Being Informed

Television programmes and newspaper reports often set out to reconstruct a crime or report on a big police operation.

As the former Detective Superintendent at New Scotland Yard in charge of the "robbery squad", John Swain was involved in many famous cases.

In this study, he shares with the reader the techniques of interviewing and questioning, the dangers of pursuing determined criminals, and the intricacies of dealing with informants.

Swain suggests that a detective is only as good as the information he can glean from his contacts and informants.