling he was an angry ex cop (who might not of even been a cop) with an axe to grind. Not the case with this at all, it's a great insight, that comes across as balanced despite being written by a copper.
Both Copperfield and Insp Gadget (who has two books ) tell it as it is now, not as it was. There's a lot to be angry about.
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