The Sweeney (2012 film) Squad's purpose is to investigate commercial armed robberies, along with the prevention and investigation of other serious armed crime. The title is derived from "Sweeney Todd", which is Cockney rhyming slang for "Flying Squad". The film was released on 12 September 2012. Flying Squad officers Detective Inspector Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) and Detective Constable George Carter (Ben Drew) arrive at the scene of a warehouse robbery; four armed men are attempting to steal gold bars. After Regan and Carter capture the robbers, Regan takes some of the gold bars to give to his informant Harry (Alan Ford). Detective Chief Inspector
The Sweeney was specifically written for John Thaw, who was by this time a friend of Ian Kennedy Martin, with whom he'd worked on the TV drama series "Redcap" in the 1960s. From the very beginning the show was seen as having series potential. After "Regan" scored highly in the ratings, work began on the development of the series proper. Ian Kennedy Martin's idea was for the series to be mainly studio-based, with more dialogue and less action, but producer Ted Childs disagreed, and in consequence Ian Kennedy Martin parted company with the project. Childs produced it on film, not videotape, so