Lethal Force: My Life As the Met's Most Controversial Marksman by Tony Long

by Tony Long

Top shot Tony Long is the most prolific police marksman Britain has ever seen. For 25 years, he operated in the Met’s elite specialist firearms units and was at the forefront of SO19’s fight against armed crime. Deployed on hundreds of dangerous operations, it was his duty to bring down terrorists, killers and hostage takers, sometimes with lethal force – and with only seconds to decide. Tony has been behind some of the UK’s most controversial police shootings, but it was the death of suspected armed robber and drug dealer Azelle Rodney that brought his career to a devastating end. Tried for murder, Tony saw his life crumble around him… simply for doing his job. An intense read, Tony’s story raises serious issues about the responsibility that falls on the shoulders of those who risk their lives, and take the lives of others, in our name.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Crime

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to rate. As a book it is not very good however I do think it is a very important story to tell. But that doesn't excuse the grammar, spelling mistakes and slowness. So as a book it gets 2 stars but as a story it can have 5 stars.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a sub-heading "My life as the Met's most controversial marksman" you know this book isn't going to pull any punches. And it doesn't. In part this is because the author is quite clearly angry. He's angry with how he's been treated by the Met, how he's been treated by prosecutors such as the IPCC and the CPS, and how he's been portrayed in sections of the press. But that only tells half the story. If Lethal Force was merely an angry screed, a chance for an embittered man to rant at those he perceived to have wronged him, then it wouldn't be half the book that it is. It would be tiresome and tedious rather than compelling and, a frankly uncomfortable read. For what lies at the heart of this manuscript is a brilliantly honest account of what it is to serve as a firearms officer in Britain's biggest police force.

Tony Long joined London's Metropolitan Police in the 1970's. After Hendon, a short time in uniform, a shorter spell in CID, and finally time in the Special Patrol Group (the forerunner to today’s Territorial Support Group, and like the TSG, the closest the Met has to a full-time riot squad) he found a home in what was then D11. This was the Met's nascent firearms command, and the author vividly paints a picture of a group of dedicated men (at that time it was primarily men) under-resourced and lacking sufficient training, having to make do in the face of official intransigence. The Met hierarchy looked upon the firearm's unit as a necessary evil and thus Tony and his colleagues had to organise their own training, beg, borrow and steal kit.

D11 eventually turned into PT17, then SO19, through CO19, to finally its current designation, SCO19. If these frequent name changes appear confusing, it's worth bearing in mind that each signaled a further step in the unit's professionalism. While no one doubts the dedication of those early efforts, SCO19 is now unrecognisable from its earlier incarnation and again the author describes this journey well. In many ways it mirrors his own and it is no surprise that he helped draft many of the training programmes and advised on the sourcing of much of the unit's kit.

This is all very well but anyone who follows the news will know of Tony Long and why indeed he has become "the Met's most controversial Marksman." Notably his shooting of Azelle Rodney in 2005. Police shootings in the UK are actually exceedingly rare. In the year of Rodney's shooting, the Met's firearms unit carried out 938 pre-planned operations. Shots were fired on only four of these. And in total, across the four of the operations where shots were fired, just thirteen rounds were discharged. The contrast with say, the US, is stark. 2005 however was a bad year for the Met, both Azelle Rodney and the innocent Jean Charles De Menezes being gunned down. It was Tony Long's misfortune to be responsible for the first of these incidents.

Unlike De Menezes however, Azelle Rodney was not shot on the basis of mistaken identity. Nor was he an innocent bystander mistaken for the operation's target. Rather he was a known criminal who at the time was wanted by police for an earlier assault. The official inquiry into the shooting, it's report still available online, makes clear that police intelligence pointed to his participation in an organised crime group and that he was a "mid-level career criminal".

There were a number of reasons why the author's shooting of Rodney was to prove so controversial. For a starter this wasn't Tony long's first shooting. Indeed, he had fatally shot two armed robbers in a Plumsted abattoir in 1987. That operation had again followed police intelligence that the men were planning on stealing the wages and both were indeed armed when Tony engaged them. The description of this shooting is visceral and Tony explains in great detail the threat he perceived and why he felt he had no choice but to fire. Justified though this may well have been, it lay the foundations for a reputation that was to hang from his neck like an albatross for years to come. The Met hierarchy, tetchy about its firearm's command, preferring the Dixon of Dock Green image of the unarmed Bobby to the paramilitary paraphernalia of a SWAT team, were never likely to be his greatest fans.

Fast forward to 2005 and Tony Long was once again put in a frightfully difficult position. Intelligence assessed that Rodney and his associates were planning to rob a Colombian cocaine gang of their drugs, that they had got hold of MAC-10 sub-machine guns to do the robbery with. The decision was made to make a hard stop of the suspect's vehicle. Once again Tony takes us through the minutiae of his decision making in forensic detail. He describes how Rodney had rumbled the police presence, how he had been speaking animatedly to those in the front seats (he was seated on a back seat), how as their police car pulled alongside the suspect vehicle Rodney appeared to duck down and come back up. Concluding that Rodney had picked up a MAC-10 from the footwell of the car, Tony opened fire.

As it happens Rodney did not have a MAC-10, though he did have a pistol. Other members of the gang were also armed. Eventually the controversy surrounding this shooting led to an inquiry where the shooting of Azelle Rodney was deemed to be unlawful. Tony's arrest and trial for murder were to follow. But in a court of law he proved his innocence and left the Met with his reputation intact. The last few chapters take us through this denouement and demonstrate just why it is one should read news reports with more than a little degree of skepticism. The reports surrounding Azelle Rodney's shooting in the months and years after his death gave a very partial picture of events. It was only with the full airing of the facts at his trial that they could be put in the proper context. Reading all the evidence, it is little surprise the jury found him innocent.

None of this stopped the Met from viewing Tony as an embarrassing inconvenience however. One of the most shocking tales in this book is of a senior officer saying upon introduction to Tony that she had always wanted to meet the Met's very own serial killer. While this was the most blatant example, others abound. After he was found innocent the Met Commissioner expressed a desire to meet with Tony in person to congratulate him. He quickly changed his mind. A further senior officer was to express disquiet at the thought of Tony writing a book. It quickly became apparent that they just wanted him gone.

Tony Long has now left the Met and despite the displeasure of the police force he once served, he has written his book. The result is one of the finest examples of its genre. He's clearly a tough, no nonsense kind of man. That shines through the text. But unlike some former police/soldiers who have penned memoirs, there's very little macho posturing in this book. Plain speaking is perhaps a cliché but in this case it's apt. Tony tells his story forcefully and passionately. Sometimes the anger he feels to those who persecuted him lifts off the page. But this never gets the better of him and he doesn't descend into acrimony. Rather, like the evidence presented at his trial, he gives a solid account of his career and actions.

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good guy

Tony has accurately described the threats and emotions that every AFO faces each time they kit up and go onto the streets of London. I met him several times on the ranges during the mandatory classification shoots that every AFO has to pass and found him to be a true professional instructor that took time to teach others how to refine their shooting accuracy. I found him to be a very down to earth person who was never one of the gun ho group that most of the instructors were. I appreciated his calm manner when running a range.
He went into situations that everyone else was running away from and dealt with the most dangerous individuals that are involved in drugs supply and major crime in London who would not hesitate to shoot a police officer.
Good luck in the future and have a happy retirement with your family. Thank you for your service and making London a safer place.

[Sal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, highly recommend

A well written and truthful account of life within an armed response unit.The politics and hidden agendas of those in senior ranks and how they will happily sell out the very people tasked with protecting us. The heroic exploits of S.O 19 and those men and women who put their lives in the line with each shout!!! Gripping and truthful throughout .

[Helen Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony (Tony) Long gives a really candid retelling of 30+ years within the Met Police in various teams and a number of Firearms roles. The book is really interesting and exciting, but towards the end left me exasperated and incredibly annoyed, but I'll come back to that. I loved how he refers to Operation Trident, as I was also involved in EGYV myself and our own op. But what made me so mad? Nothing about the book itself just one of the things Tony had to go through. What am I talking about? Tony or should I say E7 was out on a job, doing the job I hasten to add that he was paid to do, had beyond the amount of experience necessary to do, had trained copiously for and briefed specifically about. I won't go into huge details because you ought to read the book, but there was basically a gang of armed drug-dealing baddies out for the sole purpose of killing and robbing some other drug-dealing baddies, and more than likely killing or harming anyone who dared to get in the way. When I say they were armed, intelligence suggested some real big deal weaponry, they werent messing around.The teams followed and intercepted, split second decisions were made, one of the baddies made out he was going for his weapon and Tony shot him. He died. Tony saved the lives of many of his colleagues who go out day in day out to put their lives on the line to make our little bit of the world safer. They took down a gang. Yay for Tony right??? Wrong. He was prosecuted. He was accused of MURDER! Oh my gosh! Seriously! And the whole case took about TEN YEARS of Tony's life dragging through the courts and legal battles to clear his name. To find out that not only this the mother of the murdered baddie was being paid off! Talk about adding insult to an absolutely awful injury!! It's plain awful and like I said earlier it got my blood boiling! Tony writes, "It is the word 'gun' that strikes an irrational fear in the national psyche and any discussion about police and firearms immediately draws parallels with what happens in America rather than what happens in Holland and Sweden. The baddie wasn't Stephen Lawrence, he was a violent gangster already wanted for a double stabbing and when he woke up that morning he knew that by the end of the day he knew that he would have participated in the robbery and murder of rival drug dealers. If it comes to a choice (split second) between their life (the armed with guns baddies) and that of a police officer or a member of the public, theirs will come a poor third." This isn't the first time I've heard of authorised specialist firearm officers doing their jobs and then being ostracised, penalised or punished because they did just that. It's inherently wrong. What would have happened if on that day these 3 did use the weapons that intelligence said they had, killing the rival gang and many, many officers out there to protect us plus innocent members of the public ... there would he an outcry wondering why nobody fired back! Get a grip.
P.S. I loved the book!!!

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am giving this book a solid four despite the flaws in it. As noted in other reviews the spelling and grammatical errors are extensive--a proper editor, or at least one not asleep at the switch would have certainly benefited the book. On the plus side kudos to the author for not ghost writing the book and having the balls, to as the Brits say, give it a go on his own. Which brings me to another quibble of the minor variety--the slang terms were almost overwhelming, as a fan of Guy Ritchie movies I can keep up with a fair share of brit-speak but this was right on the cusp of: What the fuck is he on about? Oddball, crap game, cowboy, hustler, little joe, big joe--wait those are from Kelly's Heroes! Ok I was just having a laugh there, but you get the point. However, I will concede the primary audience for this book was not retired yank cops so fair play. Long, paints a pretty harrowing picture of shit show bosses and what the fuck is wrong with the Metropolitan police department in this book. I applaud his 33 years of service and also for sticking it in the ass of his bosses by publishing this book. Also, he seems like a great guy to raise a pint with and swap stories. Well done mate.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth a read. If you are a serving, or former bobby you will be able to relate to much in this book. For people who haven't been in the cops, it is also worth a read; the author was involved in several high profile incidents down the years and gives an angle from the police perspective, seemingly often ignored, dismissed or minimised by the media, no doubt because that wouldn't suit their sensationalist agenda, or increase sales.

The book culminates in the author's account of his involvement in the fatal police shooting of an armed suspect, which led to a public inquiry and subsequently his own trial for murder. Hung out to dry, just for doing his job, a job that is very dangerous and that he volunteered for, an absolute disgrace. Tony Long, hats off to you, so glad it went your way in the end!!

[Dilwyn Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tony Long was probably not the best shot in the Met, but he was the most effective under fire. His perception was what was questioned time and time again by people who’ve never been under that scale of threat. He’s also probably not the best writer in the Met but he captures you in this book with his honesty and professionalism. Not one to shy away from any confrontation he fell victim to a combination of the media, IPCC and Met senior managers with no integrity. Well done for surviving Tony and living to tell your tale and that of the Met Firearms Branch from D11 to SO19. Incidentally, I've now read the book twice and used it as reference material for other items, it's that good.

[Matthew Andrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty 1st hand account of the mets very own serial killers (not my words)

This is a gritty and hard hitting account of a man at the forefront of a nations switch from Dixon of dock green policing to an armed fast response division that at its height was at the centre of the countries biggest incidents.
I have never been a fan of policing in this country but this book has made me see Tony Long was put in a position of when things went south the force was prepared to hang him out to dry but when it suited there reputation they where happy to take the plaudits.

[I KEANEY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for your service

The pressure that these operators are put under is understandable. However we including the beading hearts need to understand that bad men do bad things and need to be countered. Without armed response we may as well give up and let the bad men win. Tony Long should have received a medal not a murder inquiry.

[John Poulain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can be rather self agrandising, Tony Long discusses from a personal point of view his time in UK firearms and the scrutiny he comes under for every round fired.

An interesting look at the processes that make the UK police much less likely to shoot criminals and suspects and asks where it might go too far.

[Derek Skingle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best factual book I have read. The author makes you feel that you are there amongst the politics, camaraderie and danger faced. I could not put it down, and only purchased this book after seeing Tony on GB News recently. Very well written!

[Chris Allum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good book, set in an ever changing time in the Mets history. Interesting reading.

[Karl Waktare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall interesting book. A little hard to follow in some places but great insight in Police firearms operations

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. It’s too bad, I really wanted to learn about this man but the lack of grammar and editing made this book unbearable.

[Newfad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cops view of life as its 'hero' marksman. Interesting in parts but the steam runs out as the testosterone flows & the excuses mount.

[Richard Paul lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting without being compelling

Given book was written circa 2016 some reflection on policing methods back in his early career would have widened the interest.

[Mr David S McCracken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Insight

A great insight into the brave men and women who volunteer for this role to keep us safe. This should never ever happen again to an AFO.

[Lucas Gili · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ends a bit too quickly and gets a bit tepid toward the end, but the first half or so is excellent, really enjoyed it, would like to see a part 2 as there must be a lot that he missed out. ended too quickly probably to keep the pages down.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable and insightful book about Met firearms officer Tony Long. It describes the early days of met officers having to step up their firearm capabilities and gives detailed accounts of some quite notorious incidents. The culmination is of course the murder trial following the fatal shooting of what can only be described as a gangster on his way to slaying fellow drug dealers. You have to feel for Tony for what he went through. A really interesting, well set out book and a must read!

[Tim Mansfield]

Another £3 curiosity from The Works.
Kept me entertained on a long train journey.
Got the impression that the author lost his love of the Police about half-way through.
Description of the controversial killing did sound wrong to me, but never worthy of a murder trial.