Thursday, June 18, 2009

"... it's a question of weaving the net of coincidence as fine as possible."

Martin Beck's philosophy of police work in a nutshell:

Police work is built on realism, routine, stubbornness and system. It's true that a lot of difficult cases are cleared up by coincidence, but it's equally true that coincidence is an elastic concept that mustn't be confused with luck or accident. In a criminal investigation, it's a question of weaving the net of coincidence as fine as possible. And experience and industry play a larger role there than brilliant inspiration. A good memory and ordinary common sense are more valuable qualities than intellectual brilliance.

From Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, The Abominable Man (Translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal) (1972).

2 comments:

Suko said...

Interesting quote, but I'm left wondering about at least two things:
Is common sense really so ordinary? Or does it entail having a highly developed sense of logic?

Dorte H said...

A fine quote. No wonder the series seemed so realistic.

Common sense may indeed seem extraordinary sometimes, but if a police officer doesn´t have it I doubt whether he will get anywhere.