Mention the Flying Squad and it usually conjures up dreamy tales of cunning detective work, high-speed car chases on the banks of the Thames or images of swat teams foiling multi-million pound heists.
In reality the flying squad was christened after a modest Daily Mail article published in September, 1920.
Crime reporter aptly named WGT Crook outlined the achievements of the new band of mobile detectives. He referred to them as a “flying squad of picked detectives because of their mobility”. He is given credit of being the man who branded the “Flying Squad.”
The roots of the original flying squad lie only two years before Crook’s moment of lyrical inspiration.
In October 1918, the Detective Chief Inspector at the time DCI F.P Wensley summoned 12 detectives to New Scotland Yard. Wensley held a meeting which proved to be the launching pad of the Flying Squad.
The Squad was to become an experimental group that would combat the serious increase in crime and they would have authority to operate anywhere in London. This was the first ‘mobile force’ of detectives and they were given motor vehicles and a covered wagon hired from the Great Western Railway.
The mobile group of detectives achieved impressive results and at the end of a trial year were retained as a permanent section. They were issued with two Crossley motorised tenders obtained from the Royal Flying Corps, capable of a top speed of 40mph.
In 1929 the squad were issued with their own fleet of six cars, which included a Lea Francis coupe, Invicta, Lagonda, Railton 4 litre and a Bentley coupe. The improvement in speed and mobility enabled greater results and criminals and the public soon became aware of their success.
Since its humble beginnings, the Flying Squad has grown to become one of the most successful and reputable branches of the MET.
Its work has included solving some of the most remarkable crimes of the twentieth century.
The first big case for the Squad came in July 1948 when they were tipped off about a plot to steal £250,000 of bullion from a warehouse at Heathrow airport by drugging the guards.
Officers replaced the guards and pretended to be drugged, with other officers hiding in the warehouse. When the criminals arrived armed with iron bars, a violent struggle ensued and many officers were left concussed. All of the gang were arrested and received on average 10 years in prison.
Underworld life in 1960s London was synonymous with the Kray brothers and the Great Train Robbery. A lengthy operation led by Detective Chief Superintendent Leonard ‘Nipper’ Read secured the conviction of the infamous Reginald and Ronald Kray before Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Slipper played a pivotal role in major inquiries including the investigation into the Great Train Robbery.
In the early 1970s, Slipper was also involved in the investigation of a robbery at the Bank of America, which netted the criminals £8 million. He was responsible for the first “Supergrass” trials in this country and the setting up of the Robbery Squad, which gave rise to the current Flying Squad model for the investigation into armed robbery in London.
The new millennium saw another high profile success when the Flying Squad foiled a plot to steal the De Beers Millennium Star diamond from the Millennium Dome. Officers from the Tower Bridge Flying Squad kept a number of people under observation for a number of weeks, the operation was codenamed Operation Magician.
In March 2004 a well-organised gang armed with a gun and several knives, attempted to steal over £40 million of gold bullion from a warehouse at Heathrow airport but were arrested by Flying Squad officers supported by firearms officers as they rammed the shutters of the warehouse. Eight men were
sentenced to a total of over 67 years.
Today the Flying Squad is based at New Scotland yard and at four branch offices across London.
The Squad today is involved in reactive and proactive investigations and are a highly trained, professional team of detectives with a surveillance and firearms capability. It has come a long way since its humble beginnings.
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