# Jack Slipper

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British police officer

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**Jack Kenneth Slipper** (20 April 1924, in [London](/source/London) – 24 August 2005, in [Pershore](/source/Pershore)) was a [Detective](/source/Detective) [Chief Superintendent](/source/Chief_Superintendent) in the [Metropolitan Police](/source/Metropolitan_Police) in [London](/source/London). He was known as "Slipper of the Yard" (referring to [Scotland Yard](/source/Scotland_Yard)). He was mainly known for his role in investigating the [Great Train Robbery of 1963](/source/Great_Train_Robbery_(1963)), and in tracking down [Ronnie Biggs](/source/Ronnie_Biggs) after he escaped from prison in 1965, although he had to leave Brazil without Biggs.

## Early life

Slipper was born in [Ealing](/source/Ealing), west London, and educated at Little Ealing School. He left school aged 14 and worked as an electrician's apprentice until 1941, when he enlisted in the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force) to serve in the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War). He served as an electrician with a [nightfighter](/source/Nightfighter) squadron at [West Malling](/source/West_Malling), and was then posted to the [Rhodesian Air Training Group](/source/British_Commonwealth_Air_Training_Plan#Southern_Rhodesia) in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now [Harare](/source/Harare), [Zimbabwe](/source/Zimbabwe)) in 1943. Having grown to 6'3", he became [light heavyweight](/source/Light_heavyweight) boxing champion of the Rhodesian combined services. He was demobilized in 1946 and returned to work in London as an electrician.

## Early police career

Slipper joined the [Metropolitan Police](/source/Metropolitan_Police) in 1951. He trained at [Hendon Police College](/source/Hendon_Police_College), and served briefly as a [police constable](/source/Police_constable) in [Brentford](/source/Brentford) before moving to [Chelsea](/source/Chelsea%2C_London). He undertook traffic duties, and guarded the residence of the [US Ambassador](/source/United_States_Ambassador_to_the_United_Kingdom) in [South Kensington](/source/South_Kensington).

He joined the Criminal Investigation Department ([CID](/source/Criminal_Investigation_Department)) in 1956. After an unusually short probationary period of little more than 2 years (rather than the usual 3 or 4), he was posted to [Acton](/source/Acton%2C_London) as a [Detective Constable](/source/Detective_Constable). He joined the [Flying Squad](/source/Flying_Squad) in 1962, and was quickly promoted to [Detective Sergeant](/source/Detective_Sergeant), becoming a [Detective Inspector](/source/Detective_Inspector) by 1968. He left the Flying Squad to be posted to [Harlesden](/source/Harlesden). In 1971, he became a [Detective Chief Inspector](/source/Detective_Chief_Inspector) in Q Division (formed in 1965 to cover the [Wembley](/source/Wembley) area, previously divided between S and T Divisions) and moved to [Harrow](/source/Harrow%2C_London), then [Detective Chief Superintendent](/source/Detective_Chief_Superintendent) of the stolen-car squad at [Chalk Farm](/source/Chalk_Farm). He was in charge of operations at the Flying Squad from 1973 to 1977 as its deputy head under Commander [Don Neesham](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Don_Neesham&action=edit&redlink=1), and then head of Q Division detectives at Wembley.

He was involved in the investigation of the [Shepherd's Bush murders](/source/Shepherd's_Bush_murders) in which three unarmed policemen were shot dead in Shepherd's Bush in August 1966, for which three men were later convicted.

## Great Train Robbery

Slipper is mainly notable for his role in investigating the [Great Train Robbery](/source/Great_Train_Robbery_(1963)) in August 1963. Then a [Detective Sergeant](/source/Detective_Sergeant) with the Flying Squad, Slipper was one of six police officers chosen by its head, [Tommy Butler](/source/Tommy_Butler), to form a special unit to catch the robbers. According to the police investigation, several of the robbers had left fingerprints or palm prints at the gang's temporary hideout at Leatherslade Farm in Buckinghamshire. Biggs' fingerprints were found on a bottle of tomato sauce. Slipper was present when Biggs was arrested at his home in [Redhill](/source/Redhill%2C_Surrey) on 4 September 1963.

After being sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in 1964, Biggs escaped from [Wandsworth Prison](/source/Wandsworth_Prison) in 1965. Biggs travelled via Paris to Spain and then Melbourne, Australia, where, despite [plastic surgery](/source/Plastic_surgery) to alter his appearance, he was identified by his [dental records](/source/Dental_records) after visiting a dentist.

In January 1968 after six years with the Flying Squad, and most of the wanted Train Robbers caught, Slipper decided to return to Division and gained promotion to Detective Chief Inspector in September of that year. After a few other postings, in March 1973 he returned to the Flying Squad as operational Chief Superintendent.

### 1974 extradition attempt

Despite rumours, Biggs remained untraced until 1974, when he gave an interview to the *[Daily Express](/source/Daily_Express)*. The newspaper passed his location on to the police, and Biggs was captured on 1 February. Slipper travelled to Brazil, where he attempted to arrest Biggs in a hotel in [Rio de Janeiro](/source/Rio_de_Janeiro), with the words "Long time no see, Ronnie." But the Brazilian government turned down the request for [extradition](/source/Extradition), on the grounds that Biggs was to become the father of his pregnant Brazilian girlfriend's child (Michael Biggs, to be born 16 August 1974), and Slipper was forced to return home empty-handed. Famously, Slipper was photographed on the plane home, sleeping next to an empty seat, and was christened "Slip-up of the Yard" by the press.[1]

### 1981 Scots Guardsmen kidnapping

Biggs was abducted by former [Scots Guardsmen](/source/Scots_Guards) in 1981 and taken to Barbados. An extradition request was made, but it was denied due to the lack of a treaty between the United Kingdom and Barbados; he was returned to Brazil.

### Biggs' return to U.K.

Biggs finally returned voluntarily to the UK in May 2001. He was accompanied by [Bruce Reynolds](/source/Bruce_Reynolds) on a private plane. Slipper believed[*[why?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*] that Biggs should not be released, and regularly appeared in the media to comment on any news item connected to the robbery.

## Later police career

He was involved in several major investigations such as the [Bank of America robbery](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bank_of_America_robbery&action=edit&redlink=1) in April 1975, in which £8 million was stolen from a branch in [Davies Street, Mayfair](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Davies_Street,_Mayfair&action=edit&redlink=1). He was also involved with Britain's first "[Supergrass](/source/Supergrass_(informer))" trial in 1973, in which bank robber [Bertie Smalls](/source/Bertie_Smalls) testified against his former associates in exchange for his own freedom, and then in the trials supported by the evidence of "King Squealer" [Maurice O'Mahoney](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maurice_O%27Mahoney&action=edit&redlink=1).

Slipper helped to set up the Robbery Squad, which later merged into the [Flying Squad](/source/Flying_Squad).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

After the [Metropolitan Police Commissioner](/source/Metropolitan_Police_Commissioner), Sir [Robert Mark](/source/Robert_Mark), initiated an "interchange" policy, which required CID officers to return to uniformed work, Slipper ended his career as a uniformed [chief superintendent](/source/Chief_superintendent) as head of X Division in [Ruislip](/source/Ruislip).

## Later life

Slipper retired in 1979 after 28 years service, and became a security consultant. He worked in security for [IBM UK](/source/IBM) in the 1980s and 1990s from offices in [Greenford](/source/Greenford), [West London](/source/West_(London_sub_region)). He also enjoyed playing golf at [Sudbury](/source/Sudbury%2C_London).

After his retirement, Slipper returned to Rio and met Ronnie Biggs once again, later remarking that "[Biggs'] villa was bog-standard and in the wrong end of town. His swimming pool was so black with algae even a stickleback couldn't live in it. He was flogging T-shirts to tourists to make a living."[2]

He published an autobiography, *Slipper of the Yard*, in 1981. He sued the BBC for libel after a television film, *[The Great Paper Chase](/source/The_Great_Paper_Chase)*, portrayed Slipper (played by [Jeremy Kemp](/source/Jeremy_Kemp)) and his colleagues as incompetent. The legal action was financed by Sir [James Goldsmith](/source/James_Goldsmith), Slipper won damages of £50,000, his costs (estimated at £400,000), and an apology.

Slipper was awarded the [Lord Willis Award](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_Willis_Award&action=edit&redlink=1) in 2004 for his CID work.

He was diagnosed with [cancer](/source/Cancer) in 1999 and died 6 years later, aged 81. He was survived by his wife, Anne, and two daughters.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Ronnie Biggs: Freedom"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130304113451/http://www.ronniebiggs.com/?page_id=83). Archived from [the original](http://www.ronniebiggs.com/?page_id=83) on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Mark Steyn, *Passing Parade: Obituaries and Appreciations* (Woodsville, NH: Stockade Books, 2006)

- [Obituary](https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4181484.stm), BBC, 24 August 2005

- [Obituary](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article558674.ece)[*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*], *The Times*, 25 August 2005

- [Obituary](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/aug/25/guardianobituaries.ukcrime), *The Guardian*, 25 August 2005

- [Obituary](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1496872/Jack-Slipper.html), *The Daily Telegraph*, 25 August 2005

- [Obituary](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jack-slipper-504414.html)[*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*], *The Independent*, 27 August 2005

- [Death of Slipper, the man who tracked down Ronnie Biggs](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1496899/Death-of-Slipper-the-man-who-tracked-down-Ronnie-Biggs.html), *The Daily Telegraph*, 26 August 2005

- [The lives they lived: Jack Slipper](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/dec/04/ukcrime.features), *The Guardian*, 4 December 2005

- [1976: Bank robbers jailed for 100 years](https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/16/newsid_2540000/2540073.stm), BBC, On This Day, 16 November

v t e Great Train Robbery (1963) Robbers Bruce Reynolds Buster Edwards Charlie Wilson Brian Field Ronnie Biggs Investigators Aylesbury Malcolm Fewtrell Buckinghamshire Constabulary Train Robbery Squad Tommy Butler Jack Slipper Related Buster (film) The Great Train Robbery (2013 TV series) Mrs Biggs Terence Hogan

## Further reading

- *Slipper of the Yard*: Autobiography of Jack Slipper. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-283-98702-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-283-98702-2)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF FAST WorldCat National United States

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jack Slipper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Slipper) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Slipper?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.