Episode 12 Neighbourhood Blues

Neighbourhood policing has come a long way

-since the days of Dixon Of Dock Green...

-Good evening, all.

The new generation of community police officers

have the power to strike hard...

-Police!

-You're under arrest!

..and tackle crime head-on.

-Daddy!

-Calm down!

By engaging with people on the streets...

-We always get on.

-Yeah.

..the teams can identify

and crack down on the crimes that are crippling our communities.

They are clearly violent individuals.

-In this series of Neighbourhood Blues...

-Happy birthday!

..we're given unprecedented access to Somerset's neighbourhood teams...

-I'm asking you not to street drink and go somewhere else.

-BLEEP.

..as they battle to clear up crime...

Stand still!

You're under arrest for assault.

..and sweep the criminals clean from our streets.

Coming up - officers blue-light to a late-night bust-up...

He come at me first with a kitchen knife, went like that.

A big kitchen knife.

..the driver of an American muscle car

proves no match for the neighbourhood teams...

This one here in front of us just went past the ambulance on blues

and overtook it at speed, driving like an absolute...

..and officers crack down on drug use in Weston-super-Mare.

I'm starting to not like all these lies, all right?

There's drugs here, you're going to get searched, OK?

Anybody got any on them?

Knife crime is an increasing scourge on our communities,

and the police are far too familiar with the devastating injuries

that can be inflicted by these lethal weapons.

So, when the neighbourhood team respond to a reported attack,

they know that every second counts.

It's the night shift in Bath, and Acting Inspector Clive Summerhill

and his colleague are responding to a call. It sounds serious.

We've got a report of two males fighting with knives.

I'm going to try and pick up the informant now.

A fight involving one knife is a chilling proposition.

Two knives is terrifying.

Arriving at the scene, armed with a description of both suspects,

Clive knows he hasn't a second to lose.

Black hair, six foot, white male, bald head, he's 20 to 30 years.

-Go on, mate.

-They go into that blue door, I think.

-In the blue door?

-Yeah.

-The guy just came in, asked for phone. He called the police.

-OK.

They go into blue door.

Right. Did he have a lot of blood on him?

-One of them.

-They've both gone that way?

-Yeah.

-They both went that way?

All right.

The gent says the call to the police was made from his shop and that the

two men have taken the fight from the street to a nearby house.

It looks like they're both back inside the address.

The team know they have to act fast.

They're both in there. He says they're both in there.

The guy's gone. The guy's gone. Don't worry. The guy's gone.

What's your name?

This chap lives with one of the suspects.

He says that the fight is over and the other man has already left.

Is there anyone else in there, or is it just you?

The male is claiming that his housemate was the victim,

and that it was the guy who has left the scene who was the assailant.

-The guy's a crazy

-BLEEP

-and was

-BLEEP

-with a knife, with scissors, man.

-We've left it all as it is, yeah?

-BLEEP

-nightmare.

-OK. Come out.

Judging by the state of the living room, it was quite a struggle.

Broken furniture litters the floor, and there's blood on the wall.

Remarkably, the victim appears relatively unscathed.

We're still waiting for an ambulance to come.

The male's here, he's walking wounded, conscious,

breathing, looks like he's got some superficial injuries.

With the paramedics en route, the guy gives his account of the fight.

The man is claiming that his attacker set upon him

with a kitchen knife,

and the blood on the wall, although his attacker's,

was the result of self-defence.

The two fighters know each other

and this isn't the first time they've come to blows.

The ambulance crew have arrived.

It falls to the neighbourhood team to protect medics

when they are dealing with volatile situations.

Clive gets them up to speed.

-The gentlemen with the black shirt has allegedly been attacked with a knife.

-Right.

Looks like he's got superficial injuries to his face.

He's a bit agitated. We're trying to calm him down a little bit.

We'll see if we can get him calmed down and get you introduced.

-Perfect.

-All right?

My name's Gemma.

Right, you come and sit here so we can have a proper chat, OK?

He broke the table leg, as well.

-This guy has done nothing but

-BLEEP

-me.

Listen to me, have a seat on here, OK?

-He's bit me on the shoulder, you know?

-Let's have a look.

-Where are you hurting?

-He's kicked me in the face when I'm on the floor.

-Yeah.

-He's...he's punched me in the groin.

The man is visibly shaken, but the medics need him

to calm down so they can conduct their examination.

-And he's come

-BLEEP...

-Let the paramedics do their bit.

We're going to get all this from you after you've been treated.

-Remember what we said? Full MOT, OK?

-Full MOT.

-Perfect.

-Sorry, it's just adrenaline.

-That's all right.

You want to get your story across, don't you?

-I was frightened for my life.

-Yeah.

What about the other chap? What did he look like?

Did he come off worse?

He was maybe bleeding a bit, but he just wouldn't give up.

He's stronger than me.

It sounds like the fight was both violent and traumatic.

RADIO BEEPS

HE SOBS

Later, fearing that the other man could be wounded,

the team are determined to track him down.

Assess your injuries, bud.

But the plot thickens, as officers hear his side of the story.

One of the hardest parts of neighbourhood policing is

addressing the needs of the community as a whole.

The police recognise that young people like to meet up

and socialise in public areas like parks,

but they also appreciate that large groups of youths can appear

intimidating to other people,

especially if they are drinking or acting in an antisocial manner.

Today, Sharon and PCSO Nicola Mitchell are patrolling

parts of the town that have been recognised as areas where

groups of young people hang out.

We're going to Castle Batch, which is another local park,

which does suffer from antisocial behaviour.

This park is home to the town's BMX circuit,

but it seems not everyone here has come to ride the track.

-Hello. All right?

-Hi.

-Hello.

I can smell cannabis. What have you got in your hands?

With a strong smell of weed in the air,

and a cannabis-grinder on the bench, Sharon cuts straight to the chase.

There's drugs here. You're going to get searched, OK?

-Anybody got any on them? Before we start searching you. OK?

-Um...

I've got a little bit on me, that's it.

Right, OK.

Yeah, get it out.

As Sharon suspected, one of the lads is carrying cannabis.

-Is that all you've got on you?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Cos I'm going to search your pockets.

-I've got my grinder, and that's it.

-You've got your grinder.

-There's nothing in there.

-OK.

With one of the group already caught red-handed,

the others are given a final opportunity to come clean.

What's yours and what isn't?

Those aren't mine. I found these here and put them in my bag.

Mini scales?

Honestly, I would not carry scales.

Right. You get off your phone, for a start,

because I'm starting to not like all these lies, all right?

Suddenly we're getting scales, suddenly things aren't yours, OK.

Come off your phone a minute, young man.

So, two lads have cannabis, and one of them has a set of mini scales,

which are commonly used to weigh drugs,

although he's claiming that he's just found them on the bench.

-Are those scales yours?

-No.

So your fingerprints are not going to be on there?

Yeah, because I picked them up. They were on the side.

Finally, Sharon is getting to the bottom of what's going on.

They didn't want to own up initially.

Once I told them they were all going to be searched,

two of them have owned up and produced the cannabis.

One is 15, one is 17.

The proposed course of action is probably to arrest them

and street-bail them, so they will have to come to a police station to be interviewed.

Having taken care of the group,

Sharon turns her attention to the moped.

Have you smoked any today?

I smoked a little bit.

Because you're riding a moped,

and if you're under the influence...

I haven't rid it since I smoked it.

-You've had a smoke just now, have you?

-Huh?

Yeah.

For this young lad, today is turning into a bit of a wake up call.

In all seriousness,

if you've smoked tonight, I don't suggest you drive that.

-No, no, that's fine.

-All right?

With the searches carried out,

Sharon deals with the two lads who were carrying the cannabis.

If you don't turn up at that date and time,

you'll be liable to further arrest, OK?

We'll arrest you and bring you in, OK, so you must turn up.

To make sure the message is hammered home,

the boys' parents are also being notified.

I'm just concerned, obviously, he's 15, I mean, I don't know

if you knew he smoked cannabis, but are you happy he stays out?

No, no, no, he's fine,

but we are going to have to deal with him officially for it, OK?

As the group are sent on their way,

Sharon's hopeful that they have learned a valuable lesson.

I don't want them in the park smoking cannabis - it's antisocial.

We don't want the public seeing it. It's about us taking robust action.

But for the two lads who were caught with the cannabis,

the matter is far from over.

The action we've taken tonight is really about trying to save

these young people from themselves.

They don't know the dangers they're exposing themselves to,

and we want to try and stop them from going down the path of crime.

When they attended the station, both lads were given a caution.

Earlier, we were with the neighbourhood team in Bath

as they responded to a report of two males fighting with knives.

-The guy's gone, don't worry, the guy's gone.

-What's your name?

When they arrived, one of the fighters had left the address,

leaving a scene of devastation and a blood-stained wall behind him.

The man who lives here is receiving treatment.

-Full MOT, OK?

-Yep, full MOT.

Concerned that the other guy involved in the fight

may need medical attention as well,

the neighbourhood team have headed straight to his address.

-KNOCK ON DOOR

-There's no answer,

but there's a television on inside and the man could be

suffering from a serious injury, so the team's going in.

In light of this evening's events,

the neighbourhood team aren't taking any chances

and have electric stun guns on standby.

A quick search of the house reveals the suspect is nowhere to be seen.

But while officers are waiting for a team to fix the door,

the suspect returns home, looking somewhat the worse for wear.

-We want to assess your injuries, bud.

-Injuries?

-Mate, I've got

-BLEEP

-loads.

-Look up to me a minute.

Yeah, you've got quite nasty cuts there, buddy.

The bruises to this chap's face suggest that the fight

wasn't as one-sided as the man at the house is claiming.

In fact, this guy is reckons that HE is the victim.

He started it, man,

and he's just battered me.

There are two sides to every story,

but an accusation has been made and the police HAVE to act on it.

We've had an allegation that you've assaulted...

Wait there. No, no, no, no...

Listen, the allegation has been made that you assaulted him,

-attacked him with a knife.

-No, I didn't attack him with a knife.

I'm arresting you on suspicion of assault ABH.

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

-How dare you say that?

-..anything you do say may be given in evidence.

That's the allegation.

Placed in cuffs, the suspect will be taken to have his injuries assessed

and then interviewed back at the station.

The suspect for this incident has come back to his home address

quite unexpectedly,

so he's been arrested on suspicion of ABH

and he's going to be taken back to custody now.

As and when he gets a chance to be interviewed about the incident,

he can give an account or not, as it were.

With both men claiming that the fight was instigated by the other,

no credible witnesses to corroborate either man's version of events

and no serious injuries to report,

police decided to take no further action.

Burglaries are traumatic crimes for the victims.

Along with the physical loss and damage,

they also have to deal with the emotional impact of the intrusion.

And when it comes to investigating break-ins,

the neighbourhood teams know they can never be too thorough.

In Weston-super-Mare, Jim Murray is responding to

a burglary at a cafe in one of the local parks.

-Morning, sir.

-Morning. You all right?

-I'm all right. You?

Not doing quite so well, eh?

The burglary was reported by the cafe's owner, John Horler.

It appears the thieves broke in through one of the windows.

-We'll get in there in a minute after CSI's popped in.

-Yeah.

We'll let them do their bit first

and then we'll go in and see what's been stolen.

Jim's already called the forensic team to investigate the scene.

Luckily, John hasn't been in the cafe or touched anything

since he arrived, so they stand a good chance of recovering any clues

as to the identity of the culprit.

I was on the road this morning to open up.

When I came into the park, I could see the window flapping.

I thought, "That looks suspicious to me."

When I arrived, I noticed the window had been broken into,

and damage inside.

It's hard to imagine looking at it now,

but the cafe used to look very different.

Eight years ago, it used to be a shelter

frequented by the local riffraff and drug people.

So I asked the council if I could turn this into a cafe,

so we invested our own money and we opened four, five years ago

and it's helped clean the park up as well, kept the riffraff away.

So it's now become, basically, a community cafe.

If anyone will be able to identify the thieves,

then it's crime scene investigator, Lisa Simpson.

Gentleman's just sat in the car,

he's only gone in as far as the counter.

While Lisa gets to work,

Jim and John get a closer look at the inside.

It's going to take a good clean-up

before the cafe will be able to open up again.

It's a shame, though, innit, when these things happen.

Outside, Lisa's looking to see if whoever broke in has left any clues.

We'll get the outside done first

cos it looks as though it's going to rain.

The powder that Lisa's using

will highlight any fingerprints on the window frame.

We've got these contact marks coming up here

and straightaway, it looks like glove marks.

With no fingerprints on the window,

Lisa turns her attention to the cafe's interior.

There's just a bit of a footprint coming up here

and there, and there's one here as well.

Now, that's none of ours because we haven't been this far.

It's likely it could be the offender,

so, in a minute, what I'll do is just put a lifter down,

which will take that exact impression up.

A little bit of detail in amongst this bit here,

so you've got like the block pattern here

and then you've got this T-shape at the top,

which is probably the toe of the trainer.

Burglary must be thirsty work,

because whoever broke in helped themselves to a drink,

hopefully leaving some evidence behind as well.

Just swabbed the rim of the mouth...

the area of that where they've drunk out of,

see if we can pick up any DNA from there.

Understandably, John is keen to get the cafe up and running again

as quickly as possible, but he has some work to do first.

It's basically checking the stock that's been stolen,

and then basically clean the floors, clean the windows

and secure the window temporarily tonight

and get ready for preparation for tomorrow.

-All right, take care, then.

-And you.

-Thanks very much, take care.

Bye-bye.

Neighbourhood policing is also about providing continued support

to victims of crime, so the following day,

Jim returns to the cafe to pay John a visit

and offer advice on security.

-Those screws are like that.

-Are they?

-Put some longer ones in, straight down.

-Yeah, I found that...

Yeah, rather than just being in that little bit there,

put it right down through, yeah. Did you get it repaired OK?

-Yeah, all done.

-Marvellous.

Reinforcing the fittings on the windows would certainly help prevent

further break-ins but, most importantly,

the cafe is back up and running.

Is there anything else we can do for you, John, or are you OK?

-Get some more customers in.

-Get back to work.

-I'll drag them in, shall I?

-Drag them in.

-No problem.

Lisa recovered a full DNA profile from the cup at the scene,

but it didn't match any records on the police database,

so no further action can be taken at this time.

But if the person who the DNA belongs to is caught for

any other offence in the future,

then the neighbourhood team will have a few questions for them.

Every area provides its own issues for the neighbourhood team,

and in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare,

the police have the challenge of looking after

a large residential population

alongside the thousands of tourists who visit during the summer.

Today, Weston's beach is playing host to a large music festival.

Another day where we're out and about in the van on patrols.

We've got more music playing on the beach,

more concerts on the beach.

There's about 15,000 people there, we think,

and we're here just to make sure that everything goes ahead smoothly.

But it's not long before something else grabs their attention.

They've just spotted an outrageous piece of driving.

This one here in front of us

just went past the ambulance on blues and overtook it at speed.

Driving like an absolute...

Not only has the driver of the maroon car overtaken an ambulance

that was on an emergency call, they did it on a blind corner.

They are incredibly lucky not to have caused a serious collision.

-Has he failed to stop?

-Will be in a minute, if he carries on.

It's now time for the driver of this imported Chevrolet Camaro

to explain their actions.

-Have you been drinking today?

-No.

-No?

I can smell something in the car. It smells like you've been drinking.

-When did you last have a drink?

-Probably four hours ago.

Four hours ago?

The man behind the wheel of this car has admitted to drinking

alcohol, but several hours ago.

However, he is unresponsive to the officer's questions

and seems oblivious to his reckless overtake.

What was the meaning of that last manoeuvre as well?

What was that all about?

Basically, the reason you came to our attention is you overtook

an ambulance which was on a blue light around a corner.

It isn't really acceptable.

They were already exceeding the speed limit

and you decided to overtake them on a corner. All right?

Chris is certain is that this man has had too much to drink

and won't be allowing him to drive any further.

He now needs to establish

whether his wife is able to get behind the wheel of the car instead.

-Are you insured to drive this car?

-Yeah.

-Have you been drinking today?

Yes, two glasses of wine.

All right, unfortunately, then, this car won't be able to go

-anywhere until we know...

-We can't leave it here.

-No, we'll move it.

We'll put it into a safe place for it to be, which won't be

on the main road.

The driver's under arrest and will be breathalysed back at the station.

Although the only thing more shocking than his driving

is his taste in clothes.

Maybe this fetching Stars & Stripes onesie came free with the Chevy.

As Simon explains, this chap's driving was incredibly reckless.

The gentleman, who was driving this Camaro, has actually come up from

behind the ambulance and overtaken it on a bend.

And it appears he's been drinking.

So he's been detained at this moment in time,

arrested by my colleague for driving whilst unfit through drink and drugs.

But, if dangerous driving under the influence of alcohol wasn't

bad enough, the driver could be in even more trouble.

He's got an expired provisional. Oops!

Unbelievably, the man has never passed his driving test

and has allowed his provisional learner licence to expire.

Even if he were insured, it wouldn't have been valid.

So, if you want to go back to the seat you were in,

that would be handy. If you sit in the back, we'll get you home.

Because the only other passenger

in the car is the couple's 13-year-old son,

one of the neighbourhood team will be driving the Chevy home.

Back at the station, the driver's brightened up a bit

and has got more to say for himself.

Although all he wants to know is how soon he can go home.

Tell me when you're going to let me out, that's the thing.

Should you be over...

will depend on how soon we can release you.

Possible, because I've had two pints of Thatchers Gold, so therefore...

Well, it depends. You might not be. If you're a regular drinker,

and your diet, and all the rest of it,

it may be that you come out under.

He's going to be tested with the breathalyser to see

if he is as sober as he claims.

Stop there, that's it.

To pass the test, he'll need a result of 35 or less.

You are...

-two and a bit times the limit.

-Two and a bit?

-Yeah, 35 is the limit,

-and you are 80. So we'll give it one more take.

-All right.

Blowing 80 means this man is well over double the legal limit

and is in serious hot water.

He'll be charged in the morning when he's sobered up.

But at least he's appropriately dressed for a night in the cells.

Setting the trend there.

'It was an interesting outfit,

'his little fluffy onesie that he was wearing.'

Apparently, he'd nipped out quickly from home,

hadn't long been out the bath, so he thought he'd throw on his onesie,

and he wasn't going to be very long before he was back home.

When he attended North Somerset Magistrates Court,

the driver was sentenced for driving under the influence of alcohol

with no insurance and no licence.

And he was disqualified from driving for 20 months.

It's a busy Friday in Bath

and a call has come in about a suspected shoplifter.

PCSO Brian Harris is on his way to investigate further.

The city marshals are now stopping a male that is meant to maybe...

on suspicion of stealing items from the Aqua store in Bath.

It's likely that the man will need to be searched,

so Brian radios ahead for a unit to assist him.

Yeah, we've just got some city marshals stopped a male outside

the Lamb and Lion public house on Lower Borough Walls.

And they believe he might have some stolen goods on him.

Hello, mate, want to come over here, away from the doorway?

-BLEEP,

-I can't believe this!

Don't start swearing, that'll get you into further trouble.

Clearly unimpressed he's been stopped,

this man is protesting his innocence.

-Have you got any ID on you?

-I shouldn't be in any trouble at all.

-Have you got any ID on you?

-No.

-You haven't?

-I was holding this to look after it.

-Yeah, that's OK.

He didn't give it me. I asked to look after it...

so I could protect it for him.

The gent is claiming that it was a friend

who had committed the offence, and that he hasn't done anything wrong.

I do not believe this! Honestly, and I'm looking for him now.

Backup has arrived, but the extra manpower is doing nothing

to curb the suspect's language.

-I keep warning you about your swearing.

-BLEEP. BLEEP.

Speak normally, yeah? We don't want to speak like that.

OK. Yeah. OK.

Yeah, you do, and you've been using language which I don't like,

and I've warned you several times. OK.

Because of what we've been told, we're going to search you now.

-That's under Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

-Oh, OK.

Is this an anal search?

It's not going to be an anal search at all.

We're just going to go through your pockets.

The reasons for that is someone's said

that you've got something that you shouldn't have.

Faced with the prospect of being searched,

-this colourful character has opted to play along.

-Look, here it is!

-Shall I get it out for you?

-What is it?

-It's a bauble, for God's sake!

-A bauble.

-Of all things!

-Let go.

-Yes, it's tight.

-Don't

-BLEEP

-fit, you know?

-Don't swear.

-I just do not believe this.

I can't have it, dude. Yes.

-Are you?

-Yes.

-You come across as street, yes. OK.

-Thank you.

-Apart from that, anything else?

-No.

This glass ornament matches the stolen item.

Whether the gent stole it himself or is looking after it for the thief,

he's committed an offence.

-All right, you're being arrested on suspicion of theft.

-Arrested?

I did not steal it! You know I didn't steal it!

You know damn well I didn't steal it! I did not steal it!

Hey, fellow, did I steal this thing? This bauble?

The reason you're being arrested is so that we can...

-BLEEP,

-why would I steal a stupid thing like that?

I wouldn't steal anything.

With the flamboyant fellow on his way to the station,

Brian sees if he can get any more information from the shop

where the theft took place.

What we saw on the CCTV was the accomplice, I suppose,

the gentleman that actually stole the bauble

was not the one that I saw getting apprehended.

The shop manager's version of events backs up the suspect's story.

But the bottom line is

that by accepting the stolen item from his friend,

he's broken the law.

Although, as he's booked into custody,

-he's still denying that he's done anything wrong.

-I want to go!

I don't belong here. I've not done anything wrong.

I mean, I know, and you know, morally,

I've not done anything wrong.

The suspect still hasn't twigged

that handling stolen goods is a serious offence.

How do I get out of here?

Can I realistically expect to get out of here in the next four hours?

Do you have to be somewhere?

-Yes. Outside in the fresh air.

-Well, the quicker we do this...

-Is it realistic? Is that realistic?

-Well, I'm arresting you, mate.

Take your boots off and let's get the ball rolling quicker.

Not a very good answer.

Even as he's led to the cells, he's got plenty to say for himself.

Let me do my hair. OK.

-Please, two coffees, please.

-Sugar?

-You should be punctilious.

-Do you want sugar?

Yes, please. Three. Three.

-Thank you, sir.

-Bye-bye.

When the smooth-talking gentleman went to Bath Magistrates,

he faced charges of receiving stolen goods

and was given a six-month conditional discharge

and ordered to pay £105 in fines and costs.

The person who actually stole the bauble is known to the police

as a prolific offender and was caught later that day.

He was sentenced to four weeks behind bars for the theft of the ornament

and another 22 weeks imprisonment

for a separate offence of criminal damage.

If you need to contact your neighbourhood team,

then dial the police non-emergency phone number 101.

See you next time.