Police All Over the Workplace

Would you like to stop bad guys in their tracks?

Help keep crime off the streets?

Work with dogs and horses?

Or drive a high-performance car?

Then maybe YOU should consider a career in the police.

SIREN WAILS

We're getting down and dirty to find out

what life as a police officer is really like.

Is it all shiny buttons and playing with dogs?

What skills do you need to keep us safe,

track down criminals or break up riots in the street?

Today two rookies will find out if they've got what it takes

to fight crime, as we take them All Over The Workplace!

Hello, hello, hello. What's going on here, then?

Well, I know exactly what's going on, actually.

Because we're about to meet two rookies whose dream job is

to work in the police force. But will they still want to do it

when they realise what it's REALLY like?

Let's investigate.

Keep 'em peeled!

Hi, my name is Kyra and I'm 11.

I'm from Ayrshire. And I would like to be in the Mounted Police Branch.

I like horses and I like the work that the police do.

I thought that the police would be a great combination

between my hobby and a job.

Hi. I'm Abi and I'm ten years old, and I live in Folkestone.

I really, really, really want to be a police dog handler.

I have been wanting to do this for about two years.

The most challenging thing to do would be training.

I think the best thing about it would be chasing all the bad guys.

We've brought the girls from the far reaches of the UK to Ponteland -

that's near Newcastle - the nerve centre of Northumbria Police.

I hear that you want to be police officers.

Any particular part of the police force you want to work in?

-The police dog force.

-Oh, yeah? Why is that, then?

Because I have a dog called Roxy.

Yeah? Is she good at tackling criminals?

No!

-And what about you, Kyra?

-I want to go to the Mounted Police Branch.

The mounted police? Horses. Wow.

And do you think you've got what it takes to be good police officers?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Yeah? Well, you might think that,

but your mum and dad might not be so sure.

She would have to work on her listening skills.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Yeah.

And doing things the first time of asking.

She can't understand why people would hurt each other.

And I think that would be a challenge for her.

How are you going to cope with that?

I'll need a lot of training!

And practice!

Abi, your mother says that you're not very good at taking orders.

-Yeah.

-Is that right?

No! No!

There's a lot of that in the police force.

OK, then, let's see what we've got in store for you.

Come with me.

"Why are police officers called bobbies?" I hear you ask.

Well, it's all down to this guy,

Sir Robert Peel.

In 1829, he started the force now known as the Met.

And "bobby"? It's short for "Robert".

Dogs have been four-footed custodians of the law for 70 years.

They have a natural...

HE SNIFFS ..nose for trouble.

'When it comes to being chased by a police dog,

'even the most hardened criminals experience fear.

'They know that it's almost impossible

'to elude an Alsatian like Rap, who already has 22 arrests.'

Our four-hooved friends, the horses, have been on patrol for even longer.

The first horse patrols were way back in 1760.

Police are called cops sometimes.

That is because "to cop something" means "to catch".

As in, "Fair cop, guv."

Modern-day Northumbria Police serve an amazing 1.5 million people,

with Newcastle and Sunderland being the biggest cities.

But they cover the countryside, too.

They have all the specialised units that most forces have,

as well as dogs and horses, which will suit our rookies.

But first, let's get them kitted out.

THEY GASP

Look!

Looks like the uniforms are just the job.

Look at the hat.

Look at the back. Really nice.

Officers Kyra and Abi look just a little nervous

as they report for duty with their first mentor.

Sergeant Paul McIntosh loves his job as a police officer.

Just as well - because he's been doing it for 23 years.

Currently he is a motor patrol officer.

He's also been a senior investigator, a search adviser,

and he's even been a bodyguard for the Queen.

His favourite TV cop show is '70s smash Starsky & Hutch.

What are the things that you need to be a good police officer?

You know, some basic skills, but things like communication.

You know, you need to be motivated.

You need to be professional.

I can tell by looking at yous two you look absolutely fantastic

in the police uniform.

How do you get to join the dog section?

When you join the police, you join to be a police officer.

That's the real big bit - to be a police officer first -

and then the add-on would be any sort of specialism,

like the dogs or the horses.

So there's no short cuts, then?

You can't go straight in and start working with animals?

You need the core policing skills,

then you can apply for those sections.

The process is, you need to fill an application form out.

And if you are successful with that,

you then get invited along to do some tests,

which involves maths, English,

and then there is a compulsory fitness test.

Being a copper isn't just about strength and stamina.

You will need to prove you have core maths and English skills

to join the force.

OK, putting aside the maths and English for now,

do you think these guys would pass the fitness test?

It's a tough test, but let's find out.

Right, girls, this is the start of your fitness test.

What we're going to do is something called the bleep test.

It's a test that starts quite easy, but it gets much, much harder.

Stick together and run as a team.

Just try your best and good luck.

-Girls, are you ready?

-BOTH:

-Yeah.

OK, this is the moment of truth. Good luck.

BEEPING

That's it.

The aim of this test is to run until you can't run any further.

-Just one foot over.

-BEEP

You have to wait for the beep before you can run again?

Exactly that.

All hopeful police recruits have to pass this test to prove

they're fit enough to catch fleeing criminals.

-That's it, go on.

-Come on, Abigail!

-Come on, Abigail. That's it.

It's getting a little bit faster.

BEEP

Come on. Yeah, you can do it, you can do it.

Turn round.

-BEEP

-Good.

Get your foot on the line!

Yes!

Abi's given it her all, but she has got nothing left in the tank.

Kyra is going for a world record.

That's it, well done. Well done.

Fantastic.

Abi has fought hard to make it, but has she done enough?

You've done really well.

You've passed the basic level of police fitness.

If you could just maintain that.

You really delivered the goods. Well done.

Sergeant McIntosh, what have you got lined up next for our rookies?

They've done very well this morning. So we've got to continue with that.

And we are going to go out on patrol.

And we'll deal with whatever we come across.

And what skills do they need to demonstrate to you in this task?

What I need them to do is to be switched on,

like they have been this morning.

So I'll concentrate on the driving, and you tell us what you see.

-It's as simple as that.

-I'm going to leave you to it.

So I'll see you a bit later. I've got to go and see a man about a dog.

That computer system there, you know,

it picks up if there's any cars with no insurance,

stolen cars and things like that.

Remember what I said it was called? AN...?

-ANP?

-Nearly.

ANPR.

-OK.

-That stands for Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

Most criminals that use the roads, they have a car, don't they?

-GIRLS:

-Yes.

-So if that car going past there belonged to a criminal...

-KYRA:

-It would pick it up?

-It would pick it up.

We'd say, "Hang on, that's a criminal who's driving about."

All police officers are taught to keep their eyes peeled.

Observation skills are really important.

-What?

-"Stolen vehicle."

Where does it say that? "Stolen vehicle." Goodness.

Well spotted. Fantastic. So I'll tell you what we'll do.

We'll go along and have a look at that one.

-Fantastic. Well spotted.

-Yay!

Can you see what that says on there?

-"BMW grey. Stop."

-"Sandford."

"Stolen from 1 Sandford..."

So, just as well yous are here. Stolen vehicle.

So we'll spin round.

SIREN WAILS

Should have a go now.

-KZE.

-KZE.

There's a turning there, the right-hand side.

Could have went in a farmer's field. Let's have a look.

-No.

-No. Somebody... Look left, right.

A grey BMW ahead.

Kyra and Abi's observation skills have netted them a stolen vehicle.

And they've pulled it over. Unknown to our rookies,

this stop was staged to let them see what life is like on patrol

and experience police procedure.

Could you just step out of the car, please?

-Could you tell me what all this is about?

-Of course I can.

And it was master criminal Alex Riley all along!

Mr Riley, your car, we believe it's stolen.

-Stolen?

-Yes.

-We believe it to be stolen.

Because of that, can you please just listen to what

-my colleague is going to read out to you?

-But it's not stolen.

I've just borrowed it.

-KYRA:

-"You don't have to say anything,

"but it may harm your defence if you'd don't mention when questioned

"something which you later rely on in court.

"Anything you do say may be given in evidence."

Great job, Kyra, reading Alex's rights,

and good handcuff action from Abi. Alex, you're nicked!

I'm not getting in the car!

Fantastic job. High fives. High fives.

-Let's get away.

-That was really good, that. Well done.

You did fantastically well.

Hang on a minute - what about these handcuffs?

Have you got the key?!

So the rookies are being tested to the max.

They've had a fitness test,

gone on patrol and arrested a big-time bad guy.

What do they think of the job so far?

When we did the fitness test,

I was quite shocked that we were going to do it.

I'm going to do some more fitness just to help me get my stamina up.

I really, really liked going on patrol.

-We caught a criminal.

-I think I've got better at confrontation.

-SERGEANT:

-Abi, I asked you to be motivated,

and that was well evidenced when I saw you in your fitness test.

You looked at the computer system in the car.

You immediately saw, "Stolen car."

I think you'd be an excellent ambassador for the police.

Kyra, the way you helped Abi through the fitness test and stuck with her.

You were a real team player.

You should be really proud of yourself.

When it came to going in the police car, you were observant,

you were looking about. I'd find it very difficult to criticise you.

You know Rav Wilding from CBBC's Cop School?

Or maybe you saw him on Crimewatch.

Before becoming a TV presenter, Rav was an officer in the Met,

so he knows about life on the beat.

Hi. I am Rav Wilding, and here's my top three tips

for joining the police.

The police is a tough but very rewarding job.

Tip two. Don't be afraid to contact your local police

and ask for some work experience.

They really want to hear from people who are keen to join.

And tip three, don't be offended if you're asked

to be a little bit older before you apply.

I actually joined the Army for a few years in order to join the police,

because they wanted people

who were over the age of about 22.

Good luck. It's a great job.

So, girls, have you managed to sniff out any clues

as to where we might be going? You've got some LEADS...

-THEY LAUGH

-Yeah.

Where do you think we're going to go?

That's right. We're going to the Dog Section.

-BOTH:

-Yay!

Here we are at Northumbria's Dog Unit.

The unit has up to 40 dogs working.

They also breed puppies here, which they sell on to other forces.

They use a variety of breeds for different jobs.

Sergeant Julie Neve has a passion for a life as a police officer.

She's a dog handler for the force

and works with Bruce the tracker dog

and Cracker the sniffer dog.

Bruce is a typical dog - hates cats, loves bones, likes cuddles.

Julie is scared of spiders.

Together, they've tackled around 200 crimes.

Sit! Stay. They come on patrol with us every day.

If we're coming to work, they come, cos they live at home with us.

When did you realise that you wanted to be a police dog handler?

I always knew from the minute I joined.

So, Sergeant Neve, can you tell us what your three top tips are

for working in the police Dog Section?

You must be coordinated. You must have a good voice range,

because they need to know the difference between a "no"

and a praise - "Good boy!" So you need to be able to vary your voice.

And also, you need to be confident around them.

So Julie's three top tips for

success as a police dog handler are -

coordination - always a good thing,

good vocal range - so you can get the dog's attention,

and confidence with the dog - that makes the dog feel confident.

-KYRA:

-What do you like the best about your job?

First, I love being a police officer.

I'm really proud to be a police officer.

But I also get to work with what I class as my best friend.

What we're going to do is see whether you can give Bruce

the "sit" and the "down" command and see whether he obeys you.

How you do this is, with your hand, reach into the star

and tell Bruce, "Sit." Like that.

What we're going to do to put him in the down is a lower command.

And you have to point to the floor. So are you ready? Down.

That's what you do.

-Bruce... Up.

-First up is dog lover Abi.

THEY LAUGH

Down.

Yay!

-KYRA:

-Bruce...

-There, he's looking at you.

Up.

Yay!

Down.

Yay!

Gave him a pat and say, "Good boy!"

-Can I have a go?

-Yeah, of course you can.

-Sit.

-Yay!

Bruce, down.

Down.

Bruce, down.

Yay! Now your praise. You've got to always remember to praise.

Oh, good doggy.

Good boy. Who's a good boy?

The rookies don't know it yet,

but they're about to experience first-hand

a routine training exercise at the Dog Unit.

Career crook Robin Banks has got away with a bag of cash.

Can the Dog Unit help?

So why is Bruce looking so pale?

Yes, he's now changed to a 10-month-old Labrador called Elvis.

And basically, he's going to be trained for cash, weapons and drugs.

Was he trying to find something then?

Is there some stolen goods in the camera or something like that?

Have you got a receipt for that camera, Mr Cameraman?

Do they all get assessments at the end of their training?

They get a licence and it means they are allowed to officially work

within that role. So they get a licence that's...

-RADIO:

-'All units...'

-RADIO CRACKLES

Sorry, just two seconds.

'Armed robbery just occurred at the bank in Ponteland. Any units free?'

327, I can attend that.

Remember, our rookies don't know this is a training drill.

I'm waiting for a description. Try and listen to this.

'Six foot two, wearing a black woolly hat,

a black jacket, blue jeans and trainers.

'It's believed he's stolen a substantial amount of cash

'from the bank. He's carrying it in a black rucksack

'that he's taken with him.

'Last seen at the back of the field.'

Yes, that's received. We're on the move. Thank you.

Right, you two, let's go.

What we've got is a man who is responsible for robbing a bank

and he was last seen making off across this field.

-Can you remember what the description was?

-KYRA:

-Blue jeans.

-Six foot two.

-Six foot two.

-Did he have anything on his head?

-A hat.

-A hat.

-Right.

This isn't just being staged for the rookies.

This is how the dogs train.

And Julie and her dogs practise regularly.

Keep up, Alex! Now you know why police officers have to be fit.

Looks like he's found something!

Yeah.

THEY SHOUT

DOG BARKS

Right, girls, that's him. He matches the description.

-KYRA:

-Stand up.

-Put your hands up in the air.

-You're under arrest.

-On suspicion of robbery.

-On suspicion of robbery.

"You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence

"if you do..."

Kyra delivers the caution once again,

while handcuff-heroine Abi secures the crook.

Meanwhile, Cracker, Julie's sniffing companion,

has found the evidence needed to convict the bad guy.

When we tracked the bank robber,

it was very scary to see Bruce in his working form.

Because when he was playing around you thought,

"Oh, that's just him, just normal." And when we went to track the robber

he went, "Right, no fun," do his work.

After our test so far,

I think I'd definitely still like to be in the police.

Kyra, I thought you did very well today.

Around Bruce, you have to make sure he knows you're the boss.

So just keep your commands louder.

Abi, you can tell that you're used to being around big dogs.

I liked the way that when you did the arrest

you were very positive in shouting what you wanted.

I always look for somebody who's got courage.

Physical courage to deal with difficult situations.

And moral courage to make the right decisions in difficult times.

Secondly, the ability to listen.

I think people expect us to listen carefully

to what they've got to say.

I'm always looking for police officers who speak less

and listen more.

And finally, attention to detail.

It's no good someone being arrested for an offence

and they're not putting all the evidence together

in a way that can convict somebody in court.

The girls have got the hang of general police patrol

and they've seen what the Dog Section is all about.

Now let's see how they get on with their next challenge.

Let's hope they don't have a bit of a mare!

-Can we go to the football now?

-Yes, let's go.

Oh, great! Walk on.

Walk on!

He's broken.

OK, rookies, we are at Northumbria Police's Mounted Section.

And later on, we're going to be doing riot training.

-Oh...!

-Yeah. That's going to be quite exciting.

OK, we'd better get you all togged up in your special equipment.

Northumbria Police has had a Mounted Section for 140 years,

making it one of the oldest in the country.

There are eight police horses stabled here

and they do everything from policing sporting events

to ceremonial duties, like escorting royalty,

as well as general patrolling of members of the public - like you.

PC Bev Craine has been a mounted officer for 13 years

and loves horses.

Just as well,

as she and Parker, her horse, are together most days.

Parker loves Polos and carrots, but hates apples.

His party trick is blowing raspberries.

Tell us, how do you get into the Mounted Section?

First of all, you have to be a normal police officer

working on the beat. When a vacancy comes on the Mounted Section,

you simply apply.

What are the horses used for?

We use horses in the police mainly for public reassurance, disorder,

football matches and parades.

If you join the Mounted Section,

you'll find yourself reassuring the public and tackling disorder.

You can't exactly miss a horse.

Horses are also used to police football matches

and even get their glad rags on for parades.

And plus, we're sort of sat on top of a horse,

which gives us a big visibility point.

We can see things that a police officer walking down the road

-wouldn't be able to see.

-What are your favourite parts of your job?

The favourite part of my job is riding my horse.

But also doing my job, which I joined to do,

which is being a police officer.

But I get to do it on a horse, which makes it even better.

When people are dog handlers,

they carry plastic bags around with them, don't they,

to clear up after the dog when they leave their messages on the floor?

-They do.

-Now, horses produce a lot more of that sort of stuff.

Do you carry a giant bag and a shovel with you?

No, we don't have jumbo-sized poop scoops.

We rely on the council to come and clean our little messes up.

-KYRA:

-What's it like to ride a police horse?

-It's brilliant.

-Come on, then, let's get going.

Kyra, do you want to come over and meet Pedro?

-This is Pedro.

-Is he a Spanish horse, this one?

He's so cute!

Bev and Parker are going to show the rookies

a bit of formation riding, just as they would

at a parade or during crowd control.

Mounted Section, walk, march, track left on reaching the boards.

Parading is one thing. But the horses need to go sideways sometimes

to push a crowd back.

Not sure Kyra has ever ridden sideways.

Do you want to try going the other way? Brilliant job.

-Brilliant.

-How was that, Kyra? It looked quite complicated.

It was fun to go sideways, cos you usually don't go sideways.

So how do you feel about what you've just seen?

Quite scared.

Abi wants to be a dog handler. Horses are a whole lot bigger.

But bravely, she's giving it a go.

Mounted Section, left turn.

To your left. In the middle.

Brilliant. Well done.

And, Mounted Section, hold the line.

-Come back!

-THEY LAUGH

A little wobbly.

That's it. Brilliant. Well done.

It got a bit more complicated with the sidestepping.

What happened? You did a full 360 at one point.

I was trying to, like, move him and then he wouldn't, like,

do what I said, so he went round in a, like, full circle.

Sergeant Andy Cross is in charge of the Mounted Unit here.

What are his top tips for being a mounted officer?

Firstly, communication.

You need to be able to talk to people at all levels of society.

You need to be able to be adaptable and flexible.

You need to have responsibility,

be able to take decisions

and also you need to have what I call empathy.

If you understand the situation around you,

you understand the people that you're dealing with

and also that you understand that the horse you are working with,

then you will become a successful police mounted officer.

Communication, adaptability and empathy.

In case you didn't get that,

Andy's top tips for being a mounted officer are communication,

adaptability and empathy.

-What are we doing next?

-What we're going to do now is show

a demonstration of a public order mounted technique called

a "Mounted Section sweep",

which is what we use when there's a large crowd refusing to move

and we need to clear the area.

OK? We're going to be part of the crowd, or the rioters.

And we're going to make as much noise as we can to try

and distract the horses and put them off and, hopefully,

they'll not be bothered

and they'll push through and clear us out the way.

Although this is a rehearsed riot,

the horses regularly have this training

so they can deal with disorder for real.

OK, everybody, can you clear the area now, please?

Please, clear the area.

Move on. Clear the area.

This is a police warning.

The rookies and Alex are making a racket and plenty of movement.

But the horses are so well trained,

they're not put off and they stick to the task.

The horses are specially trained to walk over difficult surfaces,

so debris from a riot is no problem to them.

Plenty of space for the protesters to walk through.

OK, everybody, the problem has now resolved itself.

Please feel free to walk through the gaps between the horses.

Now the horses are going to experience more extreme rioting,

including flames and smoke, which a horse would normally shy away from.

A good police horse will stand its ground through anything

and only move when the officer tells them.

These horses are so well trained, they aren't even flinching.

When I rode the horse, it was a totally new experience for me

and I didn't know what to do. When I finally got on,

I thought I was going to fall off. But I didn't. I'm still here!

When I met the horses, it was really, really exciting,

because they were much bigger than I thought they would be.

It was as if you were more powerful.

Being in the riot was really exciting.

And the way the sergeant was handling it, it was really good,

because they were really calm.

Yes, I liked the dogs better, but the horses - they're up there.

They're up there with the dogs.

Abi, you did brilliantly.

Considering you'd never ridden before,

you put a lot of trust in the horse.

You listened to everything you were asked to do

and took notice of what I told you to do

and what was going on around you.

You could maybe work on your confidence with the horses.

Just maybe spend more time around them,

getting used to them and how to handle them and you'd be great.

Kyra, you are a brilliant rider. You were really confident,

keen to get onto the horses and didn't want to get off.

You listened to everything you were told.

Maybe just ask a few more questions

and understand the role of a mounted officer and what we do

and how you can help, and I think you'd be a great police officer.

Our rookies have had an amazing insight into life in the force.

Remember, if you want to be a police crime-fighter,

you need to stick in at maths, English and fitness.

So do our experts think Abi and Kyra have what it takes?

I would absolutely recommend Kyra and Abi for the police service.

And I'd go a bit further. I'd say it would be the police service's loss

if we can't get these two girls on board.

I think you've done a fantastic job today

and I think you definitely have what it takes to be a police officer

in the future.

You both demonstrated all the skills that's required - you listened,

you asked questions and you were very confident

when riding the horses. I think you'd be brilliant.

Good feedback! But what about our rookies?

Are they still up for walking the beat?

I definitely want to still be a police officer,

but I'm half decided between the traffic cops

and the Mounted Section.

Abigail, do you still want to work with dogs in the police?

Yeah, but it'd be OK because you have to work, like,

on the beat for the first, like, year or two years

and then you have to go into the Dogs. So it would be a bit of both.

-So I could do both.

-Hm, well, that's the thing about the police.

-You can change jobs. That's the great thing.

-You're still police.

Abigail and Kyra really do know how to use the long arm of the law.

And I reckon it's only a matter of time before we see them both

out on the beat keeping those streets safe from criminals.

Hang on, what are you doing?!

Kyra! Abi! Come on!

That whole stolen car thing was a misunderstanding!

-Let me out! Come on!

-HE BANGS

I really hope next week's rookies want to be lawyers!