21/01/03 - Kray arrest man's reaction to 'top ten' status
Epping Forest Guardian

THE man responsible for 'nicking' the infamous Kray twins, Leonard "Nipper" Read has welcomed the inclusion of the case in a table of the top ten greatest arrests ever made by the police. The list, published in the Police Review magazine to celebrate its 110th anniversary, placed the arrest of the gangland brothers by Mr Read, who lives in Nazeing, in sixth place.

The then detective superintendent was the man charged with the responsibility of bringing the brothers' criminal empire to justice. His team spent months compiling a wealth of intelligence and evidence against Ronnie and Reggie which ultimately led to their arrest in May 1968 for the murder of George Cornell and Jack "The Hat" McVitie.

They were convicted at the Old Bailey on March 8, 1969, and sentenced to life behind bars along with numerous members of their gang. Now, over 33 years later, Mr Read is happy that the case has achieved yet more recognition, with its inclusion in the list compiled by Police Federation chairman Jan Berry and Superintendents' Association vice-president Rick Naylor.

All of the arrests chosen were done so because of their importance and standing at the time they were made. The grisly Dr Crippen murders of 1910 was ranked top because Hawley Harvey Crippen was the first criminal caught using a wireless message before his subsequent execution at Pentonville Prison.

Mr Read said: "It's nice to find we made it into the top ten. It shows I must have done something right! But it would have been nice to be number one! "Each case was judged on its individual merits. The Crippen case was a major 'first' in the sense that it used morse code but there were a series of sensational issues involved too.

"But you can't compare these cases really, I think the list is about right. There are all sorts of reasons why each case has been included. It's almost like 'what's the best film'. They were all the most sensational of their time and the Kray case was no different."

Among the other infamous cases included in the list was the arrest and conviction of Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe in 1981, the Great Train Robbers in 1963 and the failed Millennium Dome diamond heist in 2000.