Episode 15 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 search warrant!

-You're under arrest.

-..and tackle crime head on.

YELLING Calm down!

By engaging with people on the street...

-I know you and me always get on.

-..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. Go somewhere else.

-BLEEP

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

-Stand still.

Right, you're under arrest for assault.

..and sweep the criminals clean from our streets.

Coming up, officers respond to a bun fight at a burger bar.

I get strangled and lifted up off the floor. So happy days(!)

And a violent drug user launches a sickening attack.

Street-drinkers are a problem that every town encounters.

Groups of people drinking alcohol in town centres

can be intimidating to passers by

and can affect the business of nearby shops.

Here in Taunton, the neighbourhood teams

and local council are tackling this antisocial behaviour

by creating non-drinking zones,

targeting areas where the street drinkers traditionally gathered.

The scheme's been a great success, but unfortunately,

there are always a few people who refuse to follow the rules.

When it comes to policing the town's no-drinking zones,

most of the responsibility

falls on the shoulders of the Police Community Support Officers.

On patrol today is Jade Tingley.

The town centre is a designated non-drinking zone,

so anyone who has got alcohol,

I do have the power to confiscate it off them.

Approaching the town centre, it isn't long

before Jade encounters a couple drinking in the main square.

All right, fella? Yeah, you can't consume alcohol in here.

Are you new to Taunton?

Right, OK. I don't know when you're moving on,

but the whole of the town centre,

you cannot consume alcohol, do you know that?

I don't actually but now I know.

Right, now you know, so if you have alcohol and it's open,

me or a colleague can come along and confiscate it off you, all right?

I'm just going to take your details because I will take the alcohol.

When they find someone drinking in a restricted zone,

a PCSO has the power to confiscate all of the person's alcohol,

whether it's open or not. Thankfully, this flexible fella

doesn't seem to mind a bit!

And he isn't the only one in high spirits today.

Bup-bup-bup-ba-dup...

Coming from out of town, this pair were simply unaware

of Taunton's crackdown on street-drinking.

If you're going to have it, you need to do it out of the public

and not in the town, all right? And then there won't be no issues.

-Thank you.

-Happy?

-Thank you very much.

-No problem.

Thank you, guys, and I'm sorry for being a nuisance.

That friendly couple were happy to comply with Taunton's drinking laws,

but the town's seasoned street-drinkers

are rarely as accommodating.

You can view the situation as a game of cat and mouse.

We'll go to the next place and hopefully we'll catch up

with the persistent street-drinkers.

Sure enough, it isn't long before Jade catches up

with one of her regulars, drinking lager under a bridge.

You're in the dedicated drinking zone

which I told you this the other day when I dealt with you.

I'm not asking you to move towns.

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

Go down the canal.

It's a nice, sunny day today and it hasn't rained at all.

I'm asking you nicely,

and it's a case of walking ten minutes down there

and you're out of the zone.

It's not a difficult thing to be doing.

Jade's approach is firm but fair,

however this fella has had a few cans

and decides to give Jade a piece of his mind.

At the end of the day, I understand your job.

I'm reasonable with you the majority of the time,

-but the police force following me around all

-BLEEP

-day,

like I'm some sort of criminal...

You don't need to swear, do you? I appreciate you're agitated.

-At the end of the day...

-Not at the end of the day.

..cos I'm getting angry and breaching the peace.

Because you need to control your temper.

You're going to call 10,000 policemen because I'm having a hard life.

I appreciate you need to drink, but do it out of that way of town,

then you keep your alcohol.

-But you keep your alcohol then.

-Yeah, exactly.

So is that not a win-win situation?

I don't have to come and speak to you, and neither do my colleagues.

-You're not having it, Ben.

-I thought you said I could keep it.

-That's closed, you're not allowed to take it away.

-Yes, I can.

Because I have reason to believe you're going to drink it when I go.

Yes, I can, Ben, and I am.

Cos you're agitated as it is, because you've already...

-BLEEP

-you, then. Nick me.

The male feels that the police are persecuting him

and has become abusive, but Jade knows she has to stand firm.

You need to get your stuff and you need to move on.

Ben!

The man has decided to take his frustration out

by attacking our cameraman.

Jade calls for assistance.

I've got Ben that's just attacked the cameraman I'm with.

Now you're going to get yourself in trouble

because you've lost it.

-Because I've reacted to you because you're a stinking

-BLEEP

-pig.

Am I?

Face-to-face with a violent man, Jade has no option but to try

and keep him calm until backup arrives.

-You wonder why you're

-BLEEP

-alive. You go around

-BLEEP...

Yeah, so what? That's a stab-proof vest.

-BLEEP

-blade across your face. Do you know what I mean?

-You think you're

-BLEEP

-something else

-because you can

-BLEEP

-with homeless people.

-Because you can boss a homeless person all the way up the

-BLEEP

-road.

You're lucky I'm patient. You're lucky I'm patient.

-Don't threaten me.

-I don't want to

-BLEEP.

-Don't threaten me.

-You're a woman. I'm not threatening you.

-You are, Ben.

-I'm not threatening you.

-You are.

To Jade's relief, two officers have arrived.

-I'm very

-BLEEP

-off.

And he's just threatened to stab me, throw me in the river,

beat me up, the lot.

15:25, you're under arrest on suspicion of assault at this moment.

Suspicion of assault?

-No-one's

-BLEEP

-bleeding, mate. No-one is

-BLEEP

-bleeding.

..something that you later rely on in court.

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

You're going to tangle me up, are you?

You're going to tangle me up, are you?

I'm going to put you in custody, yes.

You lot are chocolate bar policemen.

Thanks to his violent outburst, this fella is on his way to the cells.

The aggressive male was found guilty for his attack on the cameraman

and sentenced to one week in prison.

Later, the stakes are raised

when Jade comes face-to-face with the street-drinker once again.

Stay there, Ben!

The neighbourhood policing team know that teamwork is essential

to their success.

Not just within their own ranks

but also in the way they integrate with the whole community.

Just about every aspect of what we do, we couldn't achieve it

unless we were working in partnership with the council,

with housing, with CCTV, with South West Businesses Against Crime.

It's all a huge team effort.

In Taunton, that vital partnership is in action once again.

The town's security network has asked the police

to respond to a disturbance.

Officers Ben Smith and Adam Moore are en route.

We've got a report of an assault at a McDonald's.

The offender's still inside so we're going to head up there now.

To ensure nobody leaves the scene before they can be interviewed,

CCTV operators are watching the fast-food joint

and are keeping Ben and Adam updated.

Have we still got this lot on camera outside McDonald's?

VOICE OVER RADIO: Three of them outside, two females, one male,

and they're currently just standing outside McDonald's.

As they arrive, a young woman is keen to tell her side of the story.

-What's going on?

-I called you because

-BLEEP

-is in there.

Gone to the toilet. She's been assaulted as well.

She's got a swollen eye.

I've been assaulted in the process...

How have you done that?

-Trying to separate him and

-BLEEP.

-And basically

-BLEEP

-is in there with a swollen eye and everything.

Obviously distressed, this lady's claiming that she, her partner

and her friend have all been assaulted in the burger restaurant.

The man they have accused is still inside with his family.

Adam fetches him to hear his side of the story.

His version of events is different to the trio's outside.

Come over to me, walked towards me threateningly

and then started shouting at me,

so I reacted and grabbed him by the throat and that's basically it.

The man admits that he did grab the other guy,

but he's adamant that it was in self-defence.

Ben and Adam are now faced with two completely different stories.

-Basically there was an instigation with

-BLEEP

and my partner four or five weeks ago.

He pushed over my partner, so in McDonald's today,

I just sort of like friendly words of advice.

I went into his face to ask him to leave my missus alone

and not to lay a finger on her again,

and this all happened by him getting violent and abusive.

So... And I get strangled and lifted up off the floor. So happy days(!)

He just literally put both hands out,

lifted my partner up off the floor and that was it.

And then we got in the middle and got hurt trying to separate them

and we've been kicked out of McDonald's when it's not our fault.

Ridiculous.

The accusations that are being made against this man are serious

and if they are true, he could be facing an assault charge.

There is CCTV and it shows the incident quite clearly.

The decision is now down to the police officer

as to what action to take.

The neighbourhood team want to cause as little disruption as possible

to the restaurant and the public, so happy they have heard enough,

it's time to send the quarrelling diners on their way.

Back at Taunton Police Station, Ben sits down with the CCTV

to see if it can throw some light on what happened.

This gentleman here was identified as being

the possible suspect, in the white hat.

This is his partner, here, and his kids.

The initial report that we had was

that he has assaulted three individuals.

Obviously we turned up and there were three people outside

all claiming to have been victims of assault by this male.

So this is the other male. The victim.

And at that point, I think it's fair to say

that that is an aggressive move.

It's believed by the police officers that the reaction

by the offender is actually a move of self-defence.

With no sound on the CCTV, the police will probably never know

what really happened inside the burger bar, but what they do know

is the sitting man did not make an unprovoked attack.

But thanks to the CCTV, a completely different story

to the original complaint has been uncovered,

and the man with his family was entirely cleared of any wrongdoing.

Every time we go to an incident we've always got two sides.

And whilst we'd love to believe what everyone says,

CCTV is a medium that we can use

just to help us make a more informed decision.

It's not infallible. It's, um...

We only see the visual, we don't see what's being said.

The police charged the man waiting for the officers

with a public order offence, but the charge was later dropped.

We've all seen people begging for money on busy high streets

or on public transport.

When the beggars are persistent or aggressive,

it can be extremely intimidating

to the members of the public they are engaging.

It's a tragic situation but also an illegal one.

In Weston-super-Mare, CCTV operators have spotted

a well-known beggar in the town centre.

Wearing a white chequered shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms,

he can clearly be seen approaching random members of the public.

After several failed attempts,

he's found someone prepared to hand over some cash.

But what he doesn't realise

is that CCTV operators have called in the neighbourhood team.

Town officer Sam Walton is eager to speak to the beggar

as he is also wanted for another offence.

We've had a report of a beggar in town and it's a regular problem.

The name that's been given to us

by the CCTV operators is somebody who is currently wanted

by myself for two lots of theft in the town centre.

His last location was heading up the ramp towards Tesco.

We're just going to see if we can detain him.

In this security footage, the same man can be seen stealing

a large bar of chocolate from a local newsagents.

CCTV operators have called in a street warden to watch the man

until the officers arrive.

-I'm PC Sam Walton from Weston Police Station.

-Hi, sweetheart.

I'm arresting you on suspicion of theft from McColl's on 30th April.

Are you going to walk with me?

The shoplifting offence occurred several weeks ago,

but this guy's claiming he hasn't been to the shop

and doesn't even know where it is.

-Where's McColl's?

-On the high street.

I've never stolen from there.

OK, well, when we get back to the station,

we'll go through the CCTV and we'll have a look.

I've never stolen from there. What, today?

No, it was on the 30th of April.

Despite being told that he's been identified on camera,

this chap is adamant that he's innocent.

And as he's booked in at Weston Police Station,

he's sticking to his story.

-But I don't thieve, I don't steal.

-Shop?

Shop theft, yeah. Do you want the dates?

Listen, if I can't listen to Sam,

I can't understand why you're being booked in.

Sorry, Sam. Sorry, Sergeant. Sorry.

Right, place of arrest?

Outside of Tesco, Station Road.

Selected a chocolate bar.

What?

A large chocolate bar.

I can't even remember doing that then. Because I don't shoplift.

You can check my record. I don't do anything like that.

He concealed it in his jacket

and left the store making no attempt to pay.

It takes more than crocodile tears to sway Sam.

She's seen the CCTV footage

and unless this man's got a twin - he's guilty.

I really did not. I know for a fact that I did not.

OK, well, we'll get the matter resolved in interview,

all right, John? I'll show you the CCTV.

It's all beginning to sink in for this fella,

and his memory seems to be improving with regards the bar of chocolate.

The chocolate bar, it kind of does ring a bit of a bell.

I might have been a little bit worse for wear.

When you're in interview, John, you can talk about it there.

When you see the CCTV, it'll make it a bit easier for you, I expect.

Having suggested that he may have stolen the chocolate after all,

he's taken to the cells until he can be interviewed.

Pop yourself on the chair for me.

Under interview, and having seen the CCTV with his own eyes,

he did admit to stealing the chocolate bar.

But with no other recent convictions for theft

and because of the low value of the item,

he was released with a caution.

Earlier, we saw neighbourhood officer Jade Tingley

dealing with street-drinkers in Taunton.

In a single shift, she experienced both the good side

of dealing with the public...

..and the bad.

Yeah, so what? That's a stab-proof vest,

-I'll

-BLEEP

-blade across your face.

One week later, Jade's responding to a call from a member of the public.

Someone has been seen using drugs in a nearby car park.

Put your cameras up, please. Wood Street Car Park,

apparently by the machine there's a male who's injecting.

I'm just on my way.

VOICE OVER RADIO:

Just pulling in, thanks.

CCTV operators have located the man...

and direct Jade straight to him.

With a heavy heart,

Jade realises that this is the man she dealt with seven days ago.

-BLEEP

-off!

Ben! Now of course you're going to get yourself in trouble

because you're lost it.

-Because I've reacted to you because you're a stinking

-BLEEP

-pig.

Am I?

This time, the man is in no mood to hang around

and is making a run for it.

In a sickening move, the man has swung round

and is threatening to stab Jade with a syringe.

Shaken by the outrageous move, Jade cautiously pursues him.

Hypodermic needles used by drug users are a constant hazard

to the neighbourhood team, and a potentially lethal one.

Blood from an uncapped needle can result in Hepatitis, HIV,

or a frightening array of other diseases.

Stay there, Ben!

Back up's on the way.

This guy's erratic behaviour means that he's a threat to both Jade

and other members of the public.

Six-one-zero-one, still on Wood Street.

Going back into the car park.

The man had been spotted taking drugs before Jade arrived,

and his unpredictable behaviour supports this.

I am, he's lying in the floor.

SIRENS WAIL

-Ben.

-Yeah?

-Backup has arrived.

What's going on?

The man has already threatened Jade with a needle

so they are going to have to act with extreme caution.

Get your hands out your pockets.

Hand out of your pockets.

Get your hands out your pockets.

Stay still!

With the suspect restrained,

the officers need to know where the syringe is.

Did he drop the needle or do you not know?

Yeah, it's over there. He basically put it in his pocket,

ran off, then ran towards me with it, then dropped it on the floor,

ran across the road and then when he ran back to me,

he was like this, running towards me, then went the other side.

But he's hidden whatever he was going to inject back over there

so are you all right with him while I go and get that?

Yeah, go and have a look.

I'm just going to go and recover what he's hidden.

This is the needle he obviously come running at me with.

It's uncapped, still with the point in it.

At the spot where Jade found the man,

she's discovered gear associated with injecting drugs.

The substance will have to go off and get tested.

It's not known at this stage what the drugs are,

but the team have also recovered four syringes.

And all of this in an area used every day

by shoppers heading into town.

A van is on its way to take the prisoner into custody.

YELLING

It's been another pulse-racing incident for Jade,

and also an alarming sight for the members of the public

who witnessed the incident.

He's extremely high on something.

The police have dealt with it very effectively and very fast.

And...they had a lot of trouble with the chap.

The needle-wielding man was charged with a public order offence,

and at court was fined £93.

The substance that he had been injecting

was later identified as a legal high.

Earlier, we saw a beggar in Weston-super-Mare

approaching members of the public and asking for money.

The issue affects the whole country

but in the historic city of Bath it's a major problem.

The constant influx of tourists attracts beggars from far and wide,

hoping they can cash in on the emotions of affluent visitors.

There is also a disturbing trend

for people to pretend to be homeless to supplement their income.

One man is believed to have earned over £23,000 in a single year

through begging alone.

PCSOs Brian Harris and Julie Durbin

are dealing with one of the city's regular beggars.

Just going down to check on one of our prolific beggars

down on the bridge at Sainsbury's.

She's a female that's been in one of the local papers for begging.

The woman has been known to the neighbourhood team

for the best part of ten years,

and in the past has been given an ASBO for her persistent begging.

It just drains our resources a little bit

because she just won't stay away.

No matter how many complaints we get, she just won't keep away.

Yeah, she's there.

Sure enough, despite the endless warnings,

the woman is in her usual place at the end of the footbridge.

Nicola.

Nicola, we need a word with you, please.

-Could you come over?

-Yes, of course.

-All right?

We need your details, your home address,

because they'll be a warrant out for your arrest otherwise.

Yes, no, no. Sorry.

Because you didn't know what it was the other day, did you?

Unbelievably, this smartly-dressed, well-spoken woman

is one of the city's most notorious beggars.

She is not homeless

and is believed to make a comfortable living from begging.

When police caught her last week,

she gave the officers an incorrect address.

-We need the full address.

-Postcode as well.

And the postcode, cos there'll be a warrant out for your arrest otherwise

and I don't want that and Brian don't want that.

-BLEEP

-will be coming into town,

if I give him a text, I can get him to bring it down with him.

We don't want you to end up with a warrant for your arrest.

A report for summons is a lot easier to deal with

than if you're wanted by us and we all start chasing you

and then you end up in the clink and it can get worse.

Have you got a mobile number?

The woman is a constant challenge for the police.

It's hard for them to arrest her,

as she doesn't actually ask people for money.

Instead, she sits with her head bowed

and waits for people to take pity on her.

You've really got to try and stop begging on this bridge though,

Nicola, because if you keep getting reported,

they're going to get an ASBO out for you again, aren't they?

And that's what you don't want

because you'll end up going back to prison at the end of that.

-Right, here we go, it's 07

-BLEEP...

We need the details today, though, Nicola, all right?

All right?

Lovely, make sure you stay off the bridge for the rest of the day,

though, won't you?

They've moved her on for now but Julie knows that it

probably won't be long before they are dealing with her again.

We need to get this young lady sorted out, really,

and get her off this bridge.

If we can, get an ASBO up

and try and sort it out that way.

The lady has subsequently been fined £50 for begging.

The neighbourhood team are attempting to extend the boundaries

of her ASBO in an effort to crack down on her antisocial activities.

The police have recognised that the only way

to crack down on the beggars is to adopt a double-pronged attack.

Not only do they need to tackle the beggars themselves,

but they also need to educate the public.

I've actually given a person money and followed him

and he's gone straight into... and he comes out with a beer,

so I don't do that any more. I just do not do it.

You never understand the situation that people are in

and why they're on the street so me, personally,

if I do see them, I do tend to give them something to eat.

In the past, it's been proved that they're not really beggars

or they're not destitute.

Today some of Bath's police cadets are taking to the streets

to help the neighbourhood team with a new campaign

that aims to highlight the dangers of giving money to beggars.

Sergeant Geoff Cannon is the officer in charge.

We're going to assist with the Kindness Can Kill campaign,

which is basically a campaign to educate people

not to give cash to beggars and homeless people on the street,

but to help them in other ways.

The cadets scheme is run to promote policing to young people,

aimed at teenagers between 14 and 17.

As with any police operation,

the evening begins with the cadets being briefed

on what they're going to be doing and what's expected of them.

We are going out this evening to go on the streets

of the city centre of Bath to promote

the Kindness Can Kill campaign.

What I'm really looking for from you tonight though is to talk

to people out there, members of the public, homeless people.

As they take to the streets, Geoff's keen to get the cadets

putting their people skills into practice.

Shall we have a chat with this lady here, look?

OK, would you like to explain...?

Scott, don't be shy.

You know when you go up to someone and you might give them your money

because you feel sad for them,

when they're sitting on the streets and they're all cold?

That could actually kill them

if they're spending it on drugs or something like that.

It's not necessarily the best way to help people by giving them cash

-because they may spend it unwisely.

-No, that's for sure, yeah.

-Thank you very much for your time.

-You're welcome.

And welcome to Bath. Have a nice time while you're here.

I love to be here.

Scott, well done, mate. A good start.

Thanks to the hard work of the cadets,

the message of the Kindness Can Kill campaign is really hitting home.

I think this campaign's really important.

It's good to educate the public that they can really help the homeless,

but not by giving money to people who may well use it on drugs

but instead to support this project here and to buy the Big Issue

from genuine Big Issue sellers.

It's been a long evening,

but Geoff is delighted with the way the youngest members

of the neighbourhood team have handled themselves.

It's great for the cadets to do this because it's helping them

develop their own personality, their characters

and do you know what, it's bringing some of them out of their shells

and we've seen that just tonight alone.

And seeing the response they get back from members of the public

out there and seeing them grow in stature

and their confidence build is fantastic.

It's great to see young people taking an interest in the police

and their community.

The cadets are just one example of the many ways

in which the neighbourhood team work alongside their partners

to make our streets safer places to live.

See you next time.