Quote:Product Description
Untouchables is an integrity test on Scotland Yard. It is the result of a six-year investigation into how the most powerful police force in the United Kingdom claims to tackle corruption, racism and mismanagement within its own ranks. In 1993, the Yard set up a secret anti-corruption operation run by undercover cops whose existence was known to only a few senior officers. The Ghost Squad operated for five years ? spying, lying and concealing information ? with no independent oversight. In 1998, its shadowy detectives went public as the Untouchables ? their motto: ?Integrity is Non-Negotiable?. Commissioner Sir John Stevens promised they would bring bent and unethical colleagues to justice. But instead of thorough corruption investigations, there was corruption management. Instead of justice and accountability, there was cover-up. Based on official documents and over 1,000 interviews ? with criminals, supergrasses, police whistleblowers, former anti-corruption officers and judges, many of whom have never spoken out before, let alone on the record ? Untouchables is in the best tradition of hard-hitting expose journalism, naming names and packed with revelations. It tells the secret history surrounding the Jill Dando case and the key unsolved murders of Daniel Morgan, David Norris, Stephen Lawrence and Rachel Nickell. The authors also expose the buried history of the biggest armed robbery in British criminal history ? the 26 million Brinks Mat gold bullion heist, which is still dogging Scotland Yard on its 21st anniversary. Untouchables presents a timely and well-evidenced case for a fully independent system of policing the police.

About the Author
Michael Gillard and Laurie Flynn were part of The Guardian?s investigative unit. They won Scoop of the Year at the 1999 Press Awards for exposing journalistic corruption in the fake ITV drugs documentary The Connection, which led to Carlton TV being fined £2m.