Operation Backhand

Hi there.
I'm now reading "Sleepyhead" by Mark Billingham. I don't know about "the Metropolitan Police Service (Scotlandyard)" very much.
Will you help me?

In this book, Detective Inspector Tom Thorne thikns that the restructuring (in the Metropolitan Police) was confusing everybody and at least Backhand was a straightforward, old-fashioned operation.

What kind of operation is Backhand?