A 78-year-old former Metropolitan Police officer has published an exciting book about his experiences in the force.

Jim Smith, who was born and raised in Glasgow but now lives in Wokingham, decided on a career with the police from an early age.

He joined the London police force in 1962, and was posted to H Division - London's East End, where he learned the job.

He later joined the newly-formed Special Patrol Group and became involved in operations across the Met's district, from surveillance of Soho's porn barons to the hunt for cop killer Harry Roberts.

He said: "I have been working on the book for a long time.

"Someone heard about my experiences and said to me 'you should write a book' and so I decided to.

"I started in 1962 and during that time I was involved in a lot of active service, so I have so many stories to tell."

In 1968, Jim transferred to the Criminal Intelligence Department at New Scotland Yard, working on hundreds of cases over the next six years, during which time he earned a BEM for gallantry for his part in ending the terrorist siege of the Indian High Commission in 1973.

Jim's career within the Met brought him into contact with the full range of criminals and criminal activity - including corruption within Scotland Yard itself.

In Undaunted: My life as a Policeman and Private Eye, Jim exposes the corrupt cabal in the Yard, and relates how he was targeted by a small group of officers there who engineered his transfer out of Scotland Yard, which eventually saw him leaving the job he loved to spend more than 40 years working as a private investigator.

He worked on cases ranging from insurance scams to child kidnapping.

With a wealth of colourful and sometimes shocking stories, Undaunted traces Jim's police days and his subsequent work as a private investigator.

First published in 2009, the revised version has been updated and completely re-edited.