Secrets of Scotland Yard

Rating: 👌🏼

This PBS documentary shines a light on the world-famous Scotland Yard police force, and how they paved the way for modern-day investigative police work and pioneered forensic technology. This True Crime Tuesday pick is a little different because rather than focusing on one crime or one criminal, we are looking at the people who investigate these crimes and seek justice.

This documentary was very interesting as it focuses on the inception and the evolution of modern policing. It takes a look into 19th century crime-filled, industrialized London which bred a necessity for Scotland Yard. It takes a look at famous criminals, most notably Jack the Ripper, and shows how Scotland Yard attempted to catch the world’s most notorious serial killer. It also shows Scotland Yard now and how they continue to dispense justice, and sometimes corruption, in one of the world’s most famous cities. The knowledge presented in this film is rich and well-researched, but the production value is what you would expect from a low-budget PBS production. To add suspense, they were a big fan of the zoom feature. If you can get past the low-quality graphics you are sure to learn a lot from this documentary. Secrets of Scotland Yard is now streaming on Netflix.

Review written by Zianna Weston