A group of crooks accidentally kill an elderly shop assistant while stealing the keys to the jewellery shop where she works. When his superiors think that the case is better handed over to Scotland Yard, the local detective inspector, Sparrow, decides to go solo to investigate the crime himself.

British diamond smugglers use the radiowoman (Phyllis Kirk) from a freighter docked on the Thames to unwittingly "mule" their swag, hidden in cigarettes, past customs, not knowing that she has befriended an Inspector for the Thames River Patrol.

Picking a pocket leads to blackmail and murder for a petty criminal in London.

A bitter burglar, a prostitute and an elderly shoplifter spend their first day out of jail.

Scotland Yard detectives attempt to solve a spate of safe robberies across England beginning with clues found at the latest burglary in London. The film is notable for using a police procedural style made popular by Ealing in their 1950 film The Blue Lamp. It is known in the US as The Third Key.

A study of absurdity in a suburban family: father recreates the Old Bailey in the living room while the son teaches speak-your-weight machines to sing in the attic.