How Policing Has Changed (14)

In the 70s in Birmingham the phrase ‘You’ll do off at 2’ was a familiar one. It signified that an arrest had been made which would require the officer going off-duty from nights in order to deal with a court appearance at Victoria Law Courts at 10am that day. Limited sleep was the norm! (picture courtesy of Deb Menzel) In those days many of the cases were presented at court by the officers themselves who gained a lot of experience in giving evidence and dealing with defendants. It was also a great breeding ground for cultivating potential informants. These days files are submitted electronically to Crown Prosecuting Solicitors and many officers do not go to Court until they are facing a ‘not guilty’ trial. The book covers shown illustrate some of the factual Birmingham-based books that they have been involved in writing