Why we never gave up in the 37-year pursuit of the 'World's End Murderer'
As the Scottish Parliament election looms, it’s worth remembering that police need to be adequately funded if they are to carry out long, expensive investigations into serious crimes
When to stop investigating a crime? It’s a vexed question that every police force must answer sooner or later. Some crimes are so terrible that they must be investigated to the last but, in most cases, it’s a pragmatic decision based on priorities and resources.
This dilemma was brought to mind recently by two separate news stories. One reported a reduction in the number of Metropolitan Police murder squads to meet budget cuts totalling £260 million. The current 20 major investigation teams of 26 officers and staff are to be reduced to 16, partly because the number of murders in London fell below 100 in 2025 for the first time in years.
The cuts will free more than 100 staff to return to other duties. Fair enough on a simple mathematical basis. However, major investigation teams are not just collections of people, they are close groups which train and work together over long periods. Take it from me, building such a team takes time and, once lost, that cannot be rebuilt with a flick of a pen.
The Met has been under intense pressure of late, mainly because of incessant public order demands. The need to make savings is understandable, but cutting their major investigation capability is a high-risk strategy.
A murdered mother and son
The other story that caught my eye was about Police Scotland's continued efforts to find the remains of Renee MacRae and her son Andrew, murdered by Renee’s lover William MacDowell in 1976. The latest of many searches, in what was Scotland's longest running investigation, is concentrated on land once apparently owned by MacDowell. This long after the crimes it may only be fragments that indicate the graves.
It’s the classic dilemma for police. On the one hand, this latest expensive search seems pointless. The crime has been solved, the culprit MacDowell is dead – case closed. But it’s not always that simple.
Detective Superintendent Brian Geddes put it succinctly: “This case will never be considered resolved until we find Renee and Andrew – we owe it to the families.” He is, of course, right. This crime was so awful that it must be pursued to the end.
Which brings me back to the initial dilemma. How long do you keep investigating even the most serious crimes? I am perhaps not the best person to judge.
We never considered giving up
For more than 30 years, I was part of the large team that investigated ‘The World’s End Murders’, the abduction and murder of two 17-year-old Edinburgh girls back in 1977. We never considered giving up while we had the slenderest lead to follow. But I now realise how fortunate we were to have the resources to keep going.
At the dawn of DNA analysis, it was an expensive business, but we always had the means, and eventually Angus Sinclair was brought to justice, 37 years after his terrible crimes. In the end, our success was due to enormous efforts by countless well-trained officers and police staff.
The secret to success is having good people and good systems that ensure the police can follow the evidence for as long as it takes. And in the end, that boils down to money. Worth remembering as we approach an election.
Tom Wood is a writer, former police officer, and author of The Worlds End Murders – The Inside Story