John Stevens came from an aviation family, but a sight defect meant he could not pursue flying professionally (although the defect turned out to be temporary and he later qualified as a pilot). But his grandfather had been in the police. Stevens joined the Met as a constable (at the now defunct Tottenham Court Road police station). He moved up the ranks and became asst chief constable in Hants and Cambridgeshire, then chief constable in Northumbria before becoming HM Inspector of Constabulary. He was appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 2000 and retired in January 2005. He headed several high-profile official enquiries. He has investigated anti-terrorism matters on three continents; and lectured at the City University, New York. Ongoing (2005) is his official enquiry into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed. There is nothing in his career he won't discuss in these memoirs, which will be authoritative, including the vexing subject of police corruption (he gave a quote for the Orion title, BENT COPPERS by Graeme McLagan). He is also frank about the unique role of the Commissioner who is responsible both the Major of London and to the Home Secretary (he served three including David Blunkett, whose own comments on Stevens made headlines at the time of Blunkett's resignation). Not since Sir Robert Mark in the 1970s has so distinguished a policeman held the post of Met Commissioner. In Oct 2005 he goes to New York to become visiting professor at the City University.
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📄 Exercise Your Right of Withdrawal
Under EU consumer law, you have the right to withdraw from your purchase within 14 days of receiving your order, without giving a reason. To formally exercise this right, use the button below. This is a distinct function separate from our general returns process.
Notice of Withdrawal
Please complete all fields. You will receive a copy of this notice at your email address as confirmation of receipt.
Your right to cancel
If you order online, you have the right to cancel your order within 14 days of receiving your goods, without giving a reason. This cooling-off period runs from the day you (or someone you nominate) receives the last item in your order. To cancel, contact us at shop@chaptersbookstore.com stating your order number and your wish to withdraw from the purchase. Once we've confirmed your cancellation, you have 14 days to send the goods back to us.
Condition of returned items
To be eligible for a refund, your item must be returned unworn, unused and unread, in its original packaging, and in the same condition you received it. You'll also need your receipt or proof of purchase. If your return is based on the item's condition on arrival, please include a photo so we can advise the best resolution.
Faulty or damaged items
Please inspect your order on arrival and contact us immediately if an item is defective, damaged, or not what you ordered. Separately from the 14-day cancellation right above, you're entitled to a repair, replacement or refund on faulty goods for up to two years from purchase, under standard consumer guarantee rights.
This guarantee covers manufacturing faults only, such as printing errors, missing pages, or binding defects present at the time of purchase. It does not cover damage arising from normal use or wear, including creased spines, worn covers, marked pages or general signs of reading. If you're unsure whether an issue qualifies, send us a photo and we'll be happy to advise.
How to return
To start a return, contact us at shop@chaptersbookstore.com. If your return is accepted, we'll send you a return shipping label and instructions on how and where to send your package. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted. If a return is due to an error on our part, we'll cover the postage cost.
Exceptions and non-returnable items
Certain items cannot be returned, including custom products, special orders, sale items and gift cards.
Trade-In Programme
If you're trading in previously owned books rather than returning a purchase, please see our separate Trade-In Programme terms, which operate independently of this policy.
Refunds
Once we've received and inspected your return, we'll let you know if the refund has been approved. If approved, you'll be refunded automatically to your original payment method. Please allow some time for your bank or card provider to process and post the refund.
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