In the Pursuit of Crime Traffic Cops

North Yorkshire.

The largest county in England and Wales.

From seaside resorts like Scarborough

to the historic city of York.

It just offers you everything that policing could offer you.

You work the cities, you work the rural areas.

6,000 miles of some of Britain's most scenic

and most unforgiving roads.

We've got three casualties out of the vehicle

that's there in front of us.

The traffic cops here deal with among the highest number

of serious collisions per person than anywhere in the UK.

Roundabout the wrong way, wrong way.

Tonight:

Cyclist. Cyclist. Seen him.

It's safety first as the cops pursue disqualified drivers.

Out! Don't touch me. Out!

Career criminals.

And those desperate to evade the law.

She's failed to stop. Yeah. She's continued on and we've found her like this.

'Any police pursuit is inherently dangerous.'

A decision either way could mean the difference between

someone's life or death.

Welcome to North Yorkshire.

A vast area stretching the traffic cops to the limit.

It's 6.15am.

15 miles west of the city of York.

Traffic Constable Lee Cobb is nearing the end of his night shift

when an urgent shout comes through from the control room.

Romeo, four one.

Two burglars had been disturbed inside a house

at a village near York.

'Threatened the owner of the house'

to get the car keys to steal the car.

The thieves have stolen a blue Peugeot 106 and they're on the move.

Lee suspects they're making a break for North Yorkshire's border.

The vast majority of our thefts,

burglaries, are all taking place by people who are from

the bigger areas, you know, Durham or Leeds, Doncaster.

They travel to us, steal our nice cars and take them back there.

Lee heads along the A64 dual carriageway to see

if he can spot the Peugeot.

Travelling down the A64, it's passed me in the opposite direction.

Turned off into Tadcaster itself.

I asked one of the firearms lads to peel off

and travel through Tadcaster and try and pick it up.

Lee's sighting of the stolen car gives other units a chance

to spot the suspects.

Within two minutes, the cops have caught up with it.

Firearms car got behind it quite quickly in the town.

Realising the cops are behind him, the driver takes to the wrong side

of the road and heads straight through red traffic lights.

POLICE RADIO: 'Behind the vehicle, Tadcaster.

'The vehicle is failing to stop.'

People are getting up for work, it's half six in the morning.

It's not unreasonable to think that the paper boys are out and about,

people getting ready for school. So the stakes are going to be higher.

You have to really concentrate on what you're doing

and think to yourself, is it correct to carry on?

Pursuing illegal drivers on the road is one of the main responsibilities

of the traffic cops.

But when criminals refuse to stop,

the cops are forced to make a judgment call.

Any police pursuit is inherently dangerous.

I think the public understand there is a need to catch people

that are doing these sort of things.

But they also, erm, see the bad press about when it goes wrong.

Accidents happen.

Over the last decade, there's been an average of 20 fatalities

every year during police pursuits.

Each one is very different

and each one has to be married up with a lot of different

They make the decision to fail to stop.

A decision either way could mean the difference

between someone's life or death.

Back on the outskirts of Tadcaster, officers continue to pursue the

stolen blue Peugeot and the thieves' desperation becomes evident.

Heading out of town,

the car thieves narrowly avoid a truck coming the other way.

'Straight away that puts the stakes up on what they're doing.'

It shows the mentality and it shows they want to get away at all costs.

Speed's now seven zero.

They continue to throw things out of the vehicle.

As the thieves head towards the borders between North

and West Yorkshire, the cops plan to stop them using a stinger -

a spiked tyre shredder.

INDISTINCT CHATTER ON POLICE RADIO

The stinger has been deployed across the road ahead.

But the thieves spot the officers.

He's obviously thought, I hope they're not going to get anywhere with this.

He's then gone up the embankment to get round the stinger.

It's not disabled him and he managed to carry on.

POLICE OFFICER: Contact made again, he's gone round the stinger.

Up ahead, a third cop car joins the pursuit to help surround

the Peugeot and bring it to a halt.

POLICE RADIO: 'Going down the A1. Down the A1.'

Now, timing is critical.

I'm up in front of him.

Blue lights illuminated on the car

and I'm trying to feed him down the A1.

He clearly wasn't having that.

POLICE RADIO: 'Contact made with me. Get him on the roundabout.

'Up to the roundabout.'

When he swiped the car I was really annoyed.

Primarily, he was showing his intentions where he wants to go

but secondly, he's damaged my police vehicle

and it's a car I use all the time.

Determined not to let the suspects escape, the cops make deliberate

contact, forcing the stolen car out of control.

He's managed to slam on his brakes to try and disable the firearms car

that was behind him and in doing so he's made a hash of it.

It's spun him off the road and into a lamppost.

Checks on the driver and passenger confirm they're not locals.

One guy actually lived in Leeds itself.

So, he's travelled all the way from Leeds in West Yorkshire, through

North Yorkshire, to Kexby which is right on the border with Humberside.

He is a career criminal so we are an occupational hazard to him.

That's all he's done. He's 40 years old

and he's still out stealing cars.

Later at the police station,

the men were linked to a spate of burglaries throughout the night.

This is the fifth or sixth car that was stolen that night.

They've been clearly grafting all night long.

And pushed the boundaries too far

trying to burgle someone's house at quarter past six in the morning

and they caught out by somebody getting up for work.

Greed or stupidity, I don't know.

No matter how much the cops keep safety in mind,

some pursuits do end in accidents.

On the outskirts of York, it's 2pm.

BEEPING

Hello.

Sergeant Julian Pearson receives a radio message

about a suspected shoplifter in the run who crashed

when she tried to escape from the pursuing cops.

Ten four. I'll pop down.

POLICE SIREN

We're going to a car that's made off from police

and the vehicle's continued to drive erratically.

He's lost control on a roundabout, crashed and rolled the car.

Because North Yorkshire cops were chasing the vehicle,

it's Julian's job to make sure the correct rules of engagement

were followed during the pursuit.

I'm going to attend because, technically,

it's a police county vehicle.

As such, a sergeant should attend the scene and see

if there's any...make sure everything's being done correctly.

I'll see what the injuries are when we get there.

Were they a contributing factor to the crash?

We've obviously got congestion on the bypass as a result

of the collision.

As the lead officer on the scene...

Hiya, you're all right? ..Julian's priority is the injured driver

even though she tried to escape from the police.

She came across at speed, no other vehicles involved.

She was trying to get away from him? Yeah.

Do you understand what's going to be happening from a police point of view?

The priority is to get you to hospital,

we ascertain who you are.

We will deal with the collision and then, at some point,

once you've been treated and you're released,

we'll be in contact with you and speak to you in relation to

what's happened and how you came to crash.

But the priority is to get you treated.

'Regardless of what she's done, she needs to be medically assessed.

'We need to open up the road network as quickly as we can to stop

'annoying members of the public'

but equally, gather the evidence without losing anything.

With an air ambulance on the way to help the driver, Julian's

next job is to find out the sequence of events leading up to the crash.

OK, so what's the member of the public said to you?

Basically, I've spoken to three or four...

Witness statements suggest that the suspect was driving erratically.

Initial witnesses said, she's just in haste, absolute haste,

to get away from the police.

Julian quickly identifies physical evidence of what has happened.

She's come up here at speed, hasn't she, clipped that.

That's her alloy wheel going up the side of the roundabout,

and then you've got the two gauge marks on the carriageway

where the car's then turned over and then rolled again.

You've got the first tipping point here.

These marks here will be, as the vehicle's rotating,

then you've got a flip mark there.

The marks you've got there on the road surface will be consistent with...

That will be consistent with those as the car's then tipped over and rolled.

She's overtaken members of the public on the wrong side

of the carriageway. It's just straight up bad driving, really.

The question now is,

were the cops in pursuit in any way to blame for the accident?

If a chase becomes too dangerous the protocol is to pull back.

We've been behind her, blue lights on... Yeah.

She's known we've been behind her, she's failed to stop.

She's continued on, we've backed off, lights off, sirens off,

backed off. She's then headed towards this roundabout.

As we approached the roundabout we found it like this.

'He's done the right thing.

'The vehicle's come out, he's asked her to stop. She hasn't stopped'

and the collision has occurred as a result of her own actions

and he was nowhere near at the point of the collision.

Satisfied the pursuing cops were in no way to blame for the accident,

Julian oversees the safe landing of an air ambulance.

The bypass is closed.

Got to put the air ambulance down so we have to close the road

to make it safe for everybody.

But before it can land,

the helicopter is called to another, more urgent incident

leaving Julian with an injured suspect he needs to get to hospital.

Are they coming from Shipton Road?

Harrogate?

With an ambulance 16 miles away, Julian turns his attentions

back to the driver and the contents of her boot.

I'm just looking at what's in the vehicle, basically.

It's not clear if the bags are stolen

but he has found something suspicious.

A de-tagger.

When you go into a shop to buy something,

that's what they use to take the security devices off the clothing.

So, she's obviously got that from somewhere.

'We need to be able to get the evidence together'

to be able to categorically pin those offences on her,

to be able to charge her with that.

Finally, an ambulance arrives.

As soon as she's out we'll move it.

Sweep the carriageway.

The woman's been lucky. Her injuries aren't serious.

What she should have done was stop.

Had she stopped she could have explained why she had goods

in the back of the car and the matter could have been dealt with.

As it is, she's now written her car off,

cost the taxpayer a fortune in the emergency services attending,

We've had an air ambulance that couldn't land.

We've got numerous cars here dealing with the actual

collision, all for what?

POLICE RADIO CHATTER Ridiculous.

New information about the driver comes to light.

She's a provisional licence holder

and shouldn't be driving unsupervised.

Because she's lied to her insurance company to obtain insurance

and told them she's a full licence holder,

so they will pay for the damage to the any roadside furniture or

third party, but as far as her car is concerned, they won't touch it.

Lovely. Thank you ever so much.

With the offences mounting up,

the suspect has a lot of explaining to do.

Pursuing criminals on the run is made even more difficult at night.

Especially on dark country roads.

On the southern borders of the county, near Selby, Julian is crewed

with Traffic Constable Lee Cobb on night patrol,

when they're contacted by a local officer.

Generally, if I open my mouth.

No, not often. Don't push your luck.

The cops' banter soon turn serious

when there's a report of two disqualified drivers in a car,

also referred to by traffic cops as 'dizzy' drivers.

Checks made by local police identify them as disqualified

but because the car is parked there's no grounds to arrest them.

Unless they drive off.

Dizzy driver time. It's what we need.

What address is it at?

Lee thinks they may chance their luck and drive off.

They actually live maybe 15 miles away from where the car is.

It's now just two degrees, it's actually quite cold.

They've said they're going to walk home.

If I'm a betting man I would say they're not going to walk home.

They're going to hang fire around the corner, wait until the

bobbies leave, and then they'll probably come back and get the car.

I certainly wouldn't walk home in this weather.

As the local officers are not able to pursue,

traffic cops Lee and Julian head over to keep watch

on the dizzy drivers.

We'll try and get as close to the address as possible,

see if it'll move off the drive.

They also have the advantage that they're in an unmarked car.

This should be Grange.

And there's the Golf on the driveway.

So, if we get into Prospect Close on the right.

And try and stick somewhere out of the way.

We're here, mate.

We're going to kill our car and sit and listen with windows down.

See if we can hear it start up.

With the trap set, it's now a waiting game for Lee and Julian

to see if the men make off in the car.

It's the old phrase, give them a bit of rope and they'll hang themselves.

'Here we have two individuals in a car.

'The likelihood of them driving it is high.

'If I wasn't to sit there'

and wait for them to drive, then I wouldn't be doing my job.

We would do this routinely for drink drivers or disqualified drivers,

you know, sit and wait.

I think members of the public, or people like that,

work on the basis that we get bored after 20 minutes

and then we'll leave.

But certain people are worth waiting for.

It's just having the patience to sit here and wait. Hm.

'If it is quiet and nothing's happening, by the sheer nature'

of you being sat in a warm car you may start nodding off.

POLICE RADIO BLEEPS

Their patience pays off. The car is on the move.

That Golf's moving, I'm going to have to go. There we are.

This Golf we were looking for, down the bottom end, has moved off.

Brick Lane. Information, we are a double-crewed TPAC-trained vehicle.

Right, right, onto the 645 link road.

It's not going to stop, is it?

Even though they're in an unmarked car, it's not long before Lee

and Julian suspect the driver has spotted them.

I think he twigged pretty quickly who we were.

Straight away, he's shown his intention

with the speed he went round the roundabout.

As his speed increases, Lee and Julian switch on their blue lights.

They see a blue light and it's a nanosecond decision, stop or go.

It's failing to stop.

Speed, six zero.

Coming into Carlton. It's two up.

Julian tries to get in front and attempts to slow the driver down.

'I've overtaken him to steer him into a trap'

and he's decided to handbrake it behind me and go the other way.

He's done a U-turn. He's done a U-turn from Carlton.

We're heading back towards Camblesforth roundabout.

What other units have we got available, please?

The U-turn leaves the cops under pressure to catch up

or risk losing them altogether.

50 miles away near Scarborough...

POLICE RADIO: 'Go ahead. Copy.' Yeah, it's understood.

Traffic cop, Mark Ganella, is also playing catch up as he responds

to a report of a suspected burglar on the move.

'One of my colleagues called up, who was at Malton, some 22 miles'

ahead of me, to say she was behind the suspect's vehicle.

Yes, can you just stay behind it.

Make no attempt to stop it at this time.

But if you can just keep eye ball on it for me.

'We have got a marked police vehicle behind it.

'However, it's not a traffic vehicle so it's not allowed to pursue it.'

Mark needs to get there fast

and take over before the driver realises he's being tailed.

'Your adrenaline level is up but you're also thinking,

'the last thing I want to do is crash,'

is hit somebody else's car or just damage my own car.

The reported theft is of property stolen

from a Scarborough guest house.

Can we also confirm whether they're known to the complainant?

That's understood. Thank you.

Got the subject vehicle directly ahead of me on the nearside lane.

I've turned my blue lights off.

I will wait for an additional resource to get behind me.

Traffic cop Martin Hayes is also responding to the call

to help Mark stop the vehicle.

Just dropping in behind 851.

POLICE RADIO: 'Can you hold lane two? Hold lane two...'

..to stop anything coming past.

Lane two held.

So, we're not allowing anything to go past us.

It's just giving us a bit of a sterile area to work in, when

I get the opportunity to stop it,

I'm hoping the driver's just going to pull over.

Nearside indication from the subject vehicle.

Stop, stop, stop.

In this situation, it indicated and pulled over. No problem at all.

Hiya, mate. All right? How are you doing?

All right. OK.

I believe that you've just stolen some property.

Do you want to just unlock the door for me. I'm TC Gonella, all right.

I believe you've got some stolen property in here.

Be fair with me and be honest.

Mark is treating this as a burglary despite what the driver says.

Just open the door for me, then. I'm not going to start the engine.

You open the door for me.

Just open the door. Brilliant.

Just take your seatbelt off for me.

All right? You're under arrest. What for? On suspicion of theft.

All right?

Just put your hands out for us.

Just put your hands out. Don't be silly.

Jump yourself out, my friend.

As Mark talks to the suspect,

he begins to have concerns about his behaviour. Mind your head.

It became clear to me very quickly that there were maybe some issues

with the gentleman, with maybe his health or his understanding.

To me, he seemed quite confused, quite dazed.

Just walk this way for me. I don't want you in the carriageway.

Let me have a cigarette. Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Just come over here. Just come over here.

I'll let you have a tab, but come and stand here, all right?

You're under arrest on suspicion of theft. Yeah?

I'm going to caution you that you do not have to say anything,

but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned

something which you later rely on in court.

While the driver is kept under control,

in the boot, the cops find a TV,

one of the items reported stolen.

The driver now has some explaining to do.

I've got to speak to the other people involved,

but at the moment... Well, if it's been stolen or it's been bought,

or it's been bought or it's been stolen...

They're different things, aren't they? Yes, they are. That's...

They are different things, yes, they are.

That's why you're under arrest, and why we've got to talk about it.

Do you understand? Yeah, yeah.

'It may be legitimate.

'It may be that he has actually bought a telly.'

It may be that someone else has been in the room and taken the telly.

Even though the man is still insisting the TV is not stolen...

Mind your head, mate.

..he's going to be taken to the police station in York

while the cops continue to investigate the allegation.

On the southern borders of the county,

traffic cops Julian and Lee are still trying to catch up with

the dizzy drivers who failed to stop for them.

It is unmarked, but it's fitted with lights and sirens.

What other units have we got available, please?

Consider Air Support. SIREN SOUNDS

Oh!

Two IC1 males. The driver appears to be quite short.

Shaven head, big ears, and a dark-coloured top.

The speed is currently five zero. The roads are dry.

The road traffic is light.

RADIO: 'No other units in the area.

'I'll see what I can get towards you.'

Yes, yes, no deviations, speed seven zero

on the 1041 towards the 63 bypass.

He's straddling the offside of the carriageway.

He's now over the centre white line. Speed currently eight zero.

The runaway's extraordinary risk-taking becomes a real concern.

Yeah, he's the wrong side of the bollard,

approaching the roundabout.

Speed is seven zero.

Hang on, hang on. He's on the grass.

Oh, no, no, no.

'Well, he's taking his chance

'going the complete wrong side of the roundabout.'

I cringed, because you can't see what's coming,

and if somebody came the other way, it would have been a head-on.

At that speed, that would cause some serious damage.

We are continuing A19, north towards York.

The roads may be quiet, but they're not empty.

Cyclist. Cyclist! Sorry.

Pursuit, roundabout at Barlby.

Stand by. Taking the first, taking the first. Into Barlby.

He's taking the first right, first right, which is Howden Road.

After a 10-minute pursuit,

the dizzy driver makes a last-ditch attempt to escape from the cops.

Pinder's Way, mate, Pinder's Way. It's a dead end.

'He's then gone through the cul-de-sac at horrendous speeds.'

At one point, he'd actually got two wheels on the road,

because he'd hit a speed bump.

He's in Pinder's Way. Stand by for decamp.

Yep. Over the speed bumps.

He's going to have to decamp, he's in a dead-end.

TYRES SCREECH

I'm having him.

Lee gives chase to the driver, who's set off on foot.

It were through gardens, Pinder's Way, through gardens.

Julian tackles the passenger.

You're under arrest! Get out! Out!

Are you stupid? You're... Out!

Don't touch me! Out!

Hands behind your back. What...?! Hands behind your back.

Are you stupid?

Are you stupid?!

Other hand behind your back.

He was very anti-police.

He was very in-your-face, very aggressive.

Faggot.

Big BLEEP idiot.

The passenger is taken in for further questioning.

He's run through the garden... But the driver has run away.

'He's got to the end of the cul-de-sac,'

put the handbrake on, and turned round to face the driver's door

away from us to give him the edge to get out and leg it.

Finding him in the pitch-black is not going to be easy,

and Lee and Julian are going to need support to find him.

At the police station in York,

the suspect arrested for the theft of the television

is being checked in.

Can I have a coffee? Yeah, we'll get you a coffee.

Can I have another cigarette? You can't.

The cops have concerns about the man's behaviour.

Are you suffering any mental health problems or depression?

You're bipolar? Anything else?

The decision in custody was to get him assessed,

so we have what is called a Medex nurse, a trained nurse

on duty in the police station that would make that assessment for us.

It starts to build a picture of the people you're dealing with,

and that may then have an effect on how you continue to deal with them.

Does he understand what we're saying and why we're asking questions?

Three sugars? HE LAUGHS

All right. We'll get you sorted in a second, mate.

With the suspected thief in his cell waiting for a medical assessment,

Mark makes some further enquiries.

We did some checks on the movements of that vehicle,

and although they were on holiday in North Yorkshire,

it appeared that they were going back most days,

back to their home address, to feed the cats.

Bizarre.

Driving home regularly during a holiday in Scarborough

may be unusual, but it's not proof of criminal activity.

However, checks on the suspect's car reveal

he shouldn't be on the road. He's a disqualified driver.

So at the moment for him, he was driving,

and he's got a revoked licence. 'Yes, yes, that's correct.'

Can you also do me a vehicle check? I just want to make sure

he's shown on the insurance for the vehicle.

So he's not on the insurance either?

Cheers. Bye-bye.

Right. He's...

His licence was revoked on the 22nd of May, 2010.

And it was revoked under medical grounds.

When a licence is revoked for medical grounds,

the driver must get the all-clear from a doctor

before he's fit to get back behind the wheel.

It's just that horrible feeling, isn't it?

He's driving a nice, newish car down the A64.

Lots of traffic on the road.

Yeah, it's a sinking feeling, when you find people that do this.

There's your coffee. Three sugars.

Right now, the cell is the safest place for the suspect,

keeping him off the roads. So we'll get things sorted for you.

11 miles away, traffic cop Lee Cobb is still searching for

the disqualified driver he chased

down a dead-end in the village of Barlby.

The driver's out legging it, so I followed him into a garden.

I've just caught his toes.

The thin one's outstanding here.

Big ears. Is that the lad you were with?

There's no damage.

'You never know if he's going to be hiding around the corner'

to clout you one as you walk round, so you have to be wary.

It was literally this gate.

He was over the top. Jumped over the fence.

That, unfortunately, was the last time I saw him.

I think he's gone to ground in one of the gardens nearby.

Supposedly. Or usually, they hide in the gardens.

A search dog is called in to help look for the suspect.

The dog can have a sniff around and see if it picks anything up.

My last sighting was here, and he's gone over a small gate.

Well, the gate there, which is locked.

And he's gone towards the lattered fence,

and that was the last time I saw his backside.

So, mid-20s, scrawny thing,

shaven head, big ears. Grey top. Right.

It would be nice to catch him while he's out here,

freezing his backside off like we are, trying to find him.

At least the birds are happy, chirping away.

So he thinks in his mind that if he gets away,

then he's not going to be caught and not going to come to court over it.

Erm... He's sadly mistaken.

But after half an hour, the dogs draw a blank too.

Somewhat disappointing. Even the pooch didn't find him.

Oh, joy(!) Oh, joy.

Oh, well. I need to lose a couple of stone, after all.

But Lee is still hopeful, as he suspects the driver isn't local,

and other units are searching for him.

He was lost, in effect,

so he's trying to get his way back out of the village

to get to familiar ground.

As the police impound the car, a lead comes through.

Standby.

Yep!

A man fitting the description has been reported just half a mile away,

asking a member of the public for directions.

Julian sets off to find the driver.

So it's just now an area search to try and locate him again.

To catch a criminal, you've got to think like a criminal.

You've got to think, "Right, what would I...

"If I was this particular individual, what would I do?"

If he's going to do anything...

..he's going to walk out onto the A19.

The suspect's registered home address is in Camblesforth,

and that's seven miles away.

Clearly, he has no idea where he is.

Which gives us an advantage.

Also helping Julian is the cold weather.

Temperatures tonight are just above freezing,

and the driver's been on the run for over an hour.

I don't think he's dressed for this weather, so he's going to want to...

Get wherever he's going as quickly as he can.

It's just a waiting game.

Then, Julian spots someone.

Come here. Where are you going?

Back home. Sorry?

Back home. Where are you from?

He wants to get to Camblesforth.

So...you know straight away it's the right guy. It's definitely him.

Well, what are you doing in Camblesforth?

Going to seeing my girlfriend. And what's she called? Laura.

I've got to pretend to him that I don't know him.

And whilst I'm doing that, seatbelt's undone,

I'm in a better position to get out the car...

Have you got any ID on you? No, mate.

Let's have a look.

You're under arrest for dangerous driving,

failure to stop for police... WHAT?!

557XN... Dangerous... What do you...

Get that camera... BLEEP out my face. Oi!

Can I have a unit to Highfield View?

What are you on about, "You're under arrest..."

I've got a man arrested. For what? For what? Sorry?

Failing to stop, dangerous driving. Don't start squeezing my hand.

No, because you're not going anywhere. What?

I didn't say I were going anywhere, did I? Did I try and go anywhere?

I'm not saying you have. Tell your evidence to this camera.

Do you understand that? Tell your evidence to the camera.

Do you understand? Do I... How do I understand that I'm under arrest?

Because I've just told you. For what?! Dangerous driving,

disqualified driving, failure to stop for the police.

On what?! On what?! Arm behind your back.

I think he honestly thought that, A, I'd not been chasing him,

or Lee and I had not been chasing him,

and he could bluff us and get away.

I'm on Barlby Road with Highfield View.

Can you get me a van down here, please? 'Yeah, we're sorting it.'

What's your evidence? I've told you.

You're arresting me with no evidence. I've just told you,

you're under arrest. Right? That's all you need to know.

I've told you why you've been arrested.

That's all you need to know. All right?

There is no other questions, is there? No. Right.

With the runaway driver apprehended by Julian,

Lee missed his chance to do the honours and arrest the suspect.

It would have been nice if I'd have got hold of him,

having given it legs.

I was frustrated it wasn't me, obviously. HE LAUGHS

But at the end of the day, he's in bracelets,

and he's on his way to custody.

In Scarborough, Mark visits the owner of the guesthouse

who reported her property stolen.

They'd actually booked in for three weeks and paid for two weeks,

but they left on the eighth day. Right.

So, left early, but obviously,

with your property, unfortunately. Yes.

The lady may have had her property returned,

but after a detailed medical assessment,

the police have decided not to pursue charges against the suspect.

And Mark has to explain to the victim

why no prosecution will follow for the theft.

To be fair, they may not have even understood what they've done,

do you know what I mean?

It may be something that they've done,

they don't realise that they've actually done it,

and in his mind, the account he gave us may be

exactly what he's thinking's taking place. You just...

You don't know, and unfortunately,

I don't think we'll ever get to the bottom of it.

It's just unfortunate that they've done something like that and...

For nothing, really. For a TV and a blanket and a couple of pans. Yeah.

I mean, we can't justify what they've done or why they've done it.

No. The plus for me, and the positive for me,

is that they've done something wrong, we've caught them,

we've got your property back, which is the main goal for us.

'No two jobs we deal with are the same,

'and you have to look at this and say, "What was the outcome?"'

We've achieved what we wanted as the police for the victim,

and I think we've also done more for the people involved in it as well.

When they're not chasing criminals,

the traffic cops' top priority is to investigate road accidents.

In 2014, they dealt with more than 1,600 collisions,

some of the highest crash statistics in the UK.

It can fluctuate through the year. It can fluctuate on the weather,

on how busy the roads are, obviously.

I probably deal with one a day,

I would say, when I'm working, on average.

Some days, I can be unlucky and pick two or three up.

And even though he's been a traffic cop for eight years,

picking up the pieces isn't always plain sailing

for former submariner Mark Mullins.

It can be quite upsetting, you know,

and I'm getting quite on in my years now,

and I think I've seen most things,

but it can be quite distressing, dealing with death particularly.

On the outskirts of Harrogate, it's 9.30am,

and Mark and his sergeant, Paul Cording,

have been to what called to what turns out to be

a rather unusual smash.

'Yes, 7-4 attending.'

We were told it was a two vehicle road traffic collision.

There was an injury.

One of the vehicles was on The Stray, which is a large

expanse of grassy area in the middle of Harrogate.

It's over there. That one there.

How'd it get up there?!

We were surprised on the approach when we saw a car

in the middle of The Stray.

It was a good 150 metres off the road.

It was like, "How's that got there?" Especially

because it's a 30mph road.

'36 at the RTC.'

I'll tell you what,

it's impressive. You are the only passenger? Yes.

I'll just get your details, all right?

Mark finds an injured taxi driver

who has been carrying a fare to work.

Pulled straight out right in front of us.

Out of the side, out of its drive? Yes, this drive.

Which car, the one they're with? Yeah.

Pulled straight out in front of us so, I don't know if he hit the car,

I can't remember, there was a bang, but he swerved off.

It happened really fast. He swerved, you see.

Missed two trees by centimetres

and carried on, he couldn't stop because of the speed. OK.

Was he driving all right?

He picks me up every morning, he's a really careful driver. Right.

By swerving off the road, the taxi driver has clearly avoided

a much more serious accident but at the expense of a neck injury.

Luckily, paramedics are on the scene.

I spoke to your passenger and she's told me what happened.

OK? Are you all right to give me a specimen of breath on the machine?

Good deep breaths. You don't need to blow too hard,

we appreciate you have a neck injury.

It's quite sensitive. Good deep breath.

All the people involved driving vehicles will be breath tested.

Police can request a specimen of breath and we do it routinely.

Lovely, thank you.

The breath test is negative so the priority now is to get him

to hospital.

Nothing we were particularly concerned about,

but it's standard practice now when the neck or back is sore or

hurting, that we will get him onto a board.

With the taxi driver in the care of paramedics,

Paul updates Mark on testimony from another witness.

I got a first account from another witness who basically said

this car was travelling at normal road speed toward the roundabout,

he's been behind and this lady just pulled out.

Mark goes to speak to the lady driver who is alleged to have

caused the accident.

A few things we need to do.

One, I need to breathalyse you, it's a requirement in the UK if

you've been involved in a road traffic collision, I've got the

power to request a breath sample, which I'm sure won't be an issue.

It's nothing to panic about.

Are you all right to give me a specimen of breath? Yeah. OK.

Get a good seal around that, take a deep breath and a nice steady blow.

Keep going. Keep going, keep going. Lovely, thank you.

That's zero as expected.

Do you have any questions for me now? No, but is he OK?

He's fine, he's been chatting.

It looks bad when he's on a stretcher but he'll be fine, I'm sure.

Tell him I'm sorry. I'll see him later.

I'm sure he knows it's not deliberate.

Don't lose any sleep about it, all right?

It's a shock to the system and there is also reality, which she

alluded to there, that she was at fault for it.

I think the lot together can be quite overwhelming.

Are you going to work today? I think so.

Yeah. I just need to drink some water, I'll be fine.

Have a cup of tea, that's what we do!

The lady's mistake is a common statistic.

One in three accidents happen within a mile of home.

In her case, within ten metres.

I do believe this was my fault

and this was my first accident that is my fault

and I feel bad for the other driver. I am hoping that he's OK.

It's always scary, it's always a shock,

I guess that's whey they call it accidents, they happen.

I don't accept that it just happens, it's normally down to error,

it's just unfortunate that it's happened to her.

It's about keeping your wits about you

because not every day is the same.

It might seem the same journey, but the people you share the road

with will react differently to you as you will to them on a daily basis.

Concentration's all the time when you're driving.

We all make mistakes.

For the passenger from the taxi,

the experience has come as a major shock.

I was absolutely petrified because all I could see was the tree.

We only missed it by...less than a foot.

I think God must have been shining down on us both.

I'll still carry on using the company, but yeah,

I think I'll avoid them for a week - taxis!

Mark decides to report the American lady for driving without due

care and attention.

Despite the taxi driver's actions meaning the accident wasn't

more serious, the incident has drawn the cops' attention to his car.

We had a cursory look at both vehicles after the collision

earlier.

We thought the tyres on this vehicle, which is

the innocent party, look a bit worn.

Mark, just to let you know your taxi fair is now ?56.20.

HE LAUGHS

We're going to photograph them, they are quite worn.

Legal limit being 1.6. You can see that is 1.08 so it is well under.

I could see that he'll think that he is the innocent party in this.

As a result of somebody pulling out in front of him,

he's taken evasive action and is now being investigated by the police.

However, he is driving a car on a road.

He has got a fare-paying passenger on board.

He is responsible for her safety

and he's got tyres that are well below the legal limit.

So he might feel a sense of injustice and in a way I can see

where he's coming from, but unfortunately he's clearly breaking the law.

With an area spanning 3,200 square miles,

in North Yorkshire, police resources are often stretched.

It's not just motoring offences that the traffic cops have to deal with.

In Scarborough, it's lunchtime

and TC Mark Gonnella is back on patrol.

My primary role when I go out is to look at traffic,

to deal with travelling criminals,

issues that are on the road, however,

you've always got to listen to the radio,

and you've got to attend a member of the public wanting assistance.

It's a report of a domestic disturbance.

We'll back up if you just give us some directions in, please.

It's not a typical traffic cop incident,

but Mark is the nearest police officer to the location.

Give us the number again, was it number nine?

'At that point in time I don't know why

'he is trying to get into the house, is he trying to hurt'

the occupant, is he trying to steal from the property?

The lady who phoned in has reportedly taken refuge in a neighbour's house.

HE KNOCKS

Hello, did you call us? Are you all right?

The lady tells Mark that the house she owns nearby was

visited by her ex-boyfriend who kicked the back door in.

We're not sure whether he's still in the property or

whether he's left it.

The last thing I want to do is go into a property by myself,

and may be confronted by somebody who is violent.

At least if there is two of you, you've got that advantage.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

All right. Hello, hello. DOGS BARK

Alfie! Is that back gate shut?

Are they all right with us, are they? Erm...

Liam! Oh, my God.

All right. Just stay there a second.

Oh, my God. Liam, it's the police.

Nobody deserves to be that frightened that they have got

to actually leave their house and allow someone to be inside it,

smashing it to bits.

There is blood here, will that be yours or will this be the...?

It's not mine, no.

I haven't even done anything to him.

Where are you? We're just making sure everything is all right.

We can't find him anywhere. Do you want to come and sit?

Come and have a sit in here first.

He's put the back door in, there is glass everywhere.

It looks like absolute rage.

It seems that a relationship breakdown sparked the incident.

All I heard was bang, bang, bang, "Give me my stuff. Answer the door."

I said, "I'm not opening the door. I'm not opening the door."

Then I just heard the back door booting through

so I shut that door and quickly went out the front.

That's when you phoned us?

I went to the old fella's next door and luckily he took me in.

'She's clearly upset.

'Do you expect your house to get trashed,

'do you expect your telly to be broken? No.'

She's done the right thing. She's got out, she's protected herself.

You always think you can sort of change someone.

SHE SNIFFS

Julie, we're going to go and have a look for him, all right?

He can't think that he can get away with it.

We'll get your door sorted so that you are safe with

the sense that we can lock that and we will go and find him. Right?

We'll deal with him.

I'll leave you with my friend who's just out here somewhere.

Part of me wants to stay with her and talk to her,

but you know you have got to be in there and trying to find this guy.

What other damage is he going to cause? Who else might he threaten?

With the property secure and a the list of potential hiding places,

it's now down to Mark to find the man and get him into custody.

Preventing injuries on and off the North Yorkshire's roads

is all part of the traffic cop's role.

And TCs like Lee Cobb

are always on the lookout for motorists posing a threat to others.

The sheer nature of the job we do, being a traffic cop,

unfortunately, you'll stop people

who don't want to have anything to do with the police,

want to live their life how they want

and don't really have any respect for rules and regulations.

While patrolling the village of Sherburn-in-Elmet

on the southern border of the county,

Lee spots someone breaking the rules of the road.

Let's have a look at that. Take it round.

Just driving down Moor Lane, one of the roads in Sherburn.

Car coming towards me, chatting away on his mobile phone.

Pull up behind him at the traffic lights.

He's just put it down by his right hand side as we've approached him.

So now, he's going to do the old shuffle round

and see what I'm doing scenario.

So he doesn't think I've seen him.

Lee's not fooled by the man's antics.

On his mobile phone and had no seatbelt on.

Over half a million people in the UK

now have points on their licence

after being caught driving whilst using a mobile phone.

I think it's a just sign of the times.

You see people walking down the street glued to their mobile phone,

playing Candy Crush, or texting each other.

It just seems like an obsession now.

I've been a traffic cop now over six years.

I've dealt with a couple of fatalities on the road

which are a direct result of someone being on the phone.

They're a nightmare. I want to speak to you.

When you come past me, you're chatting on your mobile phone.

Phone's down there.

I have been holding my ear because I've got ear infection.

I'm not going to go down the lines of "I was holding my ear."

You were on your mobile phone.

The number of times I hear, "I was just scratching my ear."

Have you got video evidence? Do you want to calm down?

You're not going to tell me I was on my phone when I wasn't. All right.

You were driving whilst using your mobile phone

and you didn't have your seatbelt on.

When you sat at the traffic lights, you were shuffling about putting it on.

I had my seatbelt on all the time.

I drive for a living. I can't afford to have points on my licence.

You should know better then.

I've never met the man. I've got no grudges against him.

I'm literally stopping him for what I've seen him doing. That's it.

They are trying to discredit what you said and what you've seen.

Making you out to be a liar, basically. Which really annoys me.

You were on your phone as you come past.

You were still on your phone at the traffic lights. No. Sorry, mate. OK.

You also decided to put your seatbelt on at the traffic lights.

No. That's wrong. That's entirely up to you.

I'm going to deal with you by means of a fixed penalty notice.

You do realise this loses my job, don't you?

You do realise you were on the phone.

I am conscious when you're dealing with people

that the nature of what I do does have an impact on their life

and that could have a massive impact on their jobs.

It's all things people need to think about,

when they're driving, gassing away on their phone.

You're trying to say that I've not had a seatbelt on.

You're trying to say I was still on the phone when you were behind me, which I wasn't.

Right. I was getting sweets out of my pocket which you saw me eating.

The phone is on the other side of the car.

Generally, if people want to rabbit on,

they will ultimately drop themselves in it at some point.

I'm sorry, there was no way I was on my phone at the traffic lights.

At what point did you put the phone down then? All right, then.

Hold my hands up. When you went past me,

I've seen the camera on the phone and I thought - wrong. My fault.

But you're trying to say I was still on the phone at...

Is that just to catch me out so I say, yes, I was on the phone? No.

I don't use tactics to drag information out of people.

I've told him what I've seen, as simple as that.

I've already decided that he's going to get a ticket.

He can deny it, put his hands up to it.

That's his choice. He's going to get a ticket regardless.

I've never been caught on my phone before.

There you go. You've never been caught before.

No. I've never been caught before because I don't normally do it.

All right. That's yours. I think we're done then, aren't we? Right.

What a load of tosh.

One month later, the man paid his ?100 fine

and received three points on his licence.

Back in Scarborough, Mark Gonella is on the hunt for suspect

who broke down the door of his ex-girlfriend's house.

I've put out observations, so...

..other officers are aware that we're looking for this guy

and a description of what he's wearing.

Now it's just trying to locate him.

If you saw in the house, there's a fair bit of blood dotted around.

So, I'm thinking,

that he's most probably injured himself

whilst causing that damage.

So we've just got to make sure that he's not too badly hurt.

Mark believes he may be at a nearby address.

It's possible that he's headed back to that address

but we will just travel along the route

that he would go back there,

just in case he still around, if he's walking around.

With extra backup still on the way, Mark goes in alone.

Some people don't want to get found.

There's nothing to say that he's not going to go out the back window.

That's the chance I've got to take.

Hiya! Is Liam here?

Mark's in luck. The suspect's at the address.

Is he all right? Just put your hands out for us.

I quickly got the opportunity to handcuff him.

Now under arrest, the next challenge for Mark is taking the suspect in.

You've got to reason to a degree.

You've got to make him understand that he hasn't got a choice.

He's going to be coming with me.

It can either be the easy way,

or it's going to be a difficult way where we're ending up fighting.

851. Can you just make sure they make with a bit of haste.

I always prefer the easy way.

Backup has arrived

to help Mark escort the suspect safely to custody.

What we'll do is just take you to the van.

I'm just going to pat you down in the van,

just to make sure you ain't got anything on you. All right?

He was unpredictable. That was my worry.

He was affected by, I think it was more drink than anything else.

He was just that unpredictable person

that you've just got to be that much more careful with.

Don't manhandle me. Liam! Don't be stupid.

Get in the van, come on. Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

He's not been searched. MUFFLED INCOHERENT ARGUING

Right, you're not going to do that, are you?

You've been reasonable.

Liam, lift your legs up and get in there now.

Just walk in there. He's got a lighter in his pocket.

Not that bit. Mind your head. Here!

You've got a lighter in there which I'm not happy you having.

I've got to search him, so I've got to be that close.

You're putting yourself at risk, but you've got to do it.

BLEEP off! No! Calm down. You've been all right with us.

Don't be silly.

Don't give...

Don't be stupid! Don't be BLEEP stupid?!

STRUGGLING AND INCOHERENT PROTESTS

What are you going to do? I want the lighter. BLEEP!

I don't want someone trying to head-butt me.

I come to work to do my day's work and go home.

The last thing I want is to get injured.

You've been spot-on Liam. Spot-on?!

All right. I've took everything out, yes?

You've just got to do your best to try and reduce

any risk to me, my colleagues, and him.

You all right? We've got him in the van.

All right, Liam, thank you.

With the suspect securely in the van and his lighter removed,

Mark follows them back to the Scarborough station to book him in.

Just watch yourself with the door, mate. All right.

Nearly 350 people come through these doors every month.

Just a domestic. OK, bud.

We'll try and get it sorted out as quickly as we can. All right?

I'm going to pull that off. You all right?

How are we feeling today? Not too bad, like.

He's just been up and down all the way through.

Mark is worried about the amount of alcohol

the suspect may have consumed.

How much have you had to drink today, Liam?

A quarter?

That's my decision to make and it depends on you,

your behaviour, and how quickly you sober up. OK?

If we think you're safe to get interviewed, that's what we'll do.

I don't want to keep you here any longer than I should do. OK?

Because of the suspect's unpredictable behaviour,

the cops need to take every precaution.

We have what's called safe suits.

Which is clothing that we can actually put him in

and take his own clothing off.

So we know that he's not going to be able to harm himself

with his clothing.

Come this way with us, Liam,

and we'll take those cuffs off and we'll get your clothes sorted.

All right?

Hey? We need to take that coat and stuff off you. Don't we?

'We're trying to reason to him

'and say, "Look, we're going to have to take your clothing.'

"We're going to give you this other clothing to wear.

"We'd like you to help us with it."

Do you want to just slip your T-shirt off for us?

I'm not going in that.

But you're... No chance! Well, like, don't....

Hey? Unfortunately, Liam... BLEEP. Liam.

I'm not BLEEP getting in that! Liam, calm down.

Liam, we need to take the clothes off you.

You're not taking no clothes off me.

We'll do it so you can take the top off and put the top on. No!

No. There's no chance. Right! BLEEP.

Liam, it's got to be done. No. It won't be done. It's got to be done.

Well, make me do it. Come on.

Come on, come on.

Liam! Liam! Liam!

It may look that we're being rough on him

but we're doing what we're doing for his own safety.

We're having to resort to some sort of violence towards him

to actually make his environment safe.

Liam, sit down, relax.

We train for these sort of scenarios

and we'll all play a slightly different role.

Can we just slide him slightly?

It's the role of a custody officer to monitor

the safety of the suspect.

Make sure he's conscious and breathing.

Make sure there's no concern about positional asphyxia,

which happens when people are pinned down on the floor.

Especially people who are quite big build.

All right. Don't worry about dressing. Let him do that. Let him.

After the suspect's volatile behaviour

at his ex-partner's house,

there's no doubt in Mark's mind that he's best off in a cell

while he sobers up.

He's up. Good. Thank you, everyone.

'You've got to remember that, at the end of the day, there's a victim.'

That victim has now got peace and quiet.

I can go back and tell them that I've caught him

and they're in a cell and we'll be dealing with them.

The burglars who stole the blue Peugeot

were sentenced to a total of seven years and ten months imprisonment

for dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking, and burglary.

The driver was also convicted of drink-driving

and driving whilst disqualified and he was banned for five years.

The driver who crashed her car in York

after failing to stop for the police was convicted of dangerous driving

and given a 14-week suspended prison sentence.

There was no action taken against her for any theft offences.

The disqualified driver of the car that failed to stop

was charged with dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified,

failing to stop, and no insurance.

He was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment

with five years disqualification.

The passenger was fined ?140 for obstructing the police.

The man reported stealing property from a guesthouse was charged

with driving without a licence and no insurance.

He was given six points and fined ?600.

No further action was taken in relation to the TV theft.

The lady driver who crashed into a taxi on The Stray in Harrogate

was convicted of driving without due care and attention.

She was fined ?195 and given four penalty points.

The taxi driver pleaded guilty to a defective tyre.

He was given a ?130 fine and three penalty points.

And the man arrested for trashing his ex-girlfriend's house

was found guilty of criminal damage and resisting arrest.

He was sentenced to four weeks in prison.

Hi, I'm Sam, live with the latest news at 9pm.

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