The squad was originally formed on an experimental basis byDetective Chief InspectorFrederick Wensley. In October 1919, Wensley summoned 12 detectives toScotland 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 andpickpockets, using a horse-drawncarriage with covert holes cut into the canvas.[1]
In 1920, it was officially reorganised under the authority of thenCommissionerNevil Macready. Headed byDetective Inspector Walter Hambrook, the squad was composed of 12 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 tricksterHoratio Bottomley.[1] The Mobile Patrol Experiment was given authorisation to carry out duties anywhere in theMetropolitan Police District, meaning that its officers did not have to observeDivisions, giving rise to the name of the Flying Squad because the unit operated across London without adhering to divisional policing boundaries.[2]
Throughout the 1920s, the squad was standardised and expanded, and the establishment was expanded to 40 officers, under the command ofDetective Chief Inspector Fred "Nutty" Sharpe until his retirement in July 1937. In 1948, the squad was given the designation of C.O.(C.8) for Commissioner's Office Crime 8 and was augmented. By 1956 it made one thousand arrests per year for the first time.[6]
From 1978 to 1981 the name was changed to the Central Robbery Squad, but still known as the Flying Squad. It is often referred to by the nicknames the "Heavy Mob" or "the Sweeney" (rhyming slang for Flying Squad, fromSweeney Todd).[1]
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 andcorruption were revealed, and on 7 July 1977, the squad's commander,Detective Chief SuperintendentKenneth Drury, was convicted on five counts of corruption and imprisoned for eight years.[7] Twelve other officers were also convicted and many more resigned. These and other scandals led to a massive internal investigation by theDorset Constabulary into theMetropolitan Police Service and theCity of London Police, codenamedOperation Countryman.[8]
In July 1948, the Squad learned of a plan to steal £750,000 (almost £25 million in 2019) of bullion, jewellery and other valuables from the BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) secure warehouse atHeathrow Airport by drugging the guards.[9] 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 its presence and a violent struggle ensued with many on both sides suffering serious injuries.[10] The nine offenders received a total of 71 years' imprisonment for what became known as the Battle of London Airport.[11]
In the 1960s, the squad undertook the role of capturing and gathering evidence against theKray twins, with many officers giving evidence in court.[11]
The squad took up investigating theGreat Train Robbery, which had no firearms involved, but did not catch all of the robbers.[12]
Some of the most dangerous work undertaken by the Flying Squad is the "pavement ambush", where police ambush armed robbers during an offence. During Operation Char in 1987, and Operation Yamoto in November 1990, this approach led to three armed robbers being shot dead by police.[1]
On 26 November 1983, £26 million worth of gold bullion, diamonds, and cash wasstolen from the Brink's-Mat depot, on a trading estate nearHeathrow Airport inWest London. Flying Squad officers were involved extensively in the investigations which followed to attempt to trace, arrest and convict the gang members involved and their associates.
In August 1993, an armed robbery occurred at aBarclays Bank inBlackfen in south-east London.[13][14] 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[14] and received theGeorge Medal. The two robbers were later arrested and sentenced at theOld Bailey.[11]
In November 2000, five men set out torob the Millennium Dome of the flawless 203.04-carat (40.608 g)Millennium Star, valued at over £200 million.[11] Originally, police were unsure of the intended location of the robbery, but after months of surveillance, it was realised that the target was the Millennium Dome. On 7 November, the robbers armed withsmoke bombs,ammonia and anail gun, crashed into the dome with a stolenJCBexcavator and smashed through to the vault. The robbers planned to escape on theRiver Thames by using a speedboat. The police operation to catch the robbers was codenamed Operation Magician, and involved 200 officers, including 40specialist firearms officers (SFOs) fromSCO19. 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 in rubbish bins, along with officers in Dome staff uniforms. A further 60 armed Flying Squad officers were stationed around the Thames, and 20 on the river itself, to hamper any escape attempts. The five men were caught and sentenced on various robbery charges. Detective Superintendent Jon Shatford was in command of the operation.[11]
On 17 May 2004, a robbery at theHeathrow AirportSwissport warehouse was foiled by officers from the Flying Squad and the Metropolitan Police, as the robbers attempted to steal gold and cash potentially worth £80m.[15] The eight gang members later received between 6 and 13 years each in jail.[16]
On 13 September 2007, the Flying Squad wasinvolved in an incident outside a bank in the village ofChandler's Ford, nearSouthampton. Two suspected armed robbers were shot dead by members ofSCO19, 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 aG4S security van outside theHSBC branch when they were killed by the SCO19 SFOs.[17]
TheMonty Python sketch "Argument Clinic" featured "Inspector Fox of the Light Entertainment Police, Comedy Division, Special Flying Squad", and "Inspector Thompson's Gazelle of the Programme Planning Police, Light Entertainment Division, Special Flying Squad."[19]
In an episode of theThin Blue Line, Inspector Fowler expresses displeasure at the idea of the Flying Squad using his station for an investigation on the grounds that their members urinate inaccurately.[20] It was also depicted in television showsThief Takers in the 1990s andThe Gold in the 2020s.
^"Cheers to you, Ludovic Kennedy: Simon Heffer on a genial study of the late broadcaster's work to expose police corruption and miscarriages of justice".Daily Telegraph. London. 25 February 2017. p. 28.
