This book investigates the internal cultural mechanisms and operational practices of the British police force to determine how institutional pressures influence the reporting and management of crime. Drawing on his dual background as a veteran police superintendent and a trained social anthropologist, Malcolm Young provides a critical examination of the gap between official police statistics and the reality of street-level law enforcement. He argues that the police force functions as a distinct subculture that actively constructs its own narrative of success through the manipulation of data and the stage-management of crime figures.

Experts and sociologists frequently cite this work as a foundational ethnographic study of police culture in the United Kingdom. Readers often note the stark contrast between the author's insider perspective and the public-facing image of the police force.