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Baby X: Britain's Child Abusers Brought to Justice
When super-tough cop Sergeant Harry Keeble announced he was joining Hackney's ailing Child Protection Team in 2000, his colleagues were astounded. Known as the 'Cardigan Squad', its officers were seen as glorified social workers dealing with domestics. The reality was very different. Within a few months he'd fought machete-wielding thugs, rescued kids who had pit bulls chained to their cots and confronted the horrors of African witchcraft, exposing a network of abuse in the process - all in his unrelenting war against child cruelty. Harry rescued dozens of kids - kids in crack houses, kids living in unimaginable filth and kids who had burned their houses down. Then there were the hostage situations, the lynch mobs, and the almost impossible process of interviewing paedophiles to get a confession. Without wading in sentimentality, Harry describes how his team - working alongside dedicated but chronically underfunded social workers - operated at the sharp end of child protection. This is a shocking and unforgettable story of how some of the UK's most disadvantaged children escaped their tormentors - and explains why some cases, similar to that of Baby P's, ended in tragedy.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 11, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
April 9, 2019
Heartbreaking but so full of hope.
I hesitated before deciding to read this book. I work within the emergency services so am aware of some of the issues discussed - however, I had no idea of the depths of depravity of some people. By the end of the book I wept for the thousands of children who are the unreported victims of deviants. Thank you Harry for your commitment and passion, and thanks to all who choose to work in this area despite the huge personal cost. Children are our future and we have to do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING we can to protect them. Worth every minute spent reading.
I hesitated before deciding to read this book. I work within the emergency services so am aware of some of the issues discussed - however, I had no idea of the depths of depravity of some people. By the end of the book I wept for the thousands of children who are the unreported victims of deviants. Thank you Harry for your commitment and passion, and thanks to all who choose to work in this area despite the huge personal cost. Children are our future and we have to do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING we can to protect them. Worth every minute spent reading.
March 31, 2021
“Manageress.”
I gave Baby X: Britain’s Child Abusers Brought to Justice 1 star
What’s it all about?
“Within a few months he'd fought machete-wielding thugs, rescued kids who had pit bulls chained to their cots and confronted the horrors of African witchcraft, exposing a network of abuse in the process—all in his unrelenting war against child cruelty.”
Baby X is a non-fiction book written from the perspective of author Detective Sergeant Harry Keeble as he traverses through the world of child protection within the MET Police in London as a detective or as he puts it, member of the cardigan squad.
The cases discussed within Baby X were impactful and I found them interesting to learn about. Although, keep in mind I work within the safeguarding sector and so my professional learning and interest includes case studies of similar cases.
what about the writing?
I could not stand the writing in Baby X. Here are some reasons why:
Self-indulgent
Did you see the excerpt above?
“He’d fought machete-wilding thugs, rescued kids…in his unrelenting war.”
Big eye roll.
I would not have stayed within safeguarding for so many years if my colleagues spoke about themselves like Keeble does himself. We aren’t superheroes, nor are we veterans in trenches. Our roles are challenging and we come across incredibly painful circumstances, but my goodness am I ever going to bloody say I’m fighting an unrelenting war. Safeguarding professionals are just that, professionals, not narcists patting ourselves on the back when we recall a particularly impactful case.
Behind the times
From Keeble giving his 2 cents on what breeds of dogs should be banned within the UK, to his preference to call female managers “manageress” I felt like I stepped back in time whenever Keeble shared an opinion or a sexist tone.
Rambling and confusing
Like the dog breeds that should be banned fiasco midway through the book, there was also a chapter that was pure frustration spill at the state of the safeguarding sector.
This chapter was more Keeble’s opinions on the sector than a case. In the chapter Keeble made sweeping assertions on how funding should be spent, and that it absolutely could be spent where he suggested. However, Keeble was not an advocate for funding, a bid writer, nor a funding manager from my understanding of his role description in Baby X.
In each of our jobs we all have views on where money should be spent, and where it would be better placed. However, Keeble’s expression of this was a rant, and wasn’t productive.
The narrative was also confusing. Keeble would hop around from story to story and then circle back.
Super casual façade
In non-fiction books I love a conversational tone. Conversational. Not so casual that the narrator speaks like they have had a long day at work and wants to tell me about an exceptionally sensitive topic over his room temp beer.
The casual vibe where the 'everyman' tone was attempted conflicted with Keeble’s declaration that he is judgmental of homes that are not absolutely pristine and spotless as he and many other police professionals according to Keeble, are apparently living in homes that are immaculate and expensive, and subsequently knee-jerk judge those who do not live exactly this way.
Judgemental
Within safeguarding a key facet of our role is to be a non-judgemental professional. Keeble isn’t that. I understand this is a book from his narrative but my goodness he flings judgement (like as seen above) about.
There is nothing productive that is provided from this book, no suggestions, no aims or goals to keep children safe. Nothing.
so would I recommend it?
No.
I really appreciated having the opportunity to hear of child protection cases within London, but that was it. If someone is seeking to learn more about child protection and safeguarding this is not the book for you.
final question, would you read another book by Keeble?
No.
I want to read the others because case studies and learning! But I've seen the reviews that the issues within Baby X is seen across his books, and I can't deal with that narrative again.
I gave Baby X: Britain’s Child Abusers Brought to Justice 1 star
What’s it all about?
“Within a few months he'd fought machete-wielding thugs, rescued kids who had pit bulls chained to their cots and confronted the horrors of African witchcraft, exposing a network of abuse in the process—all in his unrelenting war against child cruelty.”
Baby X is a non-fiction book written from the perspective of author Detective Sergeant Harry Keeble as he traverses through the world of child protection within the MET Police in London as a detective or as he puts it, member of the cardigan squad.
The cases discussed within Baby X were impactful and I found them interesting to learn about. Although, keep in mind I work within the safeguarding sector and so my professional learning and interest includes case studies of similar cases.
what about the writing?
I could not stand the writing in Baby X. Here are some reasons why:
Self-indulgent
Did you see the excerpt above?
“He’d fought machete-wilding thugs, rescued kids…in his unrelenting war.”
Big eye roll.
I would not have stayed within safeguarding for so many years if my colleagues spoke about themselves like Keeble does himself. We aren’t superheroes, nor are we veterans in trenches. Our roles are challenging and we come across incredibly painful circumstances, but my goodness am I ever going to bloody say I’m fighting an unrelenting war. Safeguarding professionals are just that, professionals, not narcists patting ourselves on the back when we recall a particularly impactful case.
Behind the times
From Keeble giving his 2 cents on what breeds of dogs should be banned within the UK, to his preference to call female managers “manageress” I felt like I stepped back in time whenever Keeble shared an opinion or a sexist tone.
Rambling and confusing
Like the dog breeds that should be banned fiasco midway through the book, there was also a chapter that was pure frustration spill at the state of the safeguarding sector.
This chapter was more Keeble’s opinions on the sector than a case. In the chapter Keeble made sweeping assertions on how funding should be spent, and that it absolutely could be spent where he suggested. However, Keeble was not an advocate for funding, a bid writer, nor a funding manager from my understanding of his role description in Baby X.
In each of our jobs we all have views on where money should be spent, and where it would be better placed. However, Keeble’s expression of this was a rant, and wasn’t productive.
The narrative was also confusing. Keeble would hop around from story to story and then circle back.
Super casual façade
In non-fiction books I love a conversational tone. Conversational. Not so casual that the narrator speaks like they have had a long day at work and wants to tell me about an exceptionally sensitive topic over his room temp beer.
The casual vibe where the 'everyman' tone was attempted conflicted with Keeble’s declaration that he is judgmental of homes that are not absolutely pristine and spotless as he and many other police professionals according to Keeble, are apparently living in homes that are immaculate and expensive, and subsequently knee-jerk judge those who do not live exactly this way.
Judgemental
Within safeguarding a key facet of our role is to be a non-judgemental professional. Keeble isn’t that. I understand this is a book from his narrative but my goodness he flings judgement (like as seen above) about.
There is nothing productive that is provided from this book, no suggestions, no aims or goals to keep children safe. Nothing.
so would I recommend it?
No.
I really appreciated having the opportunity to hear of child protection cases within London, but that was it. If someone is seeking to learn more about child protection and safeguarding this is not the book for you.
final question, would you read another book by Keeble?
No.
I want to read the others because case studies and learning! But I've seen the reviews that the issues within Baby X is seen across his books, and I can't deal with that narrative again.
October 2, 2020
This is a book I'll be thinking about for a long time...
March 25, 2017
This is very sad although interesting but ultimately a lot of excuses and no real sense on how these sad cases can be stopped
November 10, 2014
I was unsure as to whether I should give this book three or four stars? (The goodreads rating system has room for improvement in my humble opinion!) Due to the content of the book I opted for the four stars.
I realised after reading the first few pages that I have previously read a book by the same author, which I had found to be very interesting and easy to read. I like his style of writing, relaxed, open, honest talk which anyone can relate to and considering there is a lot of terminology which way be unfamiliar to many people, everything is said and explained in a clear way but never remotely patronizing.
The book covered many different cases, rather than concentrating on one particular child, which from the title I had assumed it would be. I did like the way that HK had covered so many children's stories, especially with including the punishment for the abusers, I thought that was important. I would have preferred a little bit more detail on each case that was covered.
I kind of felt like the bare minimum basic details and information were given, you are just starting to build up an image of the child and what they are going through, just starting to develop that 'reader-character connection' with them when all of a sudden its case closed and move onto the next one! There are a couple of chapters where the main concentration is on the abuser and not the victim. These have that extra little bit of detail that I'm talking about, more depth to the characters. If there had been a little bit more information, a more established relationship built between the victims and the reader then I would probably have given this book five stars.
I think the work that Harry Keeble and all other officers like him (and the social workers too) is under valued, under appreciated and probably under paid. They have so many case loads on their books and there are so many complications. They often tread a fine line between being over the top/not involved enough. It is one job that I wish I could do. When done right they do some amazing work and on the whole I think they are incredible people. It is just a shame that the system they work under needs such a massive shake up and overhaul and due to this you do find the small minority who fail at their job with horrendous consequences, like baby P.
If you enjoy Cathy Glass/Casey Watson books, or those white books as I call them (individuals memoirs of overcoming horrific childhoods) then you will like this. If cold hard reality is too much for you then I would maybe go get a Jodie Picoult book instead!
I realised after reading the first few pages that I have previously read a book by the same author, which I had found to be very interesting and easy to read. I like his style of writing, relaxed, open, honest talk which anyone can relate to and considering there is a lot of terminology which way be unfamiliar to many people, everything is said and explained in a clear way but never remotely patronizing.
The book covered many different cases, rather than concentrating on one particular child, which from the title I had assumed it would be. I did like the way that HK had covered so many children's stories, especially with including the punishment for the abusers, I thought that was important. I would have preferred a little bit more detail on each case that was covered.
I kind of felt like the bare minimum basic details and information were given, you are just starting to build up an image of the child and what they are going through, just starting to develop that 'reader-character connection' with them when all of a sudden its case closed and move onto the next one! There are a couple of chapters where the main concentration is on the abuser and not the victim. These have that extra little bit of detail that I'm talking about, more depth to the characters. If there had been a little bit more information, a more established relationship built between the victims and the reader then I would probably have given this book five stars.
I think the work that Harry Keeble and all other officers like him (and the social workers too) is under valued, under appreciated and probably under paid. They have so many case loads on their books and there are so many complications. They often tread a fine line between being over the top/not involved enough. It is one job that I wish I could do. When done right they do some amazing work and on the whole I think they are incredible people. It is just a shame that the system they work under needs such a massive shake up and overhaul and due to this you do find the small minority who fail at their job with horrendous consequences, like baby P.
If you enjoy Cathy Glass/Casey Watson books, or those white books as I call them (individuals memoirs of overcoming horrific childhoods) then you will like this. If cold hard reality is too much for you then I would maybe go get a Jodie Picoult book instead!
August 8, 2017
I enjoyed the book but it got very confusing trying to remember the storit's Harry was talking about through out the book when he brought them back up. A few of the opinions mentioned relating to certain breeds of dogs kept with children should be disposed of wasn't a nice opinion to read as well as the fact that funding for this type of job is low but he would stay in the fanciest hotel and shout food for everyone he came into contact with in other countries with the bill going to the authoritiestrict. I saw this as an unnecessary spend since the budget was so tight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2021
Very heavy subject area but so important to bring awareness to the matter. Very insightful and at times disturbing to think what some children endure but also good to hear what work is done to help those who can be helped
July 26, 2022
This was an interesting book to read. There is not much information regarding the Emergency Services/Police Response to the cases of child abuse and so to have someone on the inside so-to-speak and share their point of view was engaging.
The stories told in the book I will not forget and it just shows how much the Justice System has change as well as the Police System.
I have given it 4 stars. The wording within the book, sometimes, was rather eccentric. You'd come across sentences or statements which were repetitive and for most of the chapters there was always a closing cliff-hanger which becomes predictable. Now I do not know if it was the wording or the author, but at times it was the perspective of an arrogant individual, who knew all and did all good and no bad within their life at all. I can only imagine the line of work he and colleagues endured and you had to be thick-skined to be able to deal with the cases and yes you can be confident but I think it crossed the line to arrogance.
Overall, however, I did enjoy the book and whizzed through.
The stories told in the book I will not forget and it just shows how much the Justice System has change as well as the Police System.
I have given it 4 stars. The wording within the book, sometimes, was rather eccentric. You'd come across sentences or statements which were repetitive and for most of the chapters there was always a closing cliff-hanger which becomes predictable. Now I do not know if it was the wording or the author, but at times it was the perspective of an arrogant individual, who knew all and did all good and no bad within their life at all. I can only imagine the line of work he and colleagues endured and you had to be thick-skined to be able to deal with the cases and yes you can be confident but I think it crossed the line to arrogance.
Overall, however, I did enjoy the book and whizzed through.
January 5, 2023
There is a distinct pattern among a subtype of law enforcement that they have this arrogant irritating condescending "voice". Harry Keeble falls into this category as does Robert Ressler and John Douglas. I know I have noted this in other books but I am only naming the ones that come to mind easily.
The flip side of this is that they are well-educated, well-rounded, passionate, and tenacious in what they do.
I found this book hard to get through but it does have excellent little pockets of information and a few excellent suggestions for safeguarding, sentence increases, procedural reforms, etc.
(I don't know how many of the things he listed have changed since the publishing of the books or where in the works at the time).
The last 3d of the book is much less about the detective and his amazingness and much more about victims and perpetrators, if I could edit out all the pack patting and self congratulatory passages from the first quarter of the book I would recommend it but there are other equally good educational sources for this material...
The flip side of this is that they are well-educated, well-rounded, passionate, and tenacious in what they do.
I found this book hard to get through but it does have excellent little pockets of information and a few excellent suggestions for safeguarding, sentence increases, procedural reforms, etc.
(I don't know how many of the things he listed have changed since the publishing of the books or where in the works at the time).
The last 3d of the book is much less about the detective and his amazingness and much more about victims and perpetrators, if I could edit out all the pack patting and self congratulatory passages from the first quarter of the book I would recommend it but there are other equally good educational sources for this material...
March 9, 2018
I was so disappointed with this book, its the third from Harry Keeble I've read and i found the same issues i had with the others, the story just didn't make any impact with me because there's just so much going on, too many cases to really feel them. And it waasnt what i was expecting the book to be about which isn't the books fault but did effect how i felt reading it.
March 25, 2019
Great read
Love true stories, this is a great insight into child protection, the highs and lows, the pitfalls and the achievements . Well done all in this team.
Love true stories, this is a great insight into child protection, the highs and lows, the pitfalls and the achievements . Well done all in this team.
March 27, 2020
Brilliant book but can be shocking at times!
July 20, 2020
Really good read. Felt the story would jump at times however would return and explain. Would recommend reading. Can't wait to read some more of Harry's books
October 2, 2020
Very emotional but eye opening, it’s a shame how broken the system is but it’s relieving that there are people trying to make it better
March 12, 2021
11/10 - Shocking but brilliant and important read
March 30, 2021
Unfiltered and gripping. A must read.
May 15, 2022
I’d say something funny but it’s really not
October 9, 2023
Honest, gripping and quite a scary read tbh
October 11, 2023
Really shocking what the authors had to do…such tales of cruelty to children. I don’t know if I could do his job…couldn’t switch off. Well read..worth a credit.
Shocking
Shocking
November 7, 2023
really good read
September 2, 2024
The reference to 'black on black crime' was problematic, but I'm trying to treat it with grace as it was written 14 years ago.
March 2, 2020
This is definitely not going to win any awards for writing skill, but I thought it would be good to read before Frontline. Keeble is a decent storyteller but the disjointed style did him no favours.
October 16, 2013
This was a very interesting report on the response of the United Kingdom to the deaths of two children, Victoria Climbié and Baby P. Both were failures of the Social Services, police and doctors. Victoria Climbié had been tortured for years and Baby P for over half of his short life. After those horrific failures, new laws were made, policies changed and police were assigned to what Harry Keeble called the "cardigan squad."
He details the lengths the police and social services were willing to to document abuse and to track down the abusers. This also included sending teams to some foreign countries to talk to witnesses and build a case. Heartbreakingly, some times the abusers were set free, but some of the older children who testified said that they felt free because they had had a chance to face their abuser, in many cases, their fathers, and tell what was done to them.
While there were many successes, there are still children who fall between the cracks and suffer horrific abuse and more needs to be done. The statistics are appalling and they are increasing. Having been a teacher, I found myself going over children I had taught and wondering about situations that made me uneasy. I remember children who were too quiet and timid and a father I felt was too full of anger.
He details the lengths the police and social services were willing to to document abuse and to track down the abusers. This also included sending teams to some foreign countries to talk to witnesses and build a case. Heartbreakingly, some times the abusers were set free, but some of the older children who testified said that they felt free because they had had a chance to face their abuser, in many cases, their fathers, and tell what was done to them.
While there were many successes, there are still children who fall between the cracks and suffer horrific abuse and more needs to be done. The statistics are appalling and they are increasing. Having been a teacher, I found myself going over children I had taught and wondering about situations that made me uneasy. I remember children who were too quiet and timid and a father I felt was too full of anger.
April 30, 2014
3.5
Harry Keeble is a Child Protection Officer in one of the poorest boroughs of London, Hackney. He joins the team after the Victoria Climbie case and this is a series of stories about various cases that he encounters.. Harry is a likeable story teller and the only reason this missed out on 4 stars is that he jumps back to previously mentioned cases as they develop further and it can get confusing in regards to which case he is talking about. I will definitely read more of his books and am looking forward to Crack House.
I've read lots of books written by foster carers such as Casey Watson, Cathy Glass and Rosie Lewis so it was interesting to explore the tragic lives of children who eventually find themselves in care.
Harry Keeble is a Child Protection Officer in one of the poorest boroughs of London, Hackney. He joins the team after the Victoria Climbie case and this is a series of stories about various cases that he encounters.. Harry is a likeable story teller and the only reason this missed out on 4 stars is that he jumps back to previously mentioned cases as they develop further and it can get confusing in regards to which case he is talking about. I will definitely read more of his books and am looking forward to Crack House.
I've read lots of books written by foster carers such as Casey Watson, Cathy Glass and Rosie Lewis so it was interesting to explore the tragic lives of children who eventually find themselves in care.
January 17, 2019
I found this in a library in Liverpool and something drew me to the cover. I'm not sure why. I'd never read any of these 'childhood abuse' books in my life - I just assumed they'd be vile. But after reading the blurb I figured hey-ho I'd give it a whirl! I'm so glad I did. The book is from the perspective of a police officer, which offers an amalgam of conflicting opinions. Just what can the law lawfully do in child abuse situations? There are obviously some harrowing details, but there are also some heart-wrenching moments where Mr Keeble feels himself useless as a man and as a police officer. I learned a lot from this book so I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an 'in' to this disturbing genre.
August 16, 2019
A powerful read, written by an incredibly passionate police officer. I would recommend to anyone interested in child protection and understanding the system that tries to protect vulnerable children in England. The only criticism I have is that, at times, it was a little difficult to follow. The book was sometimes written in a way that required me to go back and re-read a section about a case so I could understand what was happening in later chapters of the book. This style of writing aided the understanding of the chaos in working on multiple cases in child protection but made the book less easy to read.
March 4, 2019
I find books like this fascinating, as I have previously worked in child protection so it strikes a chord with me. Harry Keeble is new to me as an author, and I found his accounts from his working days truly fascinating. The stories are all so sad and have quite the impact, but most of the stories aren’t followed through. It would have been nice to hear how more of them ended, with some more positives. Otherwise, it sits as a load of different accounts thrown together without any conclusion. I can only hope that the majority of the children he covers here have gone on to find happiness and safety.
August 27, 2014
What a riveting read. Once I started to read this book I found it difficult to put down. The author tells the story of his time with the Met's Child Protection Squad and some of the cases he dealt with in the course of his work. Not an easy read at times, the stories are told in a conversational and sympathetic tone. Hearing the news today about the report into the lack of child protection in Rotherham made me wish that there were more people with Harry Keeble's zeal and passion for the job.
May 16, 2021
Eye-opening, a very interesting read!
Read
June 11, 2015Although not particularly well written, it was a quick, easy read that didn't seem lacking for what it was.
The stories were saddening and eye-opening. I don't think I'm going to be so quick to let my children out of my sight after this one.
As a side note, there was a chapter and a half that dealt with the "Haredim" and it seemed to be a more fair portrayal than the general media coverage.
The stories were saddening and eye-opening. I don't think I'm going to be so quick to let my children out of my sight after this one.
As a side note, there was a chapter and a half that dealt with the "Haredim" and it seemed to be a more fair portrayal than the general media coverage.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews