Corruption and the "woodentops"
Last night I watched a programme about corruption in the Metropolitan Police in the 1970’s, especially in Soho. The Obscene Publications Squad and the Flying Squad were out of control and it made me think; what are the requirements for corruption?
They seem to be, the easy availability of unlimited amounts of cash, a situation where the very wealthy need the support of low paid officials to make ever more money and a sense that you are missing out while all around you are filling their boots.
The most worrying aspect was how long that corruption lasted, how high it went and how difficult it was to root out. In the end the Met. brought in an outsider, set up an internal investigations branch and most importantly brought uniformed officers into run specialist crime squads. The ‘woodentops” were despised by the plain clothes detectives but had previously had little or no chance to be corrupted.
The intelligent corrupt coppers took their money and left, some were prosecuted and many got away with it but the purge was to a large extent successful.
It was difficult but possible to win the battle in the police because there were outsiders to bring in and a core of honest police officers and the will to do it. But in other situations it would be far more difficult, because bringing in outsiders or the “woodentops” isn’t really an option in many places.
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