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Perverting the Course of Justice: The Hilarious and Shocking Inside Story of British Policing
You do not have to know anything about the police, but it may harm your understanding of the world you live in if you do not read this book.
Arresting 10-year-olds for for stealing sweets… Nicking adults for denying the existence of Santa Claus… Investigating Kelly's ex's new girlfriend's sister's boyfriend's ex for sending her a nasty message on Facebook.
These are the things the cops spend their time on (as well as fighting drunk thugs, finding toddlers dead in car crashes and cutting down men who have hanged themselves in public parks).
Controversial, gripping, authoritative and, occasionally, very funny - this book takes readers where the powers-that-be don't want them to go. Forget everything you know about law and order: this is the truth.
Inspector Gadget is a serving senior police officer. He has written for the New Statesman, The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph, and has been praised for his bravery and honesty by everyone from The Sun to The Guardian.
His 'Police Inspector' online blog has received more than six million hits and was recently named one of Britain's Top 40 blogs by The Times who said that his writing is 'provocative stuff, and as an insight into life on the policing front line, it’s invaluable.'
Arresting 10-year-olds for for stealing sweets… Nicking adults for denying the existence of Santa Claus… Investigating Kelly's ex's new girlfriend's sister's boyfriend's ex for sending her a nasty message on Facebook.
These are the things the cops spend their time on (as well as fighting drunk thugs, finding toddlers dead in car crashes and cutting down men who have hanged themselves in public parks).
Controversial, gripping, authoritative and, occasionally, very funny - this book takes readers where the powers-that-be don't want them to go. Forget everything you know about law and order: this is the truth.
Inspector Gadget is a serving senior police officer. He has written for the New Statesman, The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph, and has been praised for his bravery and honesty by everyone from The Sun to The Guardian.
His 'Police Inspector' online blog has received more than six million hits and was recently named one of Britain's Top 40 blogs by The Times who said that his writing is 'provocative stuff, and as an insight into life on the policing front line, it’s invaluable.'
334 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 22, 2011
A policeman's lot is not a happy one, wrote W S Gilbert. Although Inspector Gadget finds much that will make the reader smile, his message a hundred years on from G & S is that things are a whole lot worse.
Fifteen years ago, we suffered a burglary. The thief left behind a bin sack full of VCRs whose shiny covers would have seemed to be a likely source of finger prints. When a policeman eventually arrived (we pulled strings with an Inspector acquaintance), he declined the offer to investigate, gave us a crime reference number and departed, never to be heard from again. The experience remains irritating but the underlying reason could not be made clearer than it is in this book. There are not nearly enough police officers actually involved in dealing with crime, and those there are spend far, far too much time filling forms and covering themselves from disciplinary rebound.
I finished reading on the day the Prime Minister announced a U-turn on sentencing: it will be tougher and more meaningful. How it will be paid for, how much extra prison capacity will be required, he didn't say. On the face of it, the problem is intractable. Perhaps the place to start is with a disregarded glib soundbite from one of Mr Cameron's predecessors: tough on the causes of crime. In short, bad parenting, poverty, unemployment. That seems to be the Gadget philosophy and it is well expressed in this eminently readable book.
Fifteen years ago, we suffered a burglary. The thief left behind a bin sack full of VCRs whose shiny covers would have seemed to be a likely source of finger prints. When a policeman eventually arrived (we pulled strings with an Inspector acquaintance), he declined the offer to investigate, gave us a crime reference number and departed, never to be heard from again. The experience remains irritating but the underlying reason could not be made clearer than it is in this book. There are not nearly enough police officers actually involved in dealing with crime, and those there are spend far, far too much time filling forms and covering themselves from disciplinary rebound.
I finished reading on the day the Prime Minister announced a U-turn on sentencing: it will be tougher and more meaningful. How it will be paid for, how much extra prison capacity will be required, he didn't say. On the face of it, the problem is intractable. Perhaps the place to start is with a disregarded glib soundbite from one of Mr Cameron's predecessors: tough on the causes of crime. In short, bad parenting, poverty, unemployment. That seems to be the Gadget philosophy and it is well expressed in this eminently readable book.
January 29, 2015
Bit of whine. Gadget may well have a point about the paperwork and stupid political interference but to argue that this is because a few bad officers misbehaved in the seventies and eighties is rubbish. The police demonstrated that they could not be trusted time and time again and have lost the confidence of the public. A recent survey showed that 50% of police officers would not report a colleague if they committed a crime. Enough said?
September 10, 2019
This is a fun book to review. Anything to do with policing can automatically bring out the "ACAB" brigade and although I know some cops do their best under trying circumstances, the system they operate in will automatically alienate some people. This is also about the British police not the American cop force. The difference is a lot less guns and a lot more paperwork.
I have no doubt that all the stories contained in this book are true. I have no doubt that the amount of regulations and new policies the police force have to deal with do help to increase crime while bringing down crime numbers on paper. The anonymous police officer who wrote this book was right to do so and to whistleblower on what he has seen in his career.
This is a book review not a forum for my own thoughts on the British police. I will say that they are understaffed, overworked and underfunded. Even our own government admits this (they don't do much about it except promise to get staffing numbers to levels less than when they took office.)
The actual book will surprise readers who think that our police force is lazy (some officers are by the authors admission), useless (the use they have is easily undermined) and prejudice (some officers are but the majority are not.) It shows the frustration at being in a system that is thought of like that but it also shows that the system will only get worse. Especially as the judicial system is as big of not a bigger problem than how the police perform. It will open eyes and it deserves a 3 star rating.
I will just add something. If you are in a system where you know that someone you work with is prejudice and you don't take any steps to prevent this then you are always going to be a part of the problem. Although this book glosses over this, that is how things will be seen. That is why ACAB exists and is believed. No current police officer (anywhere) can be blamed for crimes of the past. They do have to be responsible now for anything they see, hear or know is going on.
I have no doubt that all the stories contained in this book are true. I have no doubt that the amount of regulations and new policies the police force have to deal with do help to increase crime while bringing down crime numbers on paper. The anonymous police officer who wrote this book was right to do so and to whistleblower on what he has seen in his career.
This is a book review not a forum for my own thoughts on the British police. I will say that they are understaffed, overworked and underfunded. Even our own government admits this (they don't do much about it except promise to get staffing numbers to levels less than when they took office.)
The actual book will surprise readers who think that our police force is lazy (some officers are by the authors admission), useless (the use they have is easily undermined) and prejudice (some officers are but the majority are not.) It shows the frustration at being in a system that is thought of like that but it also shows that the system will only get worse. Especially as the judicial system is as big of not a bigger problem than how the police perform. It will open eyes and it deserves a 3 star rating.
I will just add something. If you are in a system where you know that someone you work with is prejudice and you don't take any steps to prevent this then you are always going to be a part of the problem. Although this book glosses over this, that is how things will be seen. That is why ACAB exists and is believed. No current police officer (anywhere) can be blamed for crimes of the past. They do have to be responsible now for anything they see, hear or know is going on.
November 16, 2021
So at times, Gadget's cynicism was a bit too much to take but on the whole it was a very accurate portrayal of policing from 2008. I don't think his identity was ever revealed (might be wrong on that) and so not sure if he's still an Inspector on the force or not. If he still is, I'd be extremely interested to hear his views now!! Gadget is very dry-witted and posseses the exact sort of sarcasm I love and his re-telling of incidents is extremely interesting. Altogether made for a very enjoyable read.
April 7, 2021
"Inspector Gadget's" review of policing in the twenty first century supports the account provided by Stuart Davidson (writing as PC David Copperfield). With the Police Service drowning in paperwork, "Gadget" wonders how the public expects officers to handle their workload appropriately (in other words, catch the guilty and see them successfully convicted).
August 18, 2019
Funny stories in this book.. but a lot of moaning going on...
There is always good and bad in every thing and that includes the police force.
Blaming paper work or too many higher ups ,does not fix problems.
interesting points ....but please just treat everyone with respect!
There is always good and bad in every thing and that includes the police force.
Blaming paper work or too many higher ups ,does not fix problems.
interesting points ....but please just treat everyone with respect!
March 7, 2010
This book is based on an anonymous blog written by a police inspector at the sharp end of policing. The main feeling that I had while reading it was one of depression. His anecdotes instil a depression that fights with anger at the layers of bureaucracy and superiors whose distance from the real world is measured in light-years that the police on the streets have to fight against as much as the yobs on a Saturday night.
I had to fight to remember that he is seeing the worst of humanity and that colours his viewpoint. There are other blogs in the criminal justice system, such as Bystander's Magistrate's Blog that tell a different story.
In all, a book that's worth reading, or at least the blog; I just found that I had to do it in small doses.
I had to fight to remember that he is seeing the worst of humanity and that colours his viewpoint. There are other blogs in the criminal justice system, such as Bystander's Magistrate's Blog that tell a different story.
In all, a book that's worth reading, or at least the blog; I just found that I had to do it in small doses.
August 12, 2011
This book although very eye opening and informative and makes some very valid points does also take some views that I don't necessarily agree with. The author is quite critical himself of processes the police have to live by and describes events in an entertaining way that has some humor. His stories of the day to day life of his police work are very eye opening but at the same time amusing. I really enjoyed this book. Its split into very short 'blog' entries so is a nice book to pick up and put down as you please without committing too much time, like you might need to for a chapter in another book.
July 23, 2012
This book is a "must-read" for anyone who complains about the police service in the UK. Having sat on Insp. Gadget's side for over 10 years, I can confirm that the police and staff are really just as frustrated by it all as the rest of us. This book details the bureaucracy that the service faces very single day. Gadget tells it how it is and should be applauded by his senior Officers rather than pilloried!
February 17, 2016
A bit of light holiday reading. An anonymous uniformed police inspector lifts the lid on the secrets of policing as seen from his role (lots of paperwork, wasted money, unlimited stupid ideas imposed from above and precious little apprehension of real criminals).
Light in tone, but pretty depressing (if not particularly surprising) view of the inefectiveness of the British criminal justice system
Light in tone, but pretty depressing (if not particularly surprising) view of the inefectiveness of the British criminal justice system
January 16, 2016
A really enjoyable read, but bear in mind when I say that that there is some _Shadenfreude_ around watching someone else get hopelessly tangled in bureaucratic BS for a change. I doubt it's even remotely funny to be living it.
September 5, 2011
Very interesting insight to how the police is run, it actually made me change the way I see them somewhat.
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February 19, 2013A bleak but honest account of modern policing. Frustrating to hear that senior police and politicians appear to care more for headlines than fighting crime.
July 22, 2015
Hilarious insight to a senior British police officers life on the front line. We may laugh and mock - I'm sure it happens. Food for thought most definitely.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews