More by accident than judgement and utterly unprepared, Tom Ratcliffe embarks on a career as a Police Officer. Within weeks of joining he is dealing with some very unsavoury and untrustworthy characters β and that was just his fellow officers.
Alongside his own story he introduces colleagues and their experiences with enormous humour and compassion. A born storyteller, he paints a glorious portrait of aspects of life and humanity which lie hidden from mainstream society.
Tom shares story after story with the reader as his career moves along, resulting in an original, entertaining and poignant social commentary. He considers life seen alternately from inside and outside the Police, allowing the reader to stand alongside the author in some parts, and look in at a safe distance from the βnormalβ world in others.
Prisoners, Property and Prostitutes makes the reader sit up and look around them, amazed at what is going on just beneath the surface of βnormalβ society. If βman is an animalβ, then while some of those animals may be in the Police, the rest could well be sitting next to you on the bus, serving you in a shop, or even in your own family.
Readers from every walk of life will find this book amusing, fascinating and moving as they either nod sagely in agreement, throw their hands up in horror, or laugh helplessly out loud as Tomβs story unfolds. Read this and you will never look at your fellow human beings in the same light again.
Excellent stuff... It neatly combines some fascinating revelations about police work with hilarity and poignancy. I raced through it. -- Tom Morton, BBC Radio Scotland If it was written as fiction it would be entertaining - the fact it is true makes it a real page-turner. -- Rob Jerrard Internet Law Book Reviews 20100101