Episode 1 Crime and Punishment

Today, the Royal protection officer shot three times in the line of duty

tells how working with the Royals isn't all about corgis and holding umbrellas.

He just fired into my abdomen,

and that was more or less the end of me.

'I go directly to jail for a two-week stretch.'

See you on the other side.

This police station has been at the heart of policing

here in Birmingham since the 1930s.

It may look like a relic of old times,

but policing methods have changed

far beyond the imagination

of the cosy community coppers of old.

None more famous than the TV policeman George Dixon.

WHISTLING

Ah, good evening.

You know, part of a copper's job is to know when not to interfere.

When you've been walking the beat a few years

you learn to turn a blind eye and let things take their course.

I mean, if I arrested every bloke in Dock Green who socked his wife,

I'd be working overtime.

'1956, Dixon Of Dock Green,

'everyone's idea of the perfect community copper.'

Hello, Billy, how are you?

Not so dusty, Mr Dixon, I've been reformed now, you know.

You don't look reformed.

'With little more than a wooden truncheon and a whistle,

'he policed the streets tackling crime at every level.'

It's inside what matters.

And inside, I've got a golden glow of happiness.

You've been drinking.

'Intelligence came in from local characters and not much escaped him.'

Now, if you was to offer me a couple of bob and I turned it down, you'd be offended, wouldn't you?

I'll let you into a secret - I wouldn't, you know.

So long, Billy.

'With George Dixon about, we could all sleep safely in our beds.'

55 years later in Walsall,

Sergeant Richard Jacques is carrying on the same tradition of community policing.

To be quite honest with you, right?

I can say about this area now, right,

I can walk down here quite safely.

-And that's the most important thing.

-That's all I want.

All right.

Superb. I'll give you that tenner later. Cheers!

And what we don't want is obviously people dealing drugs,

we don't want prostitutes,

so if you get any concerns or you get any issues, then let us know.

Yeah, yeah.

The challenges have changed,

but so have the police officers.

I think we evolve with the job.

It's still one of the best jobs in the world.

And that's why we do it.

I don't believe Dixon Of Dock Green had problems of drugs.

In particular, I don't think he had so many weapons.

The availability of weapons is not that unusual.

It's still in the back of people's mind when you go out on patrol.

Sergeant Jacques has been policing Walsall in the West Midlands for four years.

We've got 38 different languages within the area that we are policing.

So that brings its own diverse issues,

but it also brings something special to the area.

Some things haven't changed.

Just like George Dixon, Richard depends on locals for information.

But a tip-off these days is more likely to come in by email.

Tonight, Richard and his team have mounted an operation

to clamp down on drugs being dealt on the streets of Walsall.

The worrying thing is that the age of the dealers is getting younger and younger.

So, whereas before we had people in their late teens dealing,

intelligence suggests that people as young as 12 now are dealing.

And speaking to some of my colleagues from the Metropolitan Police,

people as young as ten are dealing now.

Obviously, the criminal age for responsibility is ten,

but it's very sad state when there are people that young dealing drugs.

Police officers are out on the ground on the lookout for anything suspicious.

And Delta, the drugs dog, is on hand to carry out searches.

All right, Jim. Let us know. Early update, please, mate.

The information received, there're two persons believed to be in the possession of cannabis,

seen smoking cannabis within the street.

They've now walked off. I'm going to try and find out where they've gone.

It's a big possibility they've gone in one of the local public houses,

looking at the direction they've gone.

Officers are going to make an approach and hopefully,

we should be able to detain them for the purposes of drug search.

The team heads off to search the pub.

A report of cannabis could mean there are harder drugs on the scene.

As we'll see later, it's a game of cat and mouse.

Nothing is going unchecked.

On any one day, there are more than

87,000 people in jail.

As one prison officer puts it,

most families will know somebody

who has spent or will spend time behind bars.

Maybe a distant cousin, or a friend of a friend.

Today, I'm going to find out first hand what happens to a suspect

when they're taken into custody in a police station like this one.

-Ah, Inspector Carmichael.

-All right.

-Gethin. Nice to meet you.

-Please call me Brian.

-Thank you very much, Brian.

-Shall I come through here?

-Yes. Please come in.

Just coming through this holding cell is pretty intimidating,

-and that's doing it on my own.

-Yeah.

Well, usually, what would happen,

you'd come in with two police officers

-and you'd be brought in here.

-Yeah.

The police officers would then tell the custody sergeant why you've been arrested.

And the custody sergeant would then authorise detention.

Ask you questions about your medical history, ensure that you're OK.

And then we would search you.

-I can see that's where you'd be searched.

-That's right. Yeah.

You'd be searched and we'd take away all your valuables

-or anything that can harm yourself or harm us.

-Yeah.

Or do any damage to the building.

And if we miss anything, it would be picked up when you walk through the metal detector,

like what you see at airports.

-This is where they check your insides.

-That's right.

-Lovely.

And we would then put you in a cell.

So come with me, I'll show you what a cell is like.

Oh, lovely.

So this is it. This is a cell.

And you're stuck here for how long?

Well, we can keep you here initially for 24 hours.

You're not in here all the time,

but I would say you're here for a good 20 hours,

in this room, locked away.

So when you're not in here, you do interviews and...

Speak to a solicitor, speak to an appropriate adult.

But all the other times, you're in here, in this room.

Brian, 24 hours in here.

-It's not nice.

-It's horrible.

It stinks of toilet waste.

Yeah, you can smell the urine, excrement,

stale food, stale feet.

It's a Victorian building, it's nearly 100 years old.

It's a listed building and...

TOILET FLUSHING

How did you do that?

Because it's a listed building,

we still have the pull system,

so as my staff are walking past,

periodically, we just pull the flush to get rid of the waste.

So if you're a prisoner in here, and this is the drug cell, isn't it?

This is a drug cell. This is, like, so low.

That was if they do fall off,

then they haven't got too far to fall.

So you're a prisoner, you're drunk,

you've just been to the toilet for whatever reason and you can't flush that toilet?

You will not be able to flush that toilet.

Cos what's happened is people would block the toilet and flood the cell.

The prisoners that come in here are drunk, probably quite irate.

Tell me about your experiences with prisoners like that over the years.

As soon as I get to that door, and they realise they are going to be put in here, they fight.

Struggling, kicking back, trying to attack us.

And then we have to use Home Office-approved restraint techniques,

put them in here and then get out quickly, slam the door behind us.

And that's something you've experienced in your career?

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Have you been hit?

I've been hit, spat at, bitten, scratched,

verbally abused, but it's just part of the job.

-It's part of the job.

-Yeah, it's part of the job. You just...

At the end of the day, you try and treat people as nicely as possible, as professionally as possible.

Sometimes, no matter what you say to them, they're going to attack you.

Then, your training kicks in. It's not personal.

Your training kicks in, you restrain them and you get out, and that's it.

Well, I've been a pretty good boy for the last few minutes,

so is there any chance we could leave here?

We'll have to speak to the judge, but I don't think you're going to get released.

You're going straight to jail.

This is a tunnel that leads directly to Birmingham Magistrates Court.

Both buildings were built at the same time.

When you've been charged and you haven't been given bail

because we don't think you're going to turn up at court

or you pose a significant risk to the public or the victim,

then you're kept in custody, brought through here and then taken straight to court in the morning.

-So I would have been charged.

-Yeah.

-Refused bail.

-Yeah.

-Through that corridor, up the stairs, into court.

-Yeah.

-And if found guilty, jail.

-That's correct.

-Game over.

-That's right.

In September 2010, Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall

were caught in the maelstrom of the student riots in London.

It was the worst political violence to hit the streets of the capital in years.

Keeping the Royal family visible but safe is a fine line for the police to tread.

The Royal Protection Department was set up in 1983.

It's a huge operation employing around 400 officers

and costing about £30 million a year to run.

But there was a time, in the not too distant past,

when policing the Royals was a more genteel and relaxed affair.

It's November 1973.

Princess Anne and her new husband, Captain Mark Phillips,

are heading off on honeymoon.

Jim Beaton, Princess Anne's new police guard is accompanying them.

It was only myself, and she was on the yacht as well.

So it was quite well-contained

and pretty easy to do.

Cos there was a nice, sunny climate as well, so that was very good.

Back in the '70s, royal protection was a very civilised affair.

A good suit, appropriate dress.

No mobile phones, no tracking devices.

No radios. So you just got on with it.

You could carry a truncheon, I suppose, if you wanted, but I don't think anybody ever did.

And in Princess Anne's case, I was armed.

Obviously, the officer with the Queen was armed.

It was more integrating with the people,

so you could stay fairly close

rather than the fancy kit, like, they would carry nowadays.

Jim had been on the job for a few months,

and there had only been one minor incident.

It was a walkabout and, basically,

some drunken chap got through the police barrier

and approached her.

And, as I was walking fairly close,

and Chief Constable in that case was very close as well,

so we just got on his way.

And then, the uniform lads bundled him off and off he went, really.

It might have, in a funny sort of way,

showed why we were half-necessary.

But it was no preparation for the life-threatening moment

that would create a sea change in the way the Royals are protected.

Returning from an event in London's West End,

a white car cut up the royal convoy in The Mall.

The chap got out of the white car, who I now know to be involved,

as I came out from behind the car, on the offside,

he was standing there, near the driver's door.

And he fired two shots at me.

Well, my gun had failed,

and then my arm came down and I realised

I had been shot in the right shoulder.

And then, after a while, I tried with two hands,

so I tried with two hands...

..and the gun jammed,

so I went back round to the near side door,

and he was pointing his gun at Princess Anne.

And he said something to the effect of, "Put your gun down or I'll shoot her."

So I clambered into the car.

So I got sort of between him and Princess Anne.

And as I looked up, I saw he was pointing his gun through the window,

so I sort of automatically really just stuck my right hand up in front of it.

And he fired

and it shattered the window and went into my hand.

And Mark Phillips was holding the door shut,

I thought, "Well, if we could knock the car door into him,

"then, that'll get rid of him."

I kicked the door open, and there was Ian Ball standing there,

and he just fired into my abdomen.

And that was more or less the end of me.

I had a new suit on that day, and I realised if I threw myself down,

I might damage my suit, so I lay down gently so I wouldn't.

And then, some more policemen arrived and ambulance people and I got first aid.

While Jim was being treated on the roadside,

others had arrested the attacker, Ian Ball.

Jim had been shot three times - in the shoulder, the hand and the abdomen.

But, fortunately, all the injuries were in soft tissue.

I probably was just lucky where he hit me really.

I can now understand why the cowboys keep getting up and running about.

Although Jim and others had been shot,

in policing terms, it was a successful night.

The whole incident went off well.

Princess Anne was safe, which was the basic thing.

Nobody was killed and the perpetrator was caught.

So, you know, in policing terms, it was very good.

Ian Ball was charged with the attempted murder of Jim Beaton.

It emerged in court that his kidnap plans were detailed,

complex and eccentric.

He's still held in a high security psychiatric unit.

Jim was in hospital for 14 days.

It was actually quite good of her to visit us in hospital,

although she did have two protection officers with her then.

Jim was awarded the George Cross for his bravery.

At the investiture, we all had a small reception afterwards

with the Queen and various members of the family

and we got our own families there as well, so it was very good.

Behind the smiles,

the kidnap attempt sent shockwaves through the Royal protection team.

Protection initially was just, you were there really, because somebody was assigned

and nothing was ever going to happen. Something had happened

so, everybody wakened up.

Next day there was new guns and we got immediate,

what we call back up crews, which followed the senior royals around,

which would have got in the way of Ian Ball, if he'd come up again.

My incident kicked it off.

It would have happened eventually. It would just have taken longer.

Once he recovered, Jim stayed with Princess Anne until 1979,

then moved on to other duties.

He was called back after another major incident in 1983.

The Home Secretary has confirmed that an intruder

managed to break into the Queen's bedroom at Buckingham Palace.

Michael Fagan had found his way into the Queen's bedroom,

despite being spotted climbing the palace wall,

tripping two separate alarms, and being bid good morning by a chambermaid.

The armed guard, who should have been outside the Queen's bedroom, was walking the corgis.

When the Queen telephoned for police help,

it took ten minutes for anyone to arrive.

It was the second time Fagan had broken into the palace.

Fagan was big from my point of view.

He should have never been there in the first place.

Somebody should have been outside the Queen's door.

There should have been people seeing him in the corridor.

The alarms - he shouldn't even have got past the alarms to start with.

Everything that could have gone against him didn't.

So, he managed to reach the door.

It shook everybody up drastically. He could have done lots of damage.

So, again, he caused huge eruptions in the system.

The House will admire the calm way in which our Majesty

-responded to what occurred.

-Here, here!

It turned the Queen's security into a party political issue.

He told us that security had been recently improved.

Since that improvement resulted in a man getting into the Queen's bedroom,

how bad was it before the improvement?

The Fagan incident came just months after the Queen

was shot at by a spectator in The Mall

while she was riding in the Trooping The Colour parade.

Jim was asked to return to the Palace, this time to look after

the Queen's personal protection, until he retired in 1992.

20 years on, and each senior Royal

has a specially trained armed officer.

It's a huge operation with backup cars, outriders and ground support.

But, as recent events have shown, even this kind of protection

can't completely assure the Royal family's safety.

We've seen Gethin experiencing what it's like to be arrested,

charged, then sentenced for a crime.

Now he's been sent down.

My first view of Bristol Prison is through the tiny window of the prison van,

with its razor wire and high walls, it's a pretty daunting place to contemplate spending a long time.

Waiting to book me in is senior prison officer Tim Clark.

-Tim...

-Hello.

-Gethin. Nice to meet you.

-And you sir.

Interesting transport here.

Tell me what happens to a prisoner when they get to this point.

OK. First thing we do, we need to check all the paperwork,

and make sure we have the correct authority to keep that person in custody.

Coming into prison for the first time must be an overwhelming and confusing experience.

It's quite surprising the amount of people you'll get here

that have been in court.

You'll ask, "Do you know what's happened today?"

-And they are a little unsure.

-Really?

They hear the words, "You are going to prison."

And that is a little bit of a shock to the system.

They then sometimes don't hear what is being said after that.

Also, sentencing can be quite complicated.

They don't realise sometimes what the term "concurrent" means,

so they may have two six-month sentences, so they think they're doing 12 months.

But it's actually running concurrently so there's only the one period.

Normally, they're pleased with some of the news we give them.

Right, so the next stage will be to ask the prisoner

to take a seat in here whilst we get the paperwork ready.

So, if you'd like to take a seat in there.

New prisoners are taken through to a holding area.

Once the door is locked behind them, there's no turning back.

Each day, up to 45 prisoners will pass through this room.

Some are on the way in, others are on their way to court for sentencing or trial.

For some of the men, it's their last stop

before they're free to go back into the world.

Gethin Jones!

-Hello. That was quite an unnerving experience that, just waiting.

-Yeah.

So, whilst I was waiting in there, you'd be preparing paperwork.

What kind of things?

You'd have been put on our computer system,

given a prisoner number, which you'll keep for life now.

What's it like for a first-time prisoner when they're in this situation?

What kind of mood are they in at this point?

Different, all the time, to be honest. It totally depends on the actual prisoner.

It's our chance to establish what kind of mood they're in

and what needs to be done for them from thereon in -

if they need any extra care, that kind of thing.

-OK, where does the prisoner go next?

-You go to have your photo taken.

Thanks very much indeed.

OK, Gethin, if you could stand on those two footprints there, please.

-OK.

-Thank you very much.

-Pick the board up with your name and number on.

-Weird!

-Weird with my name on.

-That goes under your chin, if you could.

A little bit higher, that's it.

Usually I try not to look so suspect.

The next stage in the process will be to give you what we call a full search.

-I thought it might be.

-Unfortunately, I'm going to ask you now to step into that booth,

and we will take, in a very decent fashion, your clothes off.

First of all, I'd like you to put your clothes you're wearing into this box.

-Then what?

-Next stage, I would ask you to sit on the body orifice scanner chair.

-The body orifice scanner chair!

-Scanner chair.

-Have you had any success with this?

-The first week we had it we had 14 mobile telephones.

-So, 14 mobile telephones were... were...were IN a prisoner.

-They were

hidden within the rear passage of a prisoner.

Well, I can assure you I don't have a mobile phone in me.

I'll just sit on there. The alarm's gone off.

In my case, the microphone was in my pocket.

-Do I need to take this with me?

-Take the box.

So it's goodbye to my worldly goods and one stage closer to a life behind bars.

Last time I'll be seeing my clothes for a while then.

If I could introduce you to the first night centre officer, who is Alan.

Alan, nice to meet you. You're the last person they really see

before they go through the dreaded doors. What information do you give them at this point?

Normally, first time in prison, they are a little bit agitated,

and it's my job to reassure them

that prison isn't as bad as maybe they have heard from the outside.

I will also tell them the rules and regulations they need to know

to get them through the prison system.

This is the way to the wing.

It's very much goodbye to the real world...

..hello to a very new and alien world.

See you on the other side.

Earlier we saw Sergeant Richard Jacques

and his team carrying out a drugs operation in Walsall.

It's aimed at tracking down the dealers.

Where, 60 years ago,

police intelligence usually meant a verbal tip-off, these days they can come in

by e-mail, text or even Twitter.

Whichever way it arrives, it means a call to action.

We've got officers containing the premises at the moment,

which enable us to go on and hopefully find them.

Some intelligence suggests that two persons in possession of drugs

have gone into the pub. I know there's been a period of time gone past now.

We're just going to do a walk-through and see if we can locate the individuals.

OK, team, we're just going to secure the pub first.

Hello, how are you doing? Are you all right?

Just searching the toilets. Can you go and search the ladies for us?

Just searching the two toilets now.

Obviously it's one area people go to discard any drugs.

I'll have a look round, then the dog will come through

and get the place recovered and we'll see what we can find.

Delta's sense of smell is 1,000 times more powerful than ours,

and she's been highly trained.

If there are any drugs here, she'll find them.

There may be something within the girls' toilet that has been discarded but we don't know.

There is no-one in there. We've checked there are no females.

The dog now is going to do a scan.

-And sure enough.

-The dog's indicating...

What we believe we've found is some disregarded,

it looks like cannabis, we believe.

Forensics need to recover. What's happened in there obviously,

it's what people do when police arrive.

Just the ladies toilet is lovely.

It's what a single reefer. Again it's what they do.

Just dumped, bit of personal use.

We'll recover that with our special implement,

mainly a toilet brush. We'll bag it up and then we'll dispose of it.

People going about their normal business

like seeing the police out and about.

Obviously, the dog's probably the most popular thing here

but he's also the most unpopular thing

with anyone involved in the supply of drugs.

The hunt the drug dealers goes on.

But, much as they want to make that hit, there's no getting away

from community policing.

As they head back to the van, they come across a woman who badly needs their help.

The lady over there. She's got some suicidal feelings at the moment.

Although we've got a drugs operation ongoing,

it's very important. We can't leave that lady there now.

Officers are trying to speak to her and reassure her.

If need be, we'll call an ambulance. We're trying to find out.

Police officers have already been with her for half an hour.

She's clearly in a state.

If she makes threats in front of the officer

that she might wish to take her own life, for example,

clearly we can't leave her like that and we'll take action.

In the past we've taken people to the station.

It's not appropriate for people with mental health issues.

They have designated centres now.

That's where we'd be seeking to take the person.

Only when he's satisfied she's out of danger

can Richard get back to the drugs operation.

We've had some intelligence on the vehicle

that may be of some interest to us, that's just left a premises.

We're trying to get that vehicle stopped.

If it does, that vehicle may be subject to a drug search

should our powers allow.

'All right, mate?'

-Anything?

-He's the driver, had a drink,

-and we'll do a quick breath test on him.

-Superb.

That is the geezer who I stopped last time.

There was a previous intel. Smoked cannabis in the car,

-so we're just doing a drug search of the vehicle.

-Superb.

The search goes on, but as we'll see later,

Richard's team have other things to deal with apart from drugs.

Meg, what happens on this floor?

Um, this is the first night landing.

When you first come into prison and we'll bring you to this landing,

um, depending who you can share with, how old you are,

whether you smoke or you don't smoke, we'll allocate you a cell.

And these are the cells. There's 20 cells on this landing.

-No, 19.

-19, OK.

-Yeah.

So you could have up to 38 people here at the same time,

-depending on whether they share or not?

-Yeah.

What would be a reason that they couldn't share a cell?

Um, medical reasons, mental health, illnesses, um,

-various reasons, really...

-OK.

-..why they couldn't share

or, you know, some people might have racial issues or, depending on age,

there'd be various reasons why they couldn't share.

What fascinates me is thinking about a really young guy

coming here for the first time, first-time offender,

and he's left in this situation and this is basically going to be

his home for the next month, three months, six years, 20 years.

-Mm-hm.

-Are you aware of that when you see them for the first time?

-Are they quite frightened?

-Yeah, it's frightening.

There's loads of people here.

And, you know, obviously, they're young, we have older prisoners here,

like more mature, and they don't know what to expect,

but that's what we're here for -

to explain to them the routine and make them feel comfortable.

-And work something out?

-Yeah.

-And this is home for the foreseeable future.

-This would be home, yeah.

-Have a look?

-Come in.

-Lovely.

This is a two-man cell.

Um, depending whether that person can share or not,

you'll have two people in here.

They've got a toilet, sink, they'll have a cupboard each.

So these are the cupboards here?

That's the cupboard for their clothes and their food.

It's very basic. A television, like you say, a sink and a toilet.

-Yeah.

-But apart from that, not much entertainment or anything to keep them occupied.

-No.

-How long would they stay in this room for per day?

-In the evening, they get locked up at 7 until 7:45 the next morning.

-Wow!

So, if they've just arrived, and they're sharing with someone...

-Yeah.

-..they have to get on pretty quickly. Seven o'clock at night?

That's why we would allocate prisoners depending on,

you know, their age, how they are, you know, to share with someone

suitable for them. We wouldn't just share with anyone and everyone.

-And do they spend much of the day in the cell as well?

-Um, on and off.

They'll be unlocked in the morning for showers and a cell clean.

They'll be locked up again

and then they get unlocked again at 10:30 for exercise, they come back,

get locked up again, unlocked for dinner. Then they get locked up,

so there's people constantly coming to visit them throughout the day,

um, legal services, we have a chaplaincy come and see them,

so they're not locked up, not like evening time,

when they're locked up at seven until the next morning,

-where that's it, then.

-Yeah.

But during the day, sort of, they're unlocked.

And because, up here, it's a first night landing, we try,

if they want to make a phone call, we try to facilitate phone call

and showers and if they want to clean their cell.

-That's why we're first-night staff, really.

-Hmm.

And that's why you're here as well, because if a first-time offender

-is coming up to the fours, as you call it, the fourth floor...

-Mm-hm.

..has their first night and doesn't get on with their cell partner,

you're able to help in some ways.

-Yeah.

-Because, obviously, you don't want any falling out.

-No, we don't want that at all.

And also, if they've never been in before, during the night,

even though they're locked up from 7 until 7:45 the next morning,

we have an hourly watch for those whose first time in prison,

so the night staff will come and check them through the observation panel,

-to make sure they're OK, so they're not just left, you know.

-No.

-So you keep an eye on them...

-We do.

-..but it is a regimented system...

-Of course.

-..for obvious reasons and that's just the way it is.

-Mmm.

OK, I think it's about time I found out

what it's like to spend a bit of time alone in one of these cells.

I might as well get comfy.

HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

I would go out of my mind if I was in here for any period of time.

There's not even anywhere to do any exercise.

You can't see out of the window.

You've got the television, but you'd soon get bored of that.

Maybe a few books? And that's it.

Day in, day out, every day for a long, long time.

I'm in the evidence storage area. Extraordinary.

Knives here, a safe that's been seized from somebody's property.

And, when there's a drugs raid, a lot of drugs are seized.

-This is where they're kept. Karen's in here. Hi there, Karen.

-Hello.

-It has a particular smell!

-It takes your breath away first time.

-It does!

So what kinds of things do you have in here?

Well, the majority in here, it is cannabis

seized from various locations around Birmingham.

-So this is an enormous bag.

-Yeah.

-That would've been taken from what?

-From a cannabis factory.

-Right.

Someone's grown it illegally in their home.

This is waiting to go off for analysis to the lab

to establish it IS cannabis just in case it isn't.

-Yes, absolutely.

-And then, after which we can destroy it.

-And it is extraordinary. The smell, for starters.

-I know.

-A lot is here and it's rotting.

-Yeah.

-You have to keep it for a long time?

We have to keep it until the officers say to get rid of it,

but obviously, as it does decompose, so it can...

Usually, the samples go off and we should be able to get rid of it.

And this would have, I mean, if it were found to be cannabis,

-this would have a large street value, wouldn't it?

-Yes, it would.

It's a very lucrative business.

I think people don't realise that and are willing to take the risks now.

They're not that bothered if they get caught.

They're willing to take the risk, I think.

And what if you found a large amount of cocaine?

-Would you keep that here or does that have too big a street value?

-That would go for analysis

to establish that it is cocaine and probably stop there,

-because we wouldn't keep it here...

-Absolutely.

-..because of its value.

-Do you see an increasing amount of this stuff coming in?

-Yes, the cannabis factories.

There are an increasing number of factories appearing now.

At one time, they would be on industrial estates.

Now, you find they are on residential areas, which never happened before,

but we have a dedicated cannabis team who are trying to clamp down on this,

but sometimes, it's like a bit of a fire.

You put one out, another one springs up, but we're getting there.

OK, Karen. As you say, lots of drugs seized and they wouldn't be here

if it wasn't for the drug teams who we're following today.

Back in Walsall, local sergeant Richard Jacques

and his team are out on the streets cracking down on drug dealers.

They've just stopped a car suspected of carrying drugs.

-Do you have anything on you you shouldn't have?

-No.

-Nothing at all? OK. Have you been searched before?

-Yeah.

-All right.

The reason why is, obviously, the vehicle smells of cannabis.

-I don't even smell it, mate.

-OK.

-And I didn't even notice.

-OK.

-Lovely. Taken drugs before, mate?

-Pardon?

-You used drugs before?

-In my past, yeah.

-'One of the officers obviously suspected'

there was cannabis in the car. There was a smell within the car.

Once the officers physically search it, we use the drugs dog,

in case they missed anything.

They're quite cute in where they do actually hide the drugs.

We searched all the car proactively

and he's indicated on a coat that was in the back.

That could be because he's been in contact with drugs.

Obviously, there is a smell of cannabis coming from within the car.

That's probably what he's indicated.

No. Not this time, no.

So far, the operation hasn't led to any arrests.

They're about to head off to follow up another lead

when an emergency call comes in.

SIREN BLARES

Second left.

This has come via a third party report.

There is a domestic taking place.

Obviously, there's no reply at the door, which gives us some concern.

And we're just debating, if we can't make contact via other means,

via the telephone, we may have to force entry to make sure everyone's safe.

This could be a life-threatening situation.

An off-duty special constable has seen and heard

a couple having a huge row in this house.

-He was concerned it could erupt into violence.

-Open up, it's the police.

Tell them we'll force the door.

If you don't open, we're going to have to force the door.

It's quiet now, but even though all the lights are blazing,

no-one is answering the door.

With the possibility of someone having been harmed, they can't just walk away.

-Police!

-Police!

The main aim is to make sure everyone's all right.

The persons have left the building and just make sure it's safe.

-I can't go up any higher, can I?

-I think there's a cellar.

Just making sure there's no-one hiding there,

cos domestic-related incidents, you can't be too careful.

We must make sure that, obviously, persons are safe.

Clearly, an intelligence is that there has been a domestic incident.

I would think that one, or maybe both,

have fled the house, for whatever reason.

Obviously, the concerns for me is that,

if the female or male party has fled,

the other one has gone after them for whatever reason.

Obviously, that becomes a concern.

The other thing that's not quite adding up at the moment,

obviously, we've got evidence that children have stopped here

or are stopping here, which, again, you never know.

It usually ends up being nothing, but better to be safe than sorry.

-KNOCKS ON DOOR

-Next job is

to see if the neighbours know anything.

How many children and any names?

'Interesting speaking to neighbours, don't know the family very well,'

keep themselves to themselves. Communities tend to do that,

unlike the old days, where people knew everyone's business.

Eventually, they managed to contact the woman who lives here

on her mobile. By now, she's gone for a drink and it seems she's safe.

But there was no way of knowing that earlier

and no chances can be taken with domestics.

They can, and have, ended tragically.

Two officers are going off to see the lady who lives that the house.

We believe she's in a local pub. She's happy for police officers

to go around and just to ensure nothing has gone on.

She's saying nothing's gone on, but just to make sure she's safe and well and then job's done.

But by now, it's well into the night. Word will have already gone round the local drug dealers

that a police operation is in action and they'll be lying low.

It's too late to carry on.

We started off with an operation, but obviously,

the needs of modern policing, it will change and we will always

respond to the needs of the public, whether that will be someone

who might be feeling suicidal, as we did with the young lady,

or indeed, the report of the domestic violence incident.

It doesn't matter what it is.

We respond to people's needs and will come out there and do it.

In terms of the operation, not a success for me,

but you know what, tomorrow's another day and we'll carry on.

WHISTLING

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to knock off.

I'm beginning to fancy my supper. I'll see you next week. Ta-ra.

WHISTLING CONTINUES

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd