Riding into Trouble Motorway Cops

Oh, don't break it, mate!

See - social workers, police officers,

removal men and road sweepers.

Phwoar, this car stinks of cannabis!

Are you joking? What are you saving us from?

Shut up and go away, you're beginning to get on my nerves now.

Britain's motorways - high volume and, for some, high risk.

Right, you were doing 98 mile an hour.

Any reason for that at all?

I... I just got confused.

As more and more of us ride our luck on the roads...

It's looking like his vehicle might have developed a fault,

it's smoking quite badly.

..we run the risk of serious injury.

I heard the bike before I saw it.

And then he come flying round.

And then I heard "bang".

And in West Yorkshire,

it's down to the Motorway Cops to pick up the pieces.

The moment you start thinking you're invincible

is the moment that you get seriously hurt - or killed.

Carr Gate, Wakefield -

home of West Yorkshire's Southern Area Roads Policing Unit.

11 officers are clocking on for duty,

including Doug Lofthouse and Dale Anderson.

That's what my youngest did when she was three.

That's what my eldest daughter did when...

she was seven or eight at that point.

They live on the inside of my locker so I can look at them every day.

We are just about ready to go, I think, now.

As they patrol along the M62,

an urgent call for assistance comes in.

Could be interesting, this one.

Yeah, we've just received a message from our control room

that there's been a...

Well, it sounds quite a serious road-traffic collision

involving a bus and a motorbike.

Motorcyclists make up just 1% of traffic on our roads,

but account for nearly one quarter of all serious-injury accidents.

Er, the reports that we're getting at the minute

is that the motorbiker is unconscious.

When you, er, hear of a motorcycle call,

it almost makes the hair on the back of me neck stand up,

and the reason for that is

just cos of the amount of serious incidents we attend involving bikes.

Then when you hear of another large vehicle, a bus, being involved,

you're thinking the potential consequences

can be catastrophic.

We're going to be about 12 miles away still at the moment.

Erm, but that's the nature of the beast,

sometimes we have to travel a long way.

The cops are heading to Hemsworth, south-east of Wakefield.

Luckily paramedics are already at the scene.

Ooh.

-RADIO:

-Received, thank you.

If somebody's got CPR being performed on them, er,

their life's obviously in great danger.

'It's disproportionate,

'the amount of motorcycle fatals I've been to.'

I've literally seen it all, I think.

Motorcyclists crushed under trucks, under wheels of trucks, erm,

impaled on items, and it doesn't really bear thinking about.

Off-road?

We've just had an update.

They're still working on this male, performing CPR,

but the update is it's actually an off-road motorcycle,

so whether the rider was wearing a helmet or anything we don't know.

This is it.

-Bus comes down here?

-Yeah.

It's a residential street in the town where I grew up,

so I knew exactly where we were going and what I was likely to face.

Emergency teams are locked in a battle to save the biker's life.

Immediately I'm looking at him,

you knew just how sort of gravely injured he was

and what sort of incident we're actually dealing with.

An officer already at the scene

briefs Doug on the events leading to the bike's impact.

He's not collided wit' bus.

-Basically, he's swerved to miss the bus.

-To miss the bus, innit...?

He's gone straight into this and ended up in this lad's garden.

He's heard a noise in the garden.

Right, I know there's a lot going on

and it's naturally going to raise people's curiosity,

but has anybody actually seen what's happened?

If not, for t'time being,

could I just ask that we all go back into us houses

just out of respect for people, please? OK, thank you.

Controlling the scene is vital to preserve any evidence

and keep onlookers back.

Natural curiosity's always going to be there, it's always been there.

The issue is now everybody's got a camera,

everybody's got a video camera in their pocket.

They can have pictures uploaded on the internet for all to see,

and that's frightening.

The rider wasn't wearing a helmet when he was found.

-Is there any helmet down there?

-You what?

-Any helmet?

-No.

If he was wearing one, it's quite possible, with no chin strap,

it's come off and flown into a nearby garden.

If we'd located it, it would have gone to the hospital with the rider.

Er, that's so the doctors can examine it

to see if they're facing any potential head injuries.

Helmets reduce the risk of fatal head injuries by more than 40%.

Doug and Dale find nothing.

You wonder what else needs to happen before people get the message

that it may appear to be fun,

but if it goes wrong

this could be you.

Yeah, it's just to give you an update.

It's not looking too good here, they're still working on him,

but we've got no way of ID-ing him at all.

He's got nothing on him and nobody round here knows him.

Er, there's no witnesses that are coming forward,

other than the bus driver.

So we're struggling at the minute to ID him.

He don't happen to have a wallet or owt on him, does he?

Just wanting to get family warned.

Getting an ID quickly is now crucial

if the cops are to have any hope of contacting his family first.

To the motorway cops,

preventing accidents is preferable to dealing with the aftermath.

On the A1M near Ferrybridge,

Officers Brian Harrison and Michelle Rookes

are heading out to catch speeders.

When you work with somebody a lot,

you get to know, not just them as a person, but all about their family.

Their wives' details or their husbands' details, er, the children.

Did I tell you about that whopper of a lie...?

-Oh, yeah, that is brilliant!

-Me daughter was, erm...

We took her to Chester Zoo when she was about five, on her birthday.

Er, we got her this, like, a little... A pencil

and a pencil case, or something like that, from the gift shop.

Anyway, we got home, and she says,

"D'you like me pencil and me pencil case, Connor?"

And he says, "Did Mum and Dad buy 'em for you?"

And she says, "No, I won a prize."

And he said, "How did you win a prize?"

And she said, "Er, two woodpeckers landed on me shoulders."

I mean, that is just... How she thought of that one I don't know!

You see, Poppy ain't got to the lying stage yet.

Erm, she's just deadly honest with you.

I don't change much from being PC Rookes to being Mum,

but I do think this job helps, in a way,

that it makes you realise what normality is,

because we deal with some not-nice things.

Dealing with speeders is bread and butter to the motorway cops,

and the strategy is simple - a speed gun...

Come on.

..and a clear vantage point.

We're not hiding behind bushes, we're not in camouflage,

there's nothing sneaky about it.

We're in full public view.

SPEED GUN BEEPS

98, that one were.

Vauxhall.

But someone clearly isn't paying attention.

This particular vehicle's been recorded as doing 98mph.

With 50% of drivers breaking the speed limit on Britain's motorways,

the cops face a constant battle to keep the roads safe.

Quite often, we get people that, when we do stop them, erm,

you get the attitude, "Have you nothing better to do?"

I'll go and invite him into ours.

But speeding is one of the foremost common factors,

erm, relating to fatal road-traffic collisions.

Hello, have you got your driving licence on you, sir?

Have you got some form of ID with you - a bank card,

something with your name on it? No.

Do me a favour, come and take a seat in our vehicle.

People speed because they're in a rush - they're late for work,

they want to get home. Some people just like to drive fast.

-Is it your car?

-Yeah, it's a hired car.

-A hired car. Right, OK.

-Do you have the hire agreement with you?

-No.

-Right.

You were doing 98mph - any reason for that at all?

Actually, I didn't realise it.

You didn't realise you were going as fast as you were?

You've got a big dial in front of you that tells you how fast you're going.

He's confirmed that his speedometer is working correctly.

I don't really buy that excuse that "I didn't realise".

-Have you got your driving licence with you?

-No.

-Do you have any form of identification?

-No.

-Nothing?

-No.

-Not even a bank card?

-No.

Right, so what about if you need some petrol or something like that?

-I've got like nearly ¾ of a tank.

-Right.

Travelling on a motorway,

you're travelling a bit more of a distance,

so when people say they don't have anything on them,

I find that all a bit too... Too strange, really.

-And what's your surname?

-BLEEP.

-Are you known to the police at all, Mr

-BLEEP?

-Have you ever been arrested or anything?

-No.

-Never?

-No.

-No.

But a check reveals a different story.

You say there is a match on PNC?

What's that in relation to, please?

Sorry, did you say there's ten disposal histories?

-'Negative - nine disposal histories.'

-Nine?

With nine previous arrests, alarm bells start to ring.

Did it tell you what offences they're for?

According to the details he's given us,

he's been locked up for quite a mishmash of offences,

'to say the least,

'and it's not something you'd forget, that you'd ever been arrested.'

I'm going to look in the car.

Right, listen...

I'm starting to doubt the details you're giving me.

I'm going to give you one chance, and one chance only,

to give us your correct details,

otherwise I'm going to arrest you and take you to the police station.

So what's your right name?

-That is my name.

-Right.

He's either lying to us that he's never been arrested,

or he's lying to us about who he is.

I'm going to have a look at his car

and see if there's anything that confirms his ID in here.

'I think our job sometimes makes you quite cynical,

'because you do get lied to on a regular basis, so it is'

probably harder to trust what somebody's telling you

more than, I suppose, with most other jobs.

There's no ID on him, there's nothing on him at all

and there's nothing in the vehicle.

So we have to ask the question, what's he lying about?

He's told us he's never been arrested,

but he's got disposal histories on the Police National Computer.

With the suspicion he's lying about his ID,

a simple speeding offence is now turning into a much deeper mystery.

Back in Hemsworth, Doug and Dale

are dealing with an unnamed and critically injured off-road biker.

He's now breathing without the need for CPR...

..But the ambulance are certainly mentioning

he's potentially got a very serious head injury

and numerous other injuries,

which we would consider, in their own right,

to be potentially life-threatening.

With no eyewitnesses coming forward yet,

the cops fear some risky behaviour

might be behind the lad's crash.

I'm going to try and get the message across about off-road bikes

and safety and crash helmets

and everything else combined.

Unfortunately, this is what you face.

We're not trying to spoil people's fun,

we're just trying to get people to realise that this may be you one day.

The possibility speed might be a factor

comes as no surprise to a concerned resident.

It's like a racetrack down here.

It's going to get worse and worse

until people from the council start getting some speed bumps down here

for the children's safety.

With the air ambulance arriving

and paramedics battling to save his life,

the cops are dealing with the local kids.

Why are people walking through the road?

People are walking through the scene. Who's that? Who's wandering up here?

-Sorry?

-Somebody were just wondering about.

We've got to consider

preserving evidence

and we've got to consider

doing the right thing.

Make sure nobody comes through.

'Doing the right thing is not letting'

teenagers run amok,

coming and having a good look

so they can tell everyone at school tomorrow...

..just what a gory scene they witnessed.

Doug finally gets a breakthrough on the biker's identity.

-Do you know him?

-I do. Really well.

Have you seen him on that bike today?

I've seen him on it today.

I haven't seen the front of the bike.

We're not 100% certain we know who this chap is,

so we don't want to cause

any unnecessary distress to family members,

to someone who may be perfectly fine as far as we know.

He may well have lent the bike to a friend earlier on that day.

The name given by the biker gives them a positive lead.

-Is that the initial name that we got before?

-Yes.

And his identity is confirmed.

I think we need to get a warning done,

because somebody's going to tell Mum and Dad now.

The problem we've got at the moment is one of the people what named him,

we're concerned he'll be breaking the news as opposed to us.

The chances are, we're going to get many upset people at this scene.

The cops will need to interview the driver of the bus.

He's been taken in by one of the kind residents

and is currently trying to control a cup of tea.

I've not seen him, but I'm told he's extremely shaken up.

The casualty's ready to be airlifted to hospital,

but the cops' crowd-control headaches aren't over yet.

You two! I need you to come off here now.

I need you down on that path at the other side.

I just don't know,

why on earth some people would want to see this kind of thing.

There are several kids up there and, if they were my kids,

I'd be dragging them back, saying, "Get in this house,

"there's nothing there to see."

We don't want that kicking up something

and then injuring 40, 50, 60 people

that have obviously got nowt better to do

than come and watch some tragic chap

that may have come off an off-road bike

that he shouldn't have been riding.

But at the end of the day,

he's still critically ill and he could die.

The cops now need to interview the bus driver

to work out exactly what happened.

Back on the A1M, Michelle and Brian

are still dealing with their mystery speeder.

The cops suspect he's given them false ID.

I can arrest you, take you to a police station,

take your fingerprints, etc, and see what those fingerprints relate to.

So you're telling me you're adamant

that you have given me the correct details?

-Because that's what's going to happen to you.

-Yeah, OK.

That's my brother's details.

Right, so why are you giving me your brother's details?

-My brother's hired the car out.

-You haven't?

-No, I've not hired it.

-But I'm insured to drive it, because I've got my own insurance.

-Right.

Your insurance policy, yeah, won't cover you to drive a hired vehicle.

And have you got any identification with your real details on, then?

-Yeah.

-Better show me it now.

So what's going to happen is this -

at this moment in time,

I have reasonable grounds to believe

that you're not insured to drive this vehicle.

So the vehicle is going to be seized by the police, towed away.

You're also going to be arrested

and taken to the police station.

What am I going to be arrested for?

Because I want to confirm your identity. You've lied to me once.

All right, but you've just said that, tell me the truth and...

You wouldn't be the first person who I've said that to

who's then lied to me again. I'm not SAYING you're lying to me...

It's very hard to trust somebody

when they've sat in the vehicle for ten minutes telling you one thing

and, despite being challenged, keep telling you that same thing,

and then all of a sudden turn round and say, "OK, I was lying."

I was under the impression that I could...

use the car, because I've got my...

I'm not entirely convinced that you were,

because if that was the case,

when you got stopped by the police, why did you say,

-"My name is...

-BLEEP"?

-Because I... I just got confused.

-You got confused?

I got confused in terms of...

When you arrested me, I thought...

I didn't arrest you when you told me you were your brother.

I told you we'd stopped you for speeding.

I have to say, I've never got confused

when somebody's asked me MY name.

'He's still trying to make excuses for what he's done.

'He's still trying to make excuses for lying to us.'

What annoys me more is they think they can get away with it,

because you can tell a mile off.

I don't like being treated like I'm stupid.

I find it quite insulting, to be fair.

You'll be looking at getting at least penalty points

on your driving licence, and a fine.

Bearing in mind you're almost doing 100mph on the motorway,

which is why I stopped you in the first place.

And, secondly, you're driving without valid insurance.

He may be in a spot of bother,

but the driver has more pressing concerns.

How am I going to get home from the police station?

-I'm afraid... Are you going back to Rochdale?

-Yeah.

It's probably going to be a train.

Unfortunately for this driver,

a simple speeding ticket has turned into a seized car,

a trip to the station, and a train ride home.

I'm coming up to my tenth year in the job

and, yeah, it certainly changes.

When you join, you're quite fresh-faced and naive,

a bit wet behind the ears, as they say.

You quickly learn to realise that there's a lot of people that will lie to you.

He's set out to deceive us

and, as far as I'm concerned,

he deserves everything he gets because of that.

Back in Hemsworth, south of Wakefield,

the critically injured biker has been taken to hospital

and an investigation is under way.

The damage to the motorcycle,

we're struggling to find any damage on it

other than average wear and tear.

Speed may not actually be the main factor.

Crucial to the picture is the bus driver's story,

who's been recovering from the ordeal

in the home of a local resident.

I set off, was just overtaking some parked cars.

I heard the bike before I saw it.

Then it come flying round some parked vehicles.

I thought he was coming into the front of the bus.

But he managed to pull over to the left,

and I thought, great, he's got down the side of it,

on the kerb, down the side of the car,

then I heard "bang".

He obviously hadn't.

You've really got to have sympathy

for the people that have done nothing wrong

but found themselves involved in serious and fatal collisions.

Because I think human nature

is going to make you question, every day and every night,

could I have done something differently?

I mean, no helmet, no nothing.

If I'm not fit for work tomorrow, I'll give them a ring.

I felt for the guy.

Is it going to affect him to the point where he can't work any more?

It's his livelihood on the line as well.

You don't know how it'll affect each individual,

all you can do is try and offer them a sympathetic ear.

Yeah.

I think that's probably what's unique about the job I do.

You've got to have so many different hats

and be ready to change them in a moment's notice.

You've got to be forceful to control things,

you've got to have the investigation hat on

to make sure you're not missing anything, any evidence going missing,

but I think that comes just with experience.

Don't be afraid to ask for help if you're suffering, all right?

Only time will tell, though, won't it?

But...don't suffer in silence.

Probably the one thing what can't be trained

or taught in a classroom

is the ability to deal with people.

People think it won't happen to them, but this is why...

We don't have the most popular job in the world,

but this is the reason why,

because we don't lose any sleep

about giving people tickets for seat belts and stuff,

because when you've seen it like this...

you see it from a totally different perspective, don't you?

There's an update from the hospital.

It would appear they're going to withdraw his medication and sedation

and, unfortunately, it looks like he is going to pass away

as a result of the injuries sustained in this collision.

So, as we, to be fair, suspected,

it will be a fatal collision that we're investigating now.

Fatals, without a doubt, are the worst part of our job.

Um...

But there's also some strange element

when you know you're at a fatal

and it's almost...

driving home to you how important this is to do it right.

No stone unturned.

Let's deal with it the best we can for the people that are still here.

Dealing with bikers

means dealing with some of the most vulnerable road users, day or night.

Riding on motorways brings its own unique risks.

I've ridden motorbikes, I've owned motorbikes,

and I've got a healthy fear of using them on the motorway.

You're much, much more vulnerable,

not only for the fact

that you've only got two pieces of rubber in contact with the road,

but you've got places like the M62 where you've got strong winds,

you can easily be blown over.

There may be fewer bikers out at night,

but with over a quarter of all incidents

happening in the hours of darkness,

the nightshift is never an easy ride for the motorway cops.

It's 11.30pm.

Officers Mark Maiden and Simon Ellis

still have over six hours to go on their shift.

My little 'un comes waltzing in after her dancing class,

unbeknown to the wife, who were in the kitchen...

"Morning, Daddy!" Starts bouncing on t'bed, about 11 o'clock.

"Thanks, Ella Jane! I'm actually tired, I've been working nights."

"Have you been working nights, then, Daddy?" "Yes, I have, thank you!"

Then Jane woke me up at two, "I'm bored, do you fancy going to Leeds?"

Thanks very much(!)

When you've got someone like Mark working with you, who you trust,

who you get on with,

who you work well with,

it makes the job a whole lot easier.

And I do enjoy working with him,

it makes the night go really quick and we have a bit of fun.

The cops are patrolling the M62 when Simon spots a motorbike.

-Shall I have a look at it?

-Do you want to?

-Yeah.

We're just reaching one of the highest parts of the motorway,

this is near the Greater Manchester border.

Now, this is late at night,

there's not many bikers will use that stretch of road

at that time of night.

It can be extremely windy up there,

it can turn extremely icy,

it can be wet in no time.

About...here.

The biker finds a safe place to pull over.

It's a fast bike, it's a very nice bike,

and, for a lot of people,

it'd be quite expensive to insure.

-Hello there, are you all right? Is it your motorbike?

-It is, yes.

I don't think you've done anything wrong, by the way,

we're just stopping and checking vehicles late at night.

-Is the bike registered to you?

-It is, yeah.

-And is it in your name for the insurance?

-Yes.

I'll just let you know now,

the policy does run out at midnight, so I'm in a bit of a hurry...

So we've got 12 minutes to get you home!

There was absolutely no way he can get anywhere,

to any sort of place or civilisation

within 12 minutes.

So I'm starting to wonder about him already.

Could you do us a vehicle/person NDL at Junction 22, please,

on the... Well, Junction 22.

Vehicle is Tango, 4-3-0, Alpha, Lima, Juliet.

It's taking a bit of a chance, isn't it? Cutting it fine.

He could be taking a chance

and he could be re-enacting that fairytale of Cinderella,

and if he doesn't get home in time

he won't turn into a pumpkin,

but he might end up with his bike seized.

Are you sure it runs out at THIS midnight?

Or did it run out last midnight?

I'm pretty sure it's tonight.

Have you not made any provisions for midnight coming

and changing it to a new policy?

No, because work's not been too good recently, so...

I can't actually afford a new policy.

Obviously, we've hit a bit of a problem, really.

You seem like a nice guy,

I wouldn't think for a second you'd be lying to us or anything,

I'm just trying to establish whether a mistake has been made.

Is anybody at home at the moment who's got access to your policy?

Yes, er... My mum's in.

Can you do me a favour?

Do you know where my certificate is for the bike insurance that I got?

Even if Mum can find his docs,

the biker could still be facing a hefty fine and six penalty points.

20 miles east, in Dewsbury,

officers Andy Howarth and Richard Clarke

are also working the night shift.

Night-time, it's more a case of going hunting,

trying to catch the baddies doing bad things.

And it's not long before Rich spots a target.

This little moped comes down our near side,

with one of those annoying exhausts

that sounds like a swarm of wasps chasing around.

Leave the motorbikalists alone!

He's got L plates, he's got a helmet,

he wasn't doing owt stupid.

I was once a teenager ragging around on mopeds -

or Vespas, as they were, back in my day.

We were a pain in the backside to everybody that heard us and saw us,

so I have a little bit of tolerance for them,

because that was me when I were a young lad.

But it's the Golf travelling with the moped

that Andy's more interested in.

What's wrong with the Golf with his dodgy numberplate?

Let's have a look at this.

All right, mate - hello?

Right on t'brow of hill, what a wonderful place to stop(!)

Two for the price of one - are you stopping with him?

-We're going to his house.

-We wanted a chat with you as well,

but we couldn't decide who to have a chat to,

so we'll have a chat with both of you.

Come on off the road, mate, before you get squashed.

Are you stopping us for a reason?

Yes. Your number plate is illegal.

It is readable, it's not the worst thing in the world ever,

it's not all italics so you can't read it,

but it should read M-M51 SPACE G-G-Y.

As long as your car's all right, as long as you're all right,

we'll deal with the matter by way of a vehicle-defect form.

The first thing we need is a photograph of your plate.

At this point, it's just a nice friendly chat about his number plate.

-My mum and dad got me it for my Christmas.

-What's your name?

My nickname's Miggy. It's not because I smoke a lot!

But something else has caught Andy's attention.

Pwoar! This car stinks of cannabis!

-You're joking?

-No, I'm not joking.

Pop your head in there and have a sniff, young man.

We're not smokers, man.

That reeks. Have you got it?

I think we might have some cannabis in this here car.

-I don't think there is.

-I think there is, because it STINKS.

-Is there some cannabis in this car, young man?

-Er...

I could say there is, but, I mean...

-Tell you what we're going to do, then.

-Do we have to do it, though?

We're not causing no, like, damage.

Come off the road, cos we're going to get killed, first off.

A friendly chat about a dodgy numberplate

is about to get a little more serious.

I've reasonable grounds to believe

that that car and you might well have cannabis on you.

-If I just give it to you...

-I'm still going to search,

because some people might give us a little bit

and then hide £15 million worth of cannabis.

I WISH I had...!

I'm sure you don't, but we're still going to search anyway, mate.

Are you going to take it off us as well?

Yeah, you're not allowed to have cannabis, it's illegal.

Cannabis, please.

If you brought a copper in from one of the quiet areas,

I'm sure they would be a little bit shell-shocked

and would want to stand their authority in front of these lads,

'but it don't work like that,

'and that's part of gaining experience.

'There's still respect there,

'because they haven't crossed a line as such.'

Once you learn that, and learn to speak their language with them,

you can get on just fine.

I would suggest it's in your interest to give me the cannabis,

we can seize it, deal with you by way of an on-street cannabis warning

and it's doshed.

But if you don't, we'll then just have to start nicking people

and seizing cars...

If they don't cough up the cannabis soon,

they could be arrested.

Back on the M62, Simon and Mark

could also be seizing a vehicle

if the biker's mum can't find his insurance policy.

I don't think his mum would be too happy

if she had to tell him that it was uninsured,

but we simply wanted to find out.

What's the date of the expiry of it?

She's found the documents.

Midnight on what day?

Fourth.

Yeah.

His insurance ran out midnight...yesterday.

-She wants to talk to you.

-I'll have a quick word. Who's this?

-Me mam.

Hello, it's PC Ellis from the traffic police. You all right?

We're just checking people late at night, that's all.

'I was quite happy to speak to his mum,'

because hearing that her son had been stopped

in the middle of the night on a motorbike,

it can run all sorts of fears through a parent's mind,

so if nothing else, it would be nice to reassure her.

Should something happen,

him being on his bike and he doesn't have insurance,

then he's going to have all sorts of problems,

cause all sorts of issues.

So we will be seizing it.

It's estimated 20% of 17- to 20-year-olds

drive without insurance.

He's going to lose his bike,

which will be worth quite a lot to him,

but there's all sorts of different things

that'll be going through his mind, about the costs it's going to incur,

the trouble with his mum when he gets home...

-So it's a fine and six penalty points.

-Six?

-Yes.

How much are we talking, fine-wise, do you know?

The current fine...

-200, is it? 300.

-300.

£300 I don't have.

He's taken a chance, he's been caught out,

and I think he's starting to realise the enormity of what he's done.

The cops try their best to soften the blow.

Give you a lift?

-For no extra fee.

-If you don't mind!

It's a buy one, get one free.

I'm not particularly in the mood for jokes, so...

Have you got a bike?

I've had loads of bikes.

BMWs to Ducatis.

One of the best bikes I've ever had was a 600 Bandit.

-Oh, no - the Bandit's horrible!

-They're brilliant, the Bandits!

Old man's motorbike, that!

The recovery man arrives and the biker says his goodbyes.

It's a bit disheartening,

seeing it getting dragged off, like.

Just want to make sure it doesn't have any knocks.

Like they say, shit happens.

-You'll need to

-BLEEP

-that.

It might be an honest mistake from this broke biker,

but riding with no insurance is a high-risk game.

Bike insurance is expensive. Some people chance it,

they'll never get stopped in their life riding a bike, so...

That's the way it is now, with insurance.

It's far too expensive, especially for cars.

That's why a lot of young people do go without insurance.

Do you know many of your mates that do or anything like that?

-I'm not saying grass 'em up, I'm just interested.

-Yeah, a couple do.

Purely because it's, like, an extortionate expense.

Do they not worry about getting caught, though?

Well, yeah, but... that's just a risk, isn't it?

Do you think it's worth the risk?

We've got to do it to get by.

I think credit and money, to some, can seem much easier to come by.

People put their priorities in the wrong order -

they want what they want,

they see what other people have got,

they aspire to have nice things, like we all do,

but their priorities are in the wrong order.

They can't actually afford it.

-Right, lads, see you later.

-See you, take care.

I'm not sure I'd like to be a fly on the wall in that house

when the door got shut.

He's certainly going to have some explaining to do.

I think, more and more, as bills become tight

and as things become more expensive,

insurance becomes that thing

that becomes more of a luxury to some people.

Certainly not in our eyes,

but if you've got bills to pay,

and insurance is one of them, and you think,

"Am I going to get stopped by the police? Can I take a chance?",

people will take a chance.

Back in Dewsbury, and taking a chance with Rich and Andy

are the lads with the suspected cannabis in their car.

They're taking their time handing over the drugs.

You can't though, for possession, man.

At what point have you been on a law course?

He's saying you can't arrest them for possession of cannabis.

Bless him! Everybody knows my job better than I do.

Stop fannying around and sulking and give me the cannabis - now.

What is this? Cannabis, OK.

-It's the good stuff.

-It's the good stuff? Right.

-How much did you pay for it?

-Er...

Do I have to say?

You don't have to say, no.

Some of the lads are starting to push their luck with the banter.

You're not being particularly helpful.

Yeah, but YOU'RE not being helpful.

You're not being particularly helpful

and, at some point, you're committing the offence

of obstructing a constable in the lawful execution of his duty. Shh!

You've got to just stand on and say, "Enough's enough, now.

"Cos, if not, I'm going to put you on the naughty step."

I'm popping that in my pocket for now and will bag it up as evidence.

-I want to see it going in an evidence bag.

-Shut up and go away,

you're beginning to get on my nerves now. Wind your neck in and be quiet.

'They're still at it, still having a go,'

but that lad would argue with himself

if he had nobody to argue with.

He just likes the sound of his own voice, bless him.

Despite the cheeky backchat, the driver has cooperated.

Thankfully for us, he's admitted that he had it and produced it for us.

We can deal with it. It's only a matter of personal use,

there's not much there. We'll deal with him at the roadside.

If this is his first offence, he'll be given a cannabis street caution

-and he won't face a fine or further action.

-Almost done, mate.

-Do you stop a lot of people for cannabis, then?

-Yeah.

What are you saving us from?

There's no point us getting in a debate about morality and the law,

because we get given a big book - "There you go, go sort that out."

I'd say it's been a pleasure, gentlemen,

-but it's not even been a pleasure.

-It's been all right.

-For you guys.

You haven't ruined YOUR day. You've ruined MY day.

We're on nights, mate, on a Saturday night.

It's been emotional. Goodbye. MOPED WHINES

That would have done them all night,

they'd have been on the PlayStation all night long.

You know, they're off the streets.

They're not causing any bother,

but it's still a big problem.

It's a controlled substance, and until the government say otherwise

we've got to do our bit.

Chuffing Nora, we've got a load of paperwork to do now!

'They like to try and get one over on us'

and that's all part of the game - playing the game,

having the banter and coming out smiling at the end of it having won.

But it's not just young lads looking out for their next high

who are taking risks on our roads.

The motorway cops are facing a new problem -

the born-again biker.

Middle-aged men and their fast bikes.

I've never liked motorcycles and I never will -

I will never have one.

With 30 motorcyclists killed or injured at junctions every day,

the risks are high.

But for some, the risk is worth it.

Freedom.

The best feeling in the world, freedom.

You will get on that motorcycle,

you put your lid on, and you get out on the road.

No-one can ring you, no-one can pester you,

not listening to the radio - it's just you.

You and your thoughts on the open road. And it's fantastic.

South Bradford.

Officers James Alderson and Dick Infield are off the motorway

and responding to reports of a collision.

10-062, calling us.

'10-062, we've an emergency RTC at Halifax Road at Bradford.

'Male off a motorbike, motorbike rider lying in the road.'

Yeah, we're en route.

So we're just making our way to the area now.

It's certainly a worrying collision when a motorcyclist's involved.

I've been on Traffic for 16 years. You know, if there's a car

and a motorcycle involved,

there's likely to be only one winner.

Oof, if the motorbike's done that, mate... Look at the damage to that.

It's looking extensive damage, is this.

It was carnage when we got there. There was a lot of damage.

The rider is lying injured in the road.

He's conscious,

but the paramedics don't yet know how serious the injuries are.

-There's no sign of the driver of the car.

-Is the driver still here?

Who's driving that?

He's disappeared, he's gone.

-Have you witnessed it, fella?

-Yeah, we were passing.

Which way did this lad go?

Yeah.

Can we just have a look around for this Chinese lad?

People leaving the scene of accidents

happens more often than people think.

It is, unfortunately,

quite a common occurrence.

Looks like probably t'motorbike

has been going away from Bradford towards Halifax,

and I'm guessing that's probably tried to cut across t'front of it.

Details come back on the car's owner.

'The keeper is a Mr Sun Kai Wang.'

He lives close by, but before the cops can pay a visit,

the injured biker's dad arrives.

Who's hit him?

If you turn up at a collision scene and your son is injured...

it's going to be one of the most worrying times in your life.

I have massive sympathy for the dad, to find out

that the driver who has hurt his son has fled.

I can imagine he was quite angry.

As well as dealing with Dad's distress,

the cops still need to work out how the crash happened.

Luckily, there are witnesses.

-He's overtaken both of us at one hell of a speed.

-Right.

I would say 60 or 70. Something like that.

We have to paint a big picture of what's happened

before we can decide who is at fault.

Let's take the motorbike out of the equation altogether.

I would have had to break fairly hard to avoid this car.

I wouldn't have hit it.

The motorbike was going too fast,

but you think the Almera's pulled across...

Even if the bike was doing 30.

The collision would have happened anyway?

If the bike had been doing the speed limit, the collision...

As far as you're concerned?

Yes, it was so close to where this car was at the time.

Speed could be a factor, but there's now some suggestion

the missing driver could also be at fault.

You can be as careful as you want to be,

there's always the people who aren't going to be as careful as you

and, unfortunately, you're not in a tin box,

so any little knock that you would get in a car

that would cause minor damage,

on a motorbike is going to cause serious injury to the rider,

who is, inevitably, going to be dismounted from the bike.

The biker, meanwhile, is being assessed by paramedics.

Collisions of this sort could quite easily be fatal collisions.

The only positive thing from our point of view

is he's conscious, he's breathing, he's talking to us,

albeit he's in some pain.

James updates Dad.

When we got here, he was on the road, he was conscious,

he's talking to them. It's always a good sign.

I like to think we try to keep them as informed as possible

and be as sympathetic and genuinely caring as I possibly can be,

because, you know, we DO care.

Being a biker, sometimes we don't help ourselves, as motorcyclists,

by putting ourselves in positions

where people wouldn't expect you to be.

But it's just not natural

for people to be looking for motorcycles, unfortunately.

The question of whether this biker had been seen by the driver

could soon be answered.

There's an unexpected arrival on scene.

That is our elusive Mr Wang.

-Were you driving?

-Yeah.

-Is it your car?

Where have you been?

'It was a surprise to see the driver returning to the scene,'

because they don't normally come back. You tried to turn in there?

No, no. Yes, I turned into there.

How have you not seen him?

I'm a great believer in there's always two sides to a story.

You need to listen to both sides.

But first, Dick has to establish if the driver holds a valid licence.

-Where's your licence from, what country?

-From China.

How long have you lived here?

Er, how long... I living here...

-nine years.

-You can't drive over here on a Chinese licence.

Let's have a confab.

James interrupts the interview

with news from the ambulance.

There's been some complication with the biker's condition.

They aren't going to know jack until they scan him, are they?

-Speak to Jo.

-I think we're going to end up calling this, you know.

-Do you want to speak to Jo?

-I'll have a word with her.

PHONE KEYS BEEP

Hello, Sarge, can you speak a minute?

The sergeant decides to treat the accident as a potential fatal.

It changes everything for us. It's not just an injury collision,

we have to look at the scene preservation now

and look at making sure everything stays in situ,

making sure nothing else contaminates

the scene we've got here.

With the rider in a bad way,

it's even more important the cops establish who caused the crash.

Back in Dewsbury, Andy and Rich are looking for a disqualified driver.

His car has triggered an alert

after it was photographed

by a network of automatic number-plate recognition cameras.

The roadside camera system constantly scans cars

travelling on major roads to identify illegal motorists.

Come on, red RX8.

# That's the one I want That's the one I want

-# Ooh ooh ooh!

-Honey.

-#

We'd no idea where the car was,

we knew where it was registered,

so we went to go and have a look, see if it was there.

-That's K04...

-That's B04.

RADIO BEEPS

With no joy at the address, the cops need a stroke of luck

if they have a hope to catch it.

Please be a Mazda.

No, it's an Astra.

Small, red front end, I were like...

Nobody had seen it,

so we just started passing out observations,

asking people to look for it, checking our systems,

see if it's flagged up anywhere.

'We're just double-checking that it's definitely that one,

-'we're quite some distance off. Bear with us.'

-They're in luck.

The Mazda has been spotted and followed by a local police unit.

But they're several miles away.

See if you can get behind it - don't light it up, we're making our way.

The cops need to get there fast and take over

before the driver of the Mazda realises he's being tailed.

CAR CRUNCHES OVER ROAD HUMP Ooh, don't break it, mate!

CRUNCH

What's going on at the minute is we've got a confirmed sighting

of a red Mazda... Hang on - clear left.

Confirmed sighting of a red Mazda RX8

that we believe is being driven by a disqualified driver.

We're about two miles in front of you, mate.

We've come through Ravenscliffe, we're just coming into Mirfield now.

They're closing in fast, and only moments away.

'171, we're left, left, left.'

Suddenly, they meet the Mazda - head-on.

He's gone straight across the pavement, and he's off.

He's shown his intentions.

He's put his cards on the table - "I'm not stopping."

We have police, suitably trained in a suitable vehicle.

We've got a vehicle failing to stop,

Huddersfield Road towards Mirfield.

Now it's game on, this is what we're trained for,

this is what we're good at,

and we need to be 100% spot-on.

And you just up your game,

you feel the hairs on the back of your neck go up.

You're ready.

Right, right. Stannard Lane, Stannard Lane.

Through a red light, stand by.

Tango 92, now passing the pub on our left-hand side, Stannard Lane.

Can we have X-ray 9-9 and a dog unit, please?

The cops are struggling to keep up with the Mazda.

Mazda RX8, they're a pretty quick car.

It'll handle very well around the corners - nimble, quick,

fast acceleration.

Speed is 60mph.

We're just coming to the S-bend.

He's taken one by the Flowerpot,

passing the Flowerpot pub on the right-hand side.

Heading uphill on Granny Lane.

The Mazda is pushing 60 in a 30 zone,

but the cops suddenly hit a problem.

A possible engine fault has tripped their car's safety mechanism.

Our car went into what's known as limp mode,

so the fastest we could do was 60mph.

Luckily, the Mazda is also having mechanical issues.

He's smoking now.

It's looking like his vehicle might have developed a fault.

It's smoking quite badly.

His clutch went, you could smell that horrible kind of smell

that were coming into our car, and there were plumes of smoke.

Getting ready for a decamp.

We've got four up, left, left, left - Jackson Lane, I believe it is.

We're now approaching...

Left, left, left, Hopton Hall Lane. Speed is 20mph.

A broken motor means the occupants could be looking to bail.

We've got four white male occupants in the vehicle,

driver has got short dark hair.

Now we're behind him.

Your hairs on the back of your neck are up, your adrenaline is flowing,

but it's really calm and surreal.

I suppose it's like a boxer, just as he's walking down to the ring -

he's as ready as he'll ever be for this moment.

Looking for a decamp on Covey Clough Court.

Pin him. Pin him!

I'm stuck.

With Andy trapped against the Mazda,

-it's left to Rich to arrest the driver.

-Get out.

But the driver's seat is empty.

The driver is sat in the back,

pretending he's been there all night. So...

at that initial point,

we've got a car driven by a ghost.

Stay there, the lot of you.

-Do you want go around, get him from the other side?

-Stay there.

Do not move.

Driver is 1-1-2 and we've got four males,

we could do with some assistance though, please,

if we've got somebody else who can come and assist.

Craziest thing I've ever seen a driver try and do

was get into the back of a moving vehicle

when there was nobody else in it.

Luckily, it was only going pretty slow

and he came to a stop in a dead end, and he sat there in the back

with his arms folded, saying, "I wasn't driving, Officer."

-Got the keys?

-What keys?

David, you're under arrest, mate.

Disqualified driving, failing to stop, dangerous driving.

Have you had a drink?

He's got a lot to lose, hasn't he?

He's a disqualified driver with a bad driving record

and he's caught again driving,

having taken a chase from the police,

he's potentially looking at a prison sentence.

So you're not going to stick your hand up and say,

"Yeah, it were me, I'm really sorry."

-Have you had a drink?

-I wasn't driving.

-Have you had a drink?

I've had a drink, yeah.

I'll tell you when to stop.

Cool. Ta.

He was half on the driver's seat and half not,

so if he wants to play silly buggers,

we can play them all day long.

We go home at 6.00 in the morning

and somebody else will take it on from us, so...

While I'm tucked up in bed, he'll be getting interviewed.

As the suspect is refusing to cooperate,

he's booked into custody for further checks.

David, due to some information that's just come to light,

you're actually disqualified times two.

The first one being disqualified until 26 June 2016,

and also another one,

where your disqualification is in dispute,

17th of May, 2004.

He's the kind of driver that,

one day, will wipe somebody out and kill them,

because he's a rubbish driver

and he shouldn't be driving,

and he's got no regard for the laws,

doesn't get insurance, drinks and drives.

So he shouldn't be on the road, in my opinion.

With the suspect still not 'fessing up to being the driver,

it could be a long night ahead.

The work doesn't end there. We've still got to sort it out.

We've got to prove that he was driving

and basically get the case ready to go in front of the courts.

Back on the Halifax Road, South West Bradford.

The seriously injured biker is taken to hospital

and James and Dick have been joined

by crash investigation Sergeant Julie Fitzpatrick.

Straightaway, one is coming this way

and said he's just seen the bike in front of him.

The other one has said the biker's coming this way,

has done the big overtake on two of them

and then got in just before the bollards.

With Julie and James investigating the collision,

Dick struggles to explain to the driver

his Chinese licence isn't legal.

You can't drive on that licence in this country.

Before, I asked some people, every people...

He's quite entitled to drive in this country on a Chinese licence,

but only for the first 12 months after becoming resident.

After that, he has to apply for a UK licence.

-You've been here nine years.

-Yes.

-With no licence.

You haven't got a licence to drive in this country. That's no good.

-No good?

-No.

I not really understand this English,

can I ask some interpreter to come down?

Where from?

-Have you got one?

-Manchester Law.

-From where?

-Manchester Law.

While they track down an interpreter,

at the scene there's concerns the biker may have been too close

to the oncoming lane the car was in.

-Why is he so far over?

-Yeah.

He's a long way over.

If you look at how that impact has happened,

the bike would have to be...

here.

-That's a handlebar, isn't it, there?

-Yeah.

'In a situation like this,'

when you have a vehicle that turns across the path of another vehicle,

I would say that the vehicle that's turned across

the path of another vehicle

is to blame.

Unfortunately, the motorcyclist hasn't helped himself

in this incident.

Looking at just what we've got at the scene,

I'd suggest there's an element of blame on both parties here.

An update comes through from the hospital on the driver's condition.

'I don't think there's going to be owt life-threatening,

'but I'll come back to you when he comes out.'

A translator is finally found.

-Hi.

-Sorry to disturb you. OK, right.

-Mr Wang has been involved in an accident.

-Yes.

-OK?

I need to ask him some questions about the accident

and also about his driving licence.

While the driver insists he's not to blame,

there's some further news on his licence.

A check on the Police National Database

reveals he does have a UK licence,

but it's only a provisional.

He needs L plates to drive legally.

Right, you are not displaying L plates on your car.

Oh, dear.

Are there any L plates on the Almera?

Thank you. No.

I've just checked with my mate, who is at the scene,

there's no L plates on that car.

-The driver also insists a supervisor was with him in the car.

-Who is it?

Who was the passenger?

He is adamant that he had someone with him.

Why he's told us that, I don't know. He's claiming he was with a female.

He's seeing himself as the victim in all this

when, in fact, he hasn't got the correct documentation,

he has to accept some of the blame for the crash,

but he's seeing himself as the victim.

News from the hospital confirms

the biker has sustained some serious injuries,

but they are no longer deemed to be life-threatening.

The rider had a lucky, lucky escape.

Um, but for the grace of God, I think.

Any motorcyclist out there would be stupid not to be

aware of the downside of it,

and I think the moment that you forget about the dangers,

the moment you start thinking you're invincible, is the moment that...

you get seriously hurt...or killed.

See - social workers, police officers,

removal men and road sweepers.

Can't say we don't do a bit of everything!

A coroner's inquest returned a verdict of accidental death

for the off-road biker

who collided with a parked car.

It was confirmed he hadn't been wearing a helmet.

The confused speeder who tried to pass himself off as his brother

was charged with speeding and driving with no insurance,

and received eight penalty points and a £180 fine.

The young driver with the hard-to-read numberplate

was given a vehicle defect form and a cannabis street warning.

The broke biker with the expired insurance policy was fined £300,

had his licence revoked, and had to retake his test.

The disqualified driver of the red Mazda

was convicted of dangerous driving

and driving whilst disqualified,

and jailed for 15 months.

He's also been given a three-year ban.

No charges were brought against him for drink-driving.

And the police decided

the motorcyclist and the driver of the Nissan

were both partly to blame for the accident.

The rider eventually made a full recovery.

The driver of the Nissan was prosecuted

for not having a driving licence, given three points and fined £135.