Scotland Yard Casebook the Making of The

In 1878 the Criminal Investigation Department replaced Scotland Yard's corrupt and discredited Detective Branch. In this book, the author tells the story behind this change, the scandal which preceded it and the successes and failures of the new organisation. These include early cases such the four murders of Ernest Southey, the ferocious outbreak of dockland killings in 1869 and the more familiar Bravo, Neill Cream and Jack the Ripper crimes. We witness Scotland Yard's gradual, if sometimes tardy, acceptance of identification and communication aids such as photography, the telegraph, the telephone, Bertillon's anthropometric measurements and the fingerprint system. First World War spy and Dear John jealousy murders were followed by the Roaring Twenties' swindles and the arrival of motor car bandits which in turn led to the formation of the Flying Squad and the adoption of mobile wireless telegraphy. The introduction of women detectives is also discussed and the difficulties they experienced in establishing their role. Joan Lock closes the gap between the academic police historian and the writer of popular true crime, making this book a fascinating read for the crime experts and the general reader alike.