My thanks to Pan McMillan and NetGalley for a copy of “ Into The Night “ for an honest review.

This was an interesting , but depressing ,tale of what someone who joins the police has to go through.
I’ve read similar books before, but for some reason I struggled to finish this one.
I seem , from others reviews , to be in the minority but unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me.

This is a timely and important book which is likely to cause a stir and be of massive relevance and interest when published.

The author, a former teacher and carer volunteers as a special constable policing the tough streets of Brixton on a weekly basis.

He provides a detailed, terse and unvarnished account of what he sees - and it is not pretty to say the least.

His parole are a catalogue of robberies, assaults, domestics and drug sales and consumption. It paints a bleak tale of how he and his colleagues are vastly outnumbered but do their utmost to put a halt to what goes on despite overwhelming odds.

The police are praised for their level of training and constraint and awareness of the social and societal issues they face on a daily basis but lambasted for the seemingly ingrained macho and misogynist attitudes that he encounters all too often.

The book is more than a sensationalist account of the crimes he encounters but also a polemic on policing and how it can be done in a better and more caring manner - but will anyone be listening?

I found the book to be fascinating and thought provoking and welcome and look forward to the controversy it will undoubtedly stir up.