ABSTRACT
In police work it is often only a narrow though not unimportant divide that separates punishment for excess zeal from commendation for meritorious work. A policeman expressed the view about one of his colleagues that ‘he was the greatest villain that ever walked, but he was a good copper.’ Unfortunately such villainy is frequently infectious. There is a natural temptation for policemen to feel that they, rather than lawyers or juries, are the best judges of guilt. In the great majority of cases it is true that they are; in this country probably at least eight out of ten people who appear in court are guilty, and the only issue at the trial is whether the guilt can be proved. A completely fabricated case from a policeman is almost unknown, but there is a strong temptation for him to embellish his evidence.
