Penguin afficionados should note that the Penguin book number is 1212, after WHI 1212, the official telephone number for Scotland Yard.

This is a brief history of the Metropolitan Police, colloquially known as "Scotland Yard", written by a former Commissioner shortly after his term ended in 1953. It is interesting as a snapshot of the force's history at that time and how it perceived its past. Chapters are dedicated to the famous "Black Museum" (which contains artifacts from crimes and criminals), the Flying Squad, the Thames Division, the fingerprint specialists, the Criminal Records Office, and a couple of particularly famous cases (e.g. the Christie case), among others. I was particularly interested to learn just why the Flying Squad is called that, and the amount of detail contained in the Criminal Records Office's index card system was mind-boggling and impressive.

Overall this book met my expectations with regard to writing style: solid mid-century Englishman writing with dry-witted asides, including several at his own expense (such as the story of his parking offence where a trainee constable fresh out of Hendon had to report the Commissioner to the Commissioner). Sometimes the writing tended to generalities, as government reports on organizations often can, and there are some dated elements.

Cautiously recommended if you enjoy mid-20th-century crime novels and want to see a sort of "true crime" book from the period. ( )