Death on the Beat

A former member of London’s MP Flying Squad pays tribute to his fellow officers in a gripping and emotional true crime chronicle of duty and sacrifice.

Dick Kirby of London’s Serious Crime Squad shares ten stories of courage spanning fifty years of crime enforcement in the Metropolitan Police. In honoring the selfless men and women who gave their lives, Kirby sheds light on the ever-present dangers of street patrol—from confrontations at public protests to being caught in the middle of a gang war to answering a seemingly run-of-the-mill call at a quiet residence.

Here are the true stories of extraordinary lives cut short: WPC Yvonne Fletcher gunned-down while policing a demonstration at the Libyan Embassy; Detective Sergeant Ray Purdy, taken out while arresting a common blackmailer; PC Ray Summers, an officer with less than two years’ service, stabbed to death as he broke up a gang fight; a three-man crew in an unmarked ‘Q’ car wiped out by gunmen; PC Nat Edgar, shot by a burglar; PC Patrick Dunne, a home-beat officer murdered while investigating a domestic dispute; the horrific bombing of Herrods department store which cost three brave police officers their lives; and the murder of PC Stephen Tibble, which sparked investigations into the IRA.

Drawing deeply on his knowledge and contacts within and outside the Metropolitan Police, Kirby explores the lives and deaths of these officers, and the trauma endured by the colleagues and loved ones they left behind.

“I am delighted that Dick Kirby has written this book. Such heroes should be remembered.” —Michael Winner, director of Death Wish, from the Forward