Flying Squad
Encyclopedia
The Flying Squad is a branch of the Specialist Crime Directorate
, within London
's Metropolitan Police Service
. The Squad's purpose is to investigate commercial armed robberies, along with the prevention and investigation of other serious armed crime. Possibly one of the best known operations of the squad was their foiling of the Millennium Dome raid
.
In 1920, it was officially reorganised under the authority of then Commissioner
Sir Nevil Macready
. Headed by Detective Inspector Walter Hambrook, the squad contained twelve detective officers, including Irish-born Jeremiah Lynch (1888-1953), who had earned a fearsome reputation for tracking wartime German spies and for building up the case against confidence trickster Horatio Bottomley
. The Mobile Patrol Experiment was given authorisation to carry out duties anywhere in the Metropolitan Police District
, meaning that they did not have to observe Divisions
, giving rise to the name of the "Flying Squad" because the unit knew no boundaries.
Throughout the 1920s, the squad was standardised and expanded, and the establishment was expanded to forty officers, under the command of a Detective Superintendent. The squad was given the designation of "C8" for "Central". The Squad grew and by 1956 made 1000 arrests per year for the first time
From 1978 - 1981 the name was changed to the Central Robbery Squad, but still officially known as the Flying Squad, they are often referred to by the nicknames the "Heavy Mob" or "the Sweeney", which is a shortened version of the rhyming slang, Sweeney Todd
.
This was the era in which the squad's close ties with the criminal fraternity, which had always been a necessary part of its strategy, were being exposed to public criticism. A number of scandals involving bribery
and corruption
were revealed, and on 7 July 1977, the squad's commander, Detective Chief Superintendent
Kenneth Drury, was convicted on five counts of corruption and jailed for eight years. Twelve other officers were also convicted and many more resigned. These and other scandals led to a massive internal investigation by the Dorset Constabulary into the Metropolitan Police Service
and the City of London Police
, codenamed Operation Countryman
.
by drugging the guards. Squad officers replaced the guards and pretended to be drugged, with other officers stationed around the warehouse. When the thieves removed the keys to the safe from Detective Sergeant Charles Hewett the Squad announced their presence and a violent struggle ensued with many on both sides suffering serious injuries. The offenders received an average sentence of 10 years' imprisonment.
In the 1960s, the squad undertook the role of capturing, and gathering evidence on the Kray twins
, with many officers giving evidence in court.
Some of the most dangerous work undertaken by the Flying Squad, is "Pavement Ambush", where police ambush armed robbers during the offence. During "Operation Yamoto" in November 1990, and "Operation Char" in 1987, this approach saw three armed robbers shot dead by police.
In August 1993, an armed robbery occurred at a Barclays Bank, in Blackfen, Kent
. This made the headlines as being the first time police were fired upon by a machine gun
in mainland Britain; one officer was struck in the head by a ricochet. This officer subsequently received the George Medal. The two robbers were later arrested. Both were sentenced at the Old Bailey
.
In November 2000, five men set out to rob the Millennium Dome
of the flawless 777 carats (155.4 g) Millennium Star
, valued at over 200 million pounds. Originally, police were unsure of the exact location of the robbery, but after months of surveillance, they realised that the target was the Millennium Dome. On the 7th of November, the robbers armed with smoke bombs
, ammonia
, and a nail gun
, crashed into the Dome with a stolen JCB Excavator
and smashed through to the vault. The robbers planned to escape on the River Thames
by using a speedboat. The police operation to catch the robbers was codenamed "Operation Magician", and involved 200 officers, including forty Specialist Firearms Officer
s from SO19
. Some of the officers were positioned behind a dummy wall, and others were dressed as cleaners with their firearms hidden in black bin bags, or rubbish bins, along with officers in Dome employee uniforms. A further sixty armed Flying Squad officers were stationed around the Thames, and 20 on the river itself, to hamper any escape attempts. Five men were caught and sentenced on various robbery charges. The officer in command of the operation was Detective Superintendent Jon Shatford.
On 13 September 2007, the Flying Squad was involved in an incident outside a bank in the village of Chandler's Ford
, near Southampton
. Two suspected armed robbers were shot dead by members of CO19, in support of a Flying Squad operation, who had been lying in wait after receiving a tip off that an armed robbery was imminent. The thieves were attempting armed robbery on a G4S security van outside the HSBC
branch when they were killed by the CO19 SFOs.
series The Sweeney
, and two theatrically-released feature film spin-offs, Sweeney! and Sweeney 2, starring John Thaw
and Dennis Waterman
.
The video game The Getaway
featured the protagonist as an officer of the flying squad.
Specialist Crime Directorate
The Specialist Crime Directorate is one of the main branches of the London Metropolitan Police Service. It deals with a wide range of criminality from murder to organised crime. Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick is currently the head of the directorate...
, within London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
. The Squad's purpose is to investigate commercial armed robberies, along with the prevention and investigation of other serious armed crime. Possibly one of the best known operations of the squad was their foiling of the Millennium Dome raid
Millennium Dome raid
On 7 November 2000, a criminal gang attempted to steal the flawless Millennium Star diamond valued at over £200 million, from an exhibition at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, London.The robbers had been under police surveillance before the heist...
.
Formation and history
The squad was originally formed on an experimental basis by Detective Chief Inspector Wensley. In October, 1919, he summoned twelve detectives to Scotland Yard to form the squad. The group was initially named the "Mobile Patrol Experiment", and its original orders were to perform surveillance and gather intelligence on known robbers and pickpockets, using a horse-drawn carriage with covert holes cut into the canvas.In 1920, it was officially reorganised under the authority of then Commissioner
Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head of London's Metropolitan Police Service, classing the holder as a chief police officer...
Sir Nevil Macready
Nevil Macready
General Sir Cecil Frederick Nevil Macready, 1st Baronet, GCMG, KCB, PC , known as Sir Nevil Macready and affectionately as Make-Ready , was a British Army officer...
. Headed by Detective Inspector Walter Hambrook, the squad contained twelve detective officers, including Irish-born Jeremiah Lynch (1888-1953), who had earned a fearsome reputation for tracking wartime German spies and for building up the case against confidence trickster Horatio Bottomley
Horatio Bottomley
Horatio William Bottomley was a British financier, swindler, journalist, newspaper proprietor, populist politician and Member of Parliament .-Early life:...
. The Mobile Patrol Experiment was given authorisation to carry out duties anywhere in the Metropolitan Police District
Metropolitan Police District
The Metropolitan Police District is the police area which is policed by London's Metropolitan Police Service. It currently consists of Greater London, excluding the City of London.-History:...
, meaning that they did not have to observe Divisions
Police division
A division was the usual term for the largest territorial subdivision of most British police forces. In major reforms of police organisation in the 1990s divisions of many forces were restructured and retitled Basic Command Units , although some forces continue to refer to them as divisions.The...
, giving rise to the name of the "Flying Squad" because the unit knew no boundaries.
Throughout the 1920s, the squad was standardised and expanded, and the establishment was expanded to forty officers, under the command of a Detective Superintendent. The squad was given the designation of "C8" for "Central". The Squad grew and by 1956 made 1000 arrests per year for the first time
From 1978 - 1981 the name was changed to the Central Robbery Squad, but still officially known as the Flying Squad, they are often referred to by the nicknames the "Heavy Mob" or "the Sweeney", which is a shortened version of the rhyming slang, Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
.
This was the era in which the squad's close ties with the criminal fraternity, which had always been a necessary part of its strategy, were being exposed to public criticism. A number of scandals involving bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
and corruption
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
were revealed, and on 7 July 1977, the squad's commander, Detective Chief Superintendent
Chief Superintendent
Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces organised on the British model.- United Kingdom :In the British police, a chief superintendent is senior to a superintendent and junior to an assistant chief constable .The highest rank below Chief Officer level, chief...
Kenneth Drury, was convicted on five counts of corruption and jailed for eight years. Twelve other officers were also convicted and many more resigned. These and other scandals led to a massive internal investigation by the Dorset Constabulary into the Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
and the City of London Police
City of London Police
The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle and Inner Temple. The service responsible for law enforcement within the rest of Greater London is the Metropolitan Police Service, a separate...
, codenamed Operation Countryman
Operation Countryman
Operation Countryman was a wide-ranging investigation into police corruption within the Metropolitan Police Service in London from 1978-1984. After being initially established to investigate allegations of corruption in the City of London Police, the main investigation was soon shifted to...
.
Notable investigations
In July 1948, the Squad learned of a plan to steal £250,000 of bullion from a warehouse at Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
by drugging the guards. Squad officers replaced the guards and pretended to be drugged, with other officers stationed around the warehouse. When the thieves removed the keys to the safe from Detective Sergeant Charles Hewett the Squad announced their presence and a violent struggle ensued with many on both sides suffering serious injuries. The offenders received an average sentence of 10 years' imprisonment.
In the 1960s, the squad undertook the role of capturing, and gathering evidence on the Kray twins
Kray twins
Reginald "Reggie" Kray and his twin brother Ronald "Ronnie" Kray were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in London's East End during the 1950s and 1960s...
, with many officers giving evidence in court.
Some of the most dangerous work undertaken by the Flying Squad, is "Pavement Ambush", where police ambush armed robbers during the offence. During "Operation Yamoto" in November 1990, and "Operation Char" in 1987, this approach saw three armed robbers shot dead by police.
In August 1993, an armed robbery occurred at a Barclays Bank, in Blackfen, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. This made the headlines as being the first time police were fired upon by a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
in mainland Britain; one officer was struck in the head by a ricochet. This officer subsequently received the George Medal. The two robbers were later arrested. Both were sentenced at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
.
In November 2000, five men set out to rob the Millennium Dome
Millennium Dome
The Millennium Dome, colloquially referred to simply as The Dome or even The O2 Arena, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building, originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium...
of the flawless 777 carats (155.4 g) Millennium Star
Millennium Star
The Millennium Star is a famous diamond owned by De Beers. At 203.04 carats , the world's second largest known top-color , internally and externally flawless, pear-shaped diamond....
, valued at over 200 million pounds. Originally, police were unsure of the exact location of the robbery, but after months of surveillance, they realised that the target was the Millennium Dome. On the 7th of November, the robbers armed with smoke bombs
Smoke grenade
Smoke grenades are canister-type grenades used as ground-to-ground or ground-to-air signaling devices, target or landing zone marking devices, or as screening devices for unit movements. Smoke grenades are normally considered non-lethal, although incorrect use may cause death...
, ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
, and a nail gun
Nail gun
A nail gun, nailgun or nailer is a type of tool used to drive nails into wood or some other kind of material. It is usually driven by electromagnetism, compressed air , highly flammable gases such as butane or propane, or, for powder-actuated tools, a small explosive charge...
, crashed into the Dome with a stolen JCB Excavator
Excavator
Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, stick, bucket and cab on a rotating platform . The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. A cable-operated excavator uses winches and steel ropes to accomplish the movements. They are a natural progression from the...
and smashed through to the vault. The robbers planned to escape on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
by using a speedboat. The police operation to catch the robbers was codenamed "Operation Magician", and involved 200 officers, including forty Specialist Firearms Officer
Specialist Firearms Officer
A Specialist Firearms Officer is a British Police officer who has undergone training in the use of police firearms, and therefore is authorised to carry and when necessary use a firearm to prevent an immediate threat to life. All SFOs first train as Authorised Firearms Officers which crew armed...
s from SO19
Specialist Firearms Command
Central Operations Specialist Firearms Command is a Central Operations branch within Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service. The Command is responsible for providing a firearms-response capability, assisting the rest of the service, which is normally unarmed...
. Some of the officers were positioned behind a dummy wall, and others were dressed as cleaners with their firearms hidden in black bin bags, or rubbish bins, along with officers in Dome employee uniforms. A further sixty armed Flying Squad officers were stationed around the Thames, and 20 on the river itself, to hamper any escape attempts. Five men were caught and sentenced on various robbery charges. The officer in command of the operation was Detective Superintendent Jon Shatford.
On 13 September 2007, the Flying Squad was involved in an incident outside a bank in the village of Chandler's Ford
Chandler's Ford
Chandler's Ford is a largely residential area and civil parish in the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England, with a population of 20,071 in the 2001 UK Census....
, near Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. Two suspected armed robbers were shot dead by members of CO19, in support of a Flying Squad operation, who had been lying in wait after receiving a tip off that an armed robbery was imminent. The thieves were attempting armed robbery on a G4S security van outside the HSBC
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
branch when they were killed by the CO19 SFOs.
In fiction
The Flying Squad's work was dramatised in the 1970s British televisionBritish television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
series The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
, and two theatrically-released feature film spin-offs, Sweeney! and Sweeney 2, starring John Thaw
John Thaw
John Edward Thaw, CBE was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as Redcap, The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.-Early life:Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton,...
and Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
.
The video game The Getaway
The Getaway (video game)
The Getaway is a video game series focused on gang life and the police in the city of London. The series was created by Brendan McNamara and is developed by Team Soho for the PlayStation 2...
featured the protagonist as an officer of the flying squad.