Episode 9 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.

-Stanley!

-Calm down!

By engaging with people on the streets...

-Me and you 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. Go somewhere else!

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

Stand still!

Right, you're under arrest for assault.

..and sweep the criminals clean from our streets.

SHOUTING AND BANGING

BLEEP.

Coming up, the race is on to catch a knife-wielding robber...

He's got the blade out.

Officers are speaking to him

and he's refusing to hand the blade over.

How are you doing? Whoa! Stay there, stay there.

Sit down. You're going to do yourself some harm.

..the neighbourhood team go head-to-head

with the ugly side of alcohol...

Da-da-da-da-da!

..and the devastating effects of falling foul of the conmen.

We had won £726,000.

For a police officer,

entering someone's house to issue an arrest warrant

is like stepping into the unknown.

You never know how the suspect is going to react.

Thankfully, officers know that if they do get into trouble,

then it only takes a quick call to Control

and another unit will be on hand to assist in no time.

In Weston-super-Mare, Jack Roth and Alison Codd

are responding to a call for help from another unit.

Our colleagues have gone to...some sort of domestic at an address

and it appears that one of our colleagues

has been locked in the address by the suspect

and is currently in there at the moment.

Trapped in a house with a potentially violent prisoner

is a very difficult situation for the officers involved.

So it's crucial that Jack and Alison get there as quickly as possible.

The occupants have lost the key and they can't get out

and they're not so forthcoming,

but they want us to, sort of, get them out

sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, when it comes to lost keys,

the police have one of their own.

It's big, it's red and it opens almost any door.

What did they say, flat what?

One of the stranded officers, Chris Lintern,

has found an open window.

But in this case, climbing out isn't an option.

Have you got shoes on?

With the enforcer making light work of the door...

..Chris and his prisoner are free to leave.

-Chris, do you want to pass him out to us?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Stop talking to her, please.

-Come on, head down.

Head down.

Just be wary...be careful.

-BLEEP

-is with the camera?

The police were called to deal with a heated dispute

between this man and a woman who, for her safety,

is still inside with another two officers.

-I'll be back for you

-BLEEP,

-you

-BLEEP BLEEP!

They've locked the door as police have got in

and somehow lost the keys.

Due to his behaviour, there was an urgency to get them out.

They didn't want him to climb out of a window

cos he's also wanted on warrant.

Potentially, he'll make off.

Therefore they've called us in

-and we've put the door in so they can get him out.

-MUFFLED SHOUTING

As you can tell from the banging and the kicking,

he's going to be another quiet one in the cells this evening!

What? WHAT?

Safely locked up in the back of the van,

the man is still angry and aggressive.

He just smashed the light in the back of the van.

He'll get nicked for that now.

Ah, not very good on that one, was you?

HE GIGGLES

Back at the station,

Jack has radioed ahead for support

to help move the suspect into custody.

We're going to get you into the police station now. All right?

Are you going to be calm about it?

Are you going to be calm about it?

No, but are you going to be calm with us and get out of the van?

If you're calm, we'll take the cuffs off.

If you're not, they stay on.

That's how it works.

Wary that he could lash out at any moment,

another officer is standing by with a 50,000 volt electric stun gun.

If this lad doesn't come quietly,

he could quite literally be in for a shock.

POLICEWOMAN:

All right, look, my colleagues have got a Taser, here.

If you carry on behaving like you were a minute ago,

they will just shoot you with that.

The choice is yours.

Yeah, I know! All right?

And I'm telling you, don't behave like an idiot

and you won't get shot with a Taser.

All right, fine, let's go.

The threat of the crippling Taser

has brought the prisoner to his senses

and he's decided to come quietly.

Having recovered from HIS incarceration,

PC Chris Lintern is able to shed some light

on how they ended up locked in the property in the first place.

When I arrived at the scene,

clearly, something had gone on,

but we didn't know exactly.

We had to enter the property via unusual means.

And we certainly had to exit the property via unusual means!

'We considered going back out the way we came.

'However, I took into consideration that it wasn't particularly easy'

getting in the house in the first place

and doing the same thing

'with a male that was handcuffed and potentially violent

'didn't seem to be a sensible course of action to me.'

Not only was this man aggressive during the arrest,

but his behaviour only got worse.

Once in police custody, he continued to be a problem

and he caused damage to some property inside custody.

Eventually, he was charged with four counts of criminal damage.

When he appeared in court,

the suspect pleaded guilty to four charges of criminal damage

and was sentenced to two months' imprisonment.

It was a good result, although for Chris,

this job is likely to stick in the mind

for slightly different reasons.

Looking back, I can't help but smile about it -

possibly having to be rescued.

But at the same time,

it worked and everyone got back and no-one was hurt.

Police Community Support Officers

are an essential part of the neighbourhood team.

Out on the beat every day, meeting the public,

they are the eyes and ears of the police force.

So when a crime is committed on their beat

and a warrant is issued for someone's arrest,

chances are it will be a PCSO who finds them first.

In Bath city centre,

Howie Wilton is investigating two thefts

that have taken place within an hour of each other.

The allegation from Tesco Express, here on Westgate Buildings,

is that the gentleman has stolen food

and threatened staff with a knife.

After speaking to staff in Tesco's and checking the CCTV footage,

it turns out that the neighbourhood team

are dealing with a case of armed theft.

And a similar theft was also carried out at Sainsbury's earlier on

by a man carrying a large-bladed knife.

Operators at the CCTV control centre

think they've just spotted the knifeman back at Sainsbury's.

But unfortunately, it turned out to the wrong man.

It's definitely not the man that we're looking for.

This search is far from over.

Howie knows that to catch a criminal,

you have to think like a criminal.

It's a little bit like fishing, now.

We've just got to think, "Well, where am I likely to go?

"Which way am I likely to run?"

The suspect stole food and drink

and Howie suspects that the thief is one of the city's rough sleepers.

Having checked every place he can think of,

he's no closer to finding his man

and he knows that the chances of catching the knife-wielding thief

are becoming slimmer with every hour that passes.

We're just going to have to return to normal foot patrol now,

but we'll bear his description in mind for the rest of the evening.

And obviously, if we see anybody that matches that description,

even if it's a change of clothing,

I've got the facial image in my mind now.

I know who I'm looking for.

If we come across somebody that bears that description,

then we can call somebody out to have a little look.

Less than 24 hours later,

the neighbourhood team have made a breakthrough

as Sergeant Chris Leadbeater explains.

There was a bit of a search for him yesterday.

We couldn't quite find him.

What we've managed to do this morning

was the photograph from the CCTV was circulated

by the Crime Reduction Partnership to all the shops in Bath

and one of the security guards from SouthGate recognised him

as having been involved in another theft a couple of weeks back.

It turns out that just four days ago,

the same man had spent a day in prison

after appearing in court on a charge

of shoplifting from another supermarket.

With the search on for a very dangerous man,

PCSO Brian Harris heads out into the city

to see if he can find him.

It's believed that the suspect could be homeless,

so first stop for Brian is one of the city's shelters.

Good news. This male has been staying here the last two or three nights,

so the chances are he might be back here tonight.

I said that if he does return, to make sure that they ring 999

and we'll get a unit down here as soon as possible

and get him arrested.

It's a fantastic lead, but with a knifeman on the loose,

the neighbourhood team want to get him off the streets

as quickly as possible,

As a PCSO, Brian is a familiar face in the city

and can turn to many of its residents

to help him track the knifeman down.

-I know me and you always get on...

-Yeah.

..so you might be able to help me.

And I've been told he's been hanging around Julian House steps.

-Oh, that's Paul.

-Yeah.

-Is he about?

I want to find where he is.

-He's done something naughty.

-Oh, has he?

-Yeah.

No! He's down Julian House, isn't he?

Yeah, but he's not there at the moment.

I've got to find out where he is.

-Does he know he is wanted by us?

-No.

-He doesn't?

-No.

Don't let anybody know that he's wanted or anything,

cos we need to find him and speak to him. Yeah, all right. Lovely.

-You know I love you.

-Yeah, thanks, Rainbow.

SHE BLOWS A KISS

I love you lot!

Before Brian continues with his enquiries,

he indulges in a bit of police PR.

Where's the bride? We've lost the bride!

But the fun and games are short-lived

as it sounds as though the armed thief has struck again.

A knife attack has just happened... just up in Gay Street, here.

Descriptions have been given.

It might be the same chap that we're actually looking for.

Thankfully, no-one was injured

but further details revealed that this time,

the thief has stolen items whilst threatening staff with a knife.

He's stolen a load of cigarettes.

Um...some confectionery, some sandwiches and that.

You know, for what he's done...

..the height of the crime, you know, going in with a knife...

It seems a very minimal amount.

Here we go, come on.

Word has come through that the suspect has been spotted.

They just asked for a Taser unit. SIRENS

Brian's getting regular updates on his radio.

It doesn't sound like the knifeman is coming quietly.

He's got the blade out.

Officers are speaking to him

and he's refusing to hand the blade over.

With his fellow officers in a stand-off with an armed man,

Brian's rushing to back them up.

He's been gassed already.

Brian arrives at the scene to discover

the target has already been captured

and is in the process of being cautioned.

We're going to carry on searching you,

to make sure you haven't got any more knives on you.

It took CS gas and a blast from a Taser

to bring this guy down.

And unsurprisingly, he isn't feeling too good for it.

HE GROANS

Yeah, it hurts, mate. I know.

-More than that

-BLEEP

-volt.

-Eh?

-No, that's the Taser, that's something else.

-Yeah, exactly, that's what stung.

-BLEEP.

THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER

With the suspect no longer providing any resistance,

he's put into the van and taken back to the station.

Although as the effects of the Taser and gas wear off,

his less-than-charming personality comes to the fore.

CCTV footage from the newsagent that he's just robbed

reveals how he threatened the shopkeeper

with a horrific looking knife.

As she reaches for the panic button under the counter,

the robber casually walks out of the store.

When the man was arrested, not only was he armed,

but he was also carrying the goods that he had just stolen.

BANGING ON DOOR

It turned out that this man

had carried out a robbery and two thefts at knife-point.

His crime spree well and truly came to an end

when he was sentenced to 40 months behind bars.

Responding to calls

about people who have become ill by drinking too much alcohol

is a common occurrence for the neighbourhood teams.

Often involving medical assistance, these avoidable situations

are a frustrating and time-consuming use of police time.

It's Friday evening in Weston-super-Mare

and PC Jim Murray has just received a call about someone

who may have had a few too many.

We're going down to Brighton Road.

A lady causing problems for an ambulance.

She was in the back of the ambulance

and now she's gotten out of the ambulance

and she's running in the road.

Playing chicken with the traffic.

So we'll just pop round there. See what's going on.

With the ambulance crew potentially in danger,

Jim wastes no time getting to the scene.

Concerned for their own safety,

the crew have locked the lady in the back of the ambulance.

Jim could have his hands full.

-So no-one's in there with her, then?

-No.

-Hello there. Stay there.

What's going on? What's your name, my love?

Hang on, what's your name? What's your name?

When people are this drunk,

-police need to protect them from themselves.

-Whoa!

Sit down, or you're going to do yourself some harm.

She is struggling with all her might to get away

and Jim is worried she'll hurt herself or cause an accident.

You're trying to walk in the road

and I'm stopping you from going in the road.

Jim has managed to calm her down.

But the lady's English is poor

and working out where she lives is easier said than done.

Da-da-da-da-da.

SHE WHISTLES

What we can't have is you running out in the road, can we?

Which you've already done.

-Listen...

-BLEEP! BLEEP!

You either go home or you come to the station. One or the other.

-I go home.

-Then go in the ambulance then.

Eventually the threat of a trip to the police station

gets the woman to cooperate.

For the safety of the paramedics,

another police office will accompany them in the ambulance.

There was only a few options -

we can arrest her for being drunk and disorderly,

going out in the road in front of traffic.

She's clearly drunk.

Or we try taking her home and see if she stays at home and sobers up.

A short drive later, and even though Jim has confiscated

the woman's bottle of brandy, her mood is improved considerably.

-Thank you very much.

-Get right in.

And she's taken a bit of a shine to PCSO Mike Benfield.

-Come on.

-We'll leave you to it.

-We'll leave you to it.

We've got to go.

-You got to go.

-You're safe.

-Come here.

Help.

After rescuing Mike from the clutches of the grateful woman,

Jim continues his patrol.

Later, alcohol is at the centre of yet another disturbance

when Jim is taken to task.

Why is there a quart of hard liquor in the middle of your car?

With a wealth of technology at their disposal,

neighbourhood policing has moved with the times

and is a far cry from the days gone by

when bobbies had nothing more

than a whistle and a truncheon by their side.

Unfortunately, the criminals have also moved on

and a new wave of conmen is abusing modern technology to exploit

the elderly and vulnerable -

often from the other side of the world.

Today, PC Jo Jeffery is visiting an elderly couple

who are the victims of a lottery scam.

Jo works a rural beat,

providing a vital service for remote communities.

Here we are.

It was to her that Sid and Mary first turned

when they realised they had become victims of a con.

Hello, Sid.

They had been told they had won a large amount of money

on the Spanish lottery

and to release the funds, they had to pay a small fee.

I've got the papers you left out for me.

And it's got all the details

of how much money you sent to them on there, as well.

Sid and Mary have lost a staggering £25,000.

We were sent a letter to say we had won the lottery

and it said we had won £726,000.

But of course, it wasn't as simple as that.

As with all scams, there was a catch.

They asked us for money for...

..to send the cheque, which we sent.

And then after that, they kept on asking for more money.

Then it snowballed from then.

Each time Sid and Mary handed over some money,

the scammers would come back with a request for more,

until eventually, they had reached a colossal total.

We put in £25,000 into about seven different lots, I think.

We sort of half-thought it was going to be all right. You didn't really.

I did. They conned you into thinking it was coming.

That's what did me.

Looking back now, I can see it was silly.

But it's too late now, isn't it?

Like many other victims of this type of con,

it was the constant promise of a huge payout

that kept the couple ploughing their money into it.

I said, "We've gone this far.

"See if it's right." Cos we'd already lost so much,

I thought, hopefully, we could get it back.

Desperate to get themselves out of the situation,

Sid and Mary even took out loans to cover the costs.

A lot of it was savings, but we borrowed some of it as well,

which was a silly part.

Obviously, we've got to pay it back.

That's what really upset me.

I think I'm getting over it now, but sometimes I'd start crying.

It's silly, isn't it?

-Shivering, as well.

-I start shaking.

What makes this even worse

is that Sid any Mary were suffering in silence.

We were told not to tell anybody until after you got the money.

So that was why I never told anybody, you know?

If I had, somebody would have said, "You shouldn't do it," you know?

After being made countless empty promises and having lost £25,000,

they took the brave decision to go to the police.

They said they were going to send up a form

-to get our money back, didn't they?

-Yeah.

And I waited until I had this form

and then I took all the paperwork to the police station

and told them about it.

But not until then.

As soon as Jo heard Sid and Mary's story,

she took the case to the police's fraud unit.

But unfortunately, it was just too late.

Their money had disappeared.

It's believed the con men were operating from Africa.

The case is still being investigated.

But at the moment, all Jo can offer is support.

Let's hope that's the end of it now.

And with all the information we've got on that,

then we'll do our best to link it to any other -

cos you're not the only ones.

And we'll try and link it in with any others we know of

and get it all together for intelligence purposes

and see if we can trace where it's all coming from.

It isn't uncommon for victims to be targeted multiple times,

so Jo is keen for Sid and Mary to keep in touch.

I'm just concerned that because you have been duped once,

that other companies or other people might try and scam you again.

But if you are worried ever about people ringing you up

or calling at the door about things,

don't hesitate to give me a call

and I'll come and check it out for you. Yeah?

Or ring the 101 number and say, "Do you think this is genuine?"

-But do you know what, Sid? They don't care.

-Oh, no.

-What goes around comes around, Sid.

-Exactly. It will, one day, won't it?

They'll get their comeuppance one day, yeah.

Well, you've got each other

and you've got your dogs and everything here.

OK. Well, if you need anything, just give us a call.

If it seems too good to be true, then it's too good to be true.

If you get a letter to say you've won the lottery in Europe, Spain,

any country, and you haven't entered the lottery,

there's no chance you've won it.

If you think it is wrong, it probably is wrong.

Go with your gut feeling and report it to the police.

Let them be the judge.

It's Friday evening in Weston-super-Mare

and PC Jim Murray has been kept busy.

What's your name?

Jim had to seize this lady's brandy

before escorting her back to her home.

He's now en route to the next job and thankfully,

it sounds as though this one is alcohol-free.

Just an off-road bike being driven up and down the road.

I think someone...

A bit of antisocial behaviour on a motorbike.

After parking up, Jim now needs to try and find the motorcycle.

Are there motorbikes over there, mucking about, are they?

Has he gone up that way now, has he?

-Whereabouts have they gone, do you know?

-I don't know.

I can just hear them down there, mate.

Jim knows this area well

so tracking down the bike rider shouldn't be a problem.

ENGINE REVS

The telltale sound of an engine lets Jim know

that he is in the right place.

Over there.

He approaches cautiously.

The last thing he wants is for the rider to make a run for it.

Off it.

-What are you doing around here on it?

-I just bought it.

-You just bought it?

-Yeah.

-Who from?

-Someone called

-BLEEP.

How do you know it's not stolen?

-I know he's had it for quite a while.

-Have you?

I think you're annoying people locally.

That's why they've phoned.

I'm going to do some checks.

As Jim checks out the bike,

someone else has been checking out Jim's patrol car.

-Why is there a quart of

-BLEEP...

Oi, oi, don't swear.

-Don't swear at me. There's no need to swear at me.

-Did I swear?

-You did, yeah.

-Yeah, actually, I didn't.

-You did.

Why is there a quart of hard liquor in the middle of your car?

What's that got to do with you?

-I don't know.

-I like to have a drink while I'm driving, don't I?

-Yeah, of course you do. Sounds like it.

-All right.

Why are you picking on these kids?

I'm not picking on these kids. I'm asking some questions.

-A camera, what's this?

-I'm asking some questions, all right?

-Trying to do my job.

-Just checking you out. You check them out.

-I'm checking you out.

-Go on, then. Go away for now.

Let me deal with this and then I'll come and speak to you, OK?

-I can only do...

-Come and speak to me in a minute.

-I will.

-All right. Thank you very much for your input.

-Yeah, thank you.

I appreciate it.

After dealing with the...well-meaning passer-by,

Jim returns to checking out the young lad and his scrambler.

As far as I'm aware, you shouldn't be riding a bike in a public place

and this is a public place, isn't it?

Kids could come in here on their bikes.

There have been a few dog walkers come over here

since I've been riding it and I've cut it out for the dog walkers.

Yeah, but what happens if you fall,

-ride over one of the dogs or something?

-I suppose, yeah.

That is why you're not supposed to be riding in a public place.

-You're supposed to be riding on private property.

-Yeah.

As far as I'm aware, this is council property.

Let me do a couple of checks,

make sure the bike's not on our records as being stolen.

A few colleagues have arrived,

in case the bike needs to be seized - and it's good timing.

The onlooker has decided to put in another appearance.

If you swear again, I'm going to arrest you, do you understand?

-BLEEP.

-Do you understand?

-Yeah -

-BLEEP.

-They're in the dictionary. You can't say swearing...

-BLEEP.

You are swearing in front of kids.

I'm warning you under Section Five of the Public Order Act...

I'm warning you under Section Five of the Public Order Act

that if you continue to swear,

I'm going to arrest you. Do you understand?

Jim is used to being taken to task by members of the public,

but even his patience stretches only so far.

-Let me deal with what I'm dealing with.

-Have you got a real ticket?

I want to see the ticket. I want to see your card.

Haven't you got anything better to do? Seriously.

-I've got something better to do.

-Well, go and do it. Go and do it.

Go over there and I'll come and speak to you in a moment, OK?

-Why did you pick on me?

-Like I said...

-I just told you...

-Just stop swearing, all right.

-No, I'm not swearing.

-You swore several times.

-Yeah. I told you the swear words...

There is no need to be swearing in front of the kids, is there?

They are in the English dictionary. Simple as.

Calm down. Go over there and I'll come and speak to you in a moment.

-Right?

-Yeah, but why is there alcohol in your car?

I don't believe you are a real cop. I saw a bottle of beer...

-Brandy. Brandy.

-Yeah. Not even bagged, not even put elsewhere,

in the middle...

-107, can I have some checks, please?

-Go and check his car.

Having made his point, the man finally listens to Jim

and makes himself scarce.

Checks on the bike have come back all clear,

so this young motorcyclist is free to go,

but not without some friendly words of advice.

All I'm going to ask you to do is take it home, OK?

My colleague here is going to pop round,

have a word with your mum and dad,

just to explain to them we've had a chat with you.

Tell them where you can ride it, when you can ride it and give you

a bit of advice as well, especially about wearing a crash helmet.

You could still fall off and crack your head, can't you?

So, it's sensible if you wear the protective gear. All right?

But next time, make sure you get written permission with a phone number,

so then at least we can ring him and ask him

and he'll say, "Yeah, I don't mind him being down there."

Job done, innit? All right, good man.

By dealing with this lad in a friendly but firm way,

Jim hopes it will have an upbeat, long-lasting effect.

If you need to contact your Neighbourhood Team,

just dial the police non-emergency number 101.

See you next time.