To this day, some killers have never been brought to justice for their heinous acts and still go Scot free in our communities. But their time may be up because of the work of a dedicated team of retired detectives who aim to crack these unsolved cases.

The four-man team based at Woodford police station dedicate years to re-examining case notes, evidence, and speaking to police officers who worked on the original case to produce a case file that can be handed to the specialist crime directorate to be re-opened.

Advances in forensic technology, particularly the use of DNA testing, often mean a killer, who has escaped justice, can be convicted.

One case that has always baffled detectives is the murder of Terence Gooderham and his girlfriend, Maxine Arnold, who were both killed in a hit-man-style slaying in Epping Forest in 1990.

Despite numerous appeals, a massive murder hunt and fresh clues revealed in January 1992, the couple's killers have never been caught.

The couple, who lived in Shernhall Street, Walthamstow, were both shot with a double-barrelled shotgun.

The case had stalled detectives for more than a decade was re-examined by detectives from the murder review team. But unfortunately no arrests have been made, much to the dismay of officers.

Teacher Joy Hewer, was stabbed to death in her Walthamstow home in St David's Tower, Forest Road, in October 1995.

The killer also attempted to burn the 50-year-old's body. Firefighters found her when they were called to the flat.

At the time police found no evidence of a break-in. Detectives on the murder review team have also looked at this case again, but crucially the CCTV in St David's Tower wasn't working at the time of the murder.

A mystery caller who alerted the emergency fire service from a phone box in Fulbourne Road is always believed to have held vital clues to Miss Hewer's murder but his identity has never been discovered.

Sadly, it is just part of the job that some killers remain at large but the thought of bringing these murderers to justice never leaves these police officers.

Another case that is being looked into again is the murder of 32-year-old Atek Hussain. Police have recently made fresh appeals to the public to come forward with information.

Mr Hussain, who was known as Shalim, was killed outside his home in Burnels Avenue, East Ham, ten years ago. He was stabbed in the chest but managed to stagger to his home to tell his family that his attackers were Asian.

The team said there was no apparent motive for this murder and the investigation has stalled. Research officer, Ian Negus, said: "Mr Hussain was a devoted family man who worked hard to maintain his restaurant business."

Mr Hussain's daughter, Yassmin, has also made appeals for more information on her father's death: "We cannot rest until we know who carried out this attack on our father. Someone, somewhere, must know something about this incident and we ask them please help us find our father's killer.

"It has been ten years since his tragic death and we refuse to give up hope of finally catching the person responsible." Detectives revealed two cases they have worked on that will now be passed to the specialist crime directorate in Barking for re-investigation.

The case of 43-year-old Christopher Lombard from Hainault who was shot outside an Ilford nightclub in December, 1996, and the case of Patricia Parsons who was found dead in her car in Epping Forest in June 1990 have both been re-opened.

The team also hope that advances towards a national DNA database will help them in their quest to bring killers in from the cold.