Policing Controversy
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Book Description
The inside story from Britain's top cop on what it is like to take life and death decisions on the street, inside Scotland Yard - and underneath Downing Street in the top secret COBRA centre.
Product Description
The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police is often described as the toughest job in the world.He (there has never been a woman in 140 years) is answerable to three bosses, the Mayor of London, the Home Secretary and the Metropolitan Police Authority, and he has a £3 billion budget to spend, ensuring that he is always at the centre of a political storm, and never out of the news.But more than that, he has to battle with traffic deaths and burglary, knife crime, gun crime, and the really big stuff, like terrorism - wherever it happens in the UK.Ian Blair had been top cop for just four months when the tube and bus bombs of 7 July 2005 hit London in the worst terrorist atrocity in British history.And when 4 suicide bombers tried to kill hundreds more people on 21 July, it was on his beat.So it was the next day when, infamously, the unarmed and innocent Jean de Menezes was shot at Stockwell. Here for the first time is the fly-on-the-wall story of an impossible job; of the background and history of the police and their difficult relationship with us, the public; of the de Menezes case; of fighting terrorism - everywhere in Britain, in cases that never reach the media,;of the battle with politicians, and of Blair's forced resignation by Boris Johnson.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fair Cop,
By Tokengirl "Tokengirl" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Policing Controversy (Hardcover)
Few people seem to have been on the receiving end of as much vitriol as Ian Blair - the political Right hate him for his progressive views particularly on racism in the Met; the Left for his support for extending the period of detention for which those suspected of terrorism can be detained - and I can't believe some of the vicious reviews the book seems to have had. Ian Blair's open about his mistakes and puts forward a compelling (if to me still unconvincing) case for `the most draconian police powers ever seen in peacetime'; he's also upfront about the incredible pressure, from the media, on the street, from increasingly sophisticated terrorism under which the police have to work.
From reading this it seems the role of Commissioner of the Met really is an impossible job. It's also a gripping account of what it's really like to be on the front line, and he's also got some important ideas about the issues facing policing. Anyone interested in current affairs should read this book. Not just coppers.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Food for Thought,
By
This review is from: Policing Controversy (Hardcover)
I was uncertain as to whether or not to buy this book. I'm not that keen on 'memoir' nor did I want to be lectured at by a member of the establishment.It turned out to be an engrossing read, giving a clear and unambiguous insight into our modern police servce. Ian Blair tells his story with an engaging and factual style, pulling very few punches and being both self critical at times and of course equally critical of those around him. If you want to know how modern day policing works, then this is a must read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Changing Face of Policing,
By
This review is from: Policing Controversy (Hardcover)
This is an excellent read for those with an interest in policing and in particular the Metropolitan Police.
The author, Ian Blair, not only writes of his very challenging times as Commissioner but also provides an engaging history of the origins of the Metropolitan Police. The author writes of his joining the Metropolitan Police as a young constable at a time when its reputation justifiably accounted for a lack of confidence from the citizens of London. After serving with Thames Valley Police Ian Blair returned to the Metropolitan police and was instrumental in restoring public confidence in the Metropolitan police. This he very much achieved through supporting diversity and a return to traditional neighbourhood policing. An in depth account is also provided of the new challenges terrorism presents for policing. This includes the pressures that lead to mistakes. The stress of policing terrorism is detailed in Ian Blair's account of the tragic shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. The book also provides a fascinating account of just how political the role of Metropolitan Police Commissioner has become.
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