THE DUTY MEN. The Inside Story of the Customs.

Hardback, 1st edn. After decades of being as secretative as MI5, HM Customs and Excise came out of their secret world with a bang. After a year of negotiation Paul Gillman of the BBC was given unique access to an organisation that took pride in never having been filmed or opened its doors to anyone. The programmes entered the world of crack Customs target teams - a world of 'the need to know'; confidential briefings, coded conversations, covert radios, secret surveillance; of the long grind of information-gathering; of the 'lift-off'; and finally the drama of the 'knock', with months of work hanging on everyone getting it right with split-second timing and no second chances. In his fully illustrated book which accompanied the series, Gillman went with the programme-makers as they followed Customs officers in their various tasks. Illus. (by Alain Le Garsmeur), 208pp. 8vo. F. in f. dw.