Crimestoppers: fighting crime on Scotland's streets

Brutal murders, bizarre crimes, eccentric crooks and Scotlands toughest gangsters all in a days work for one of Glasgows top police officers.

Retired detective Bryan McLaughlin faced the challenge of tackling crime on Glasgows mean streets and across Scotland for more than thirty years, and throughout his time in various roles on the force from beat cop to one of the elite Serious Crime Squad to the head of the Criminal Intelligence branch he witnessed some strange and harrowing cases.

Now Bryan McLaughlin lifts the lid on his dealings with underworld figure Irishman John Friel, tells of his satisfaction at nailing slippery gangster Tam McGraw with an Al Capone-style tax sting, looks back on the bomb attack on Glasgows High Court and reveals remarkable information about the legendary Bible John murders.

As well as these notorious cases, Bryan also reflects on the tragic human side of policing as he encountered it, including the touching tale of the old lady who grew a tree in her living room, the madman who killed a boy for throwing snowballs and the million-dollar heist in Germany that was cracked because a Glasgow ned stole a video recorder.

Crimestopper is an astonishing memoir from one of our top police officers sometimes shocking, at times hilarious or macabre, but always utterly fascinating.