‘Bostin Books’ has two core strands namely the co-authors links to Birmingham and their personal history in terms of policing in the West Midlands and elsewhere. Thus many of their books reflect that rich heritage. Often factual, sometimes fiction, the books shown seek to preserve those strong links covering decades of crime and policing, predominantly from the 1970s onward. In the factual books both the serious side of the job and the lighter moments are dealt with in an effort to show how ‘the thin blue line’ survives and prospers in a challenging environment. The historical crime fiction books thread memories of major crimes and incidents through the detailed story lines. The ‘protection of life and property’ and ‘the preservation of the peace’ remain at the heart of policing today and constables are still ‘citizens locally appointed but having authority under the Crown’. Whats changed over those decades is that the political landscape is now hugely different and the Police Service no longer attracts the unique support in terms of funding and resources that many would argue it once did. That’s why there are now far fewer officers in the UK Police Service today.
