Informers

Police forces depend heavily on both paid and unpaid informants, and without them many offences would never be solved and clear-up rates would fall sharply. The workings of this informer system, however, remain largely hidden from the public. The book asks who these informants are, how they are found and enlisted, who manages them and what kinds of information they supply.

Interest has grown after several high-profile cases brought the use of informers into the open. Debate has followed, and many argue that tighter controls are necessary. The central question is how such controls could be introduced without weakening a system that works.

The book is presented as the first study of its kind on informers in Britain. Its contributors are recognised authorities in the field, and together they combine factual information with analysis.