Calling Bodie and Doyle: Met is running out of undercover cops

The shadowy world of undercover policing, as depicted in numerous TV detective dramas, is facing a crisis. A shortage of new recruits has forced police chiefs to embark upon an unprecedented recruitment drive for more Bodie and Doyle-style officers.

The shadowy world of undercover policing, as depicted in numerous TV detective dramas, is facing a crisis. A shortage of new recruits has forced police chiefs to embark upon an unprecedented recruitment drive for more Bodie and Doyle-style officers.

The Metropolitan police, which operates the country's largest and most elite unit of covert cops, will hold a special open day later this year in an attempt to address the national shortage.

The confidential nature of the work, which can involve weeks spent infiltrating dangerous gangs, means that forces refuse to reveal how many undercover officers there are trying to bring criminal Mr Bigs to justice.

However, senior police sources estimate that the numbers have dwindled over the past 10 years from several hundred to a handful. This is partly because officers are reluctant to spend weeks away from their families on sensitive sting operations that could put their lives in danger.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin O'Leary, from the Met's covert operations unit, said the pool of potential recruits has been "drying up" over the past five to 10 years.

He also blamed the decline on the misconception that recruits have to speak several languages fluently and hold a private pilot's licence to take part in undercover policing.

"It's a bit of a step coming out of the shadows and talking about the job," he said.

"People think undercover is all Ferraris and Armani suits. The reality is a Ford Mondeo and a flat in Peckham. We need a reserve bank of people with skills but we are competing for skilled people with other policing areas. A lot of people would look at themselves and say, 'I don't have special skills to offer', but if you are a good police officer and know about evidence then we want to hear from you."

Undercover officers are bound by a code of silence which means they are not allowed to tell their families about their assignments. Officers must also create false identities to gain the acceptance of underworld gangs. This is a painstaking process with potentially lethal consequences if they are exposed.

Philip Etienne was a member of Scotland Yard's covert operations team but his career ended when he was shot and left for dead in 1994 during a bungled operation to trap a drugs gang. The former policeman, who suffered emotional trauma after the shooting, said many relationships break up because officers spend weeks away from their families.

"It's a hugely demanding job and people now think they can be a uniformed officer and still have a career which is just as successful," said Mr Etienne, the author of The Infiltrators, which details his time as an undercover policeman.

"I did enjoy the work and it's something very special, but you may be putting your marriage and the welfare of your children at risk."