Episode 2 Neighbourhood Blues

Neighbourhood policing has come a long way since Dixon of Dock Green.

Good evening, all.

From inner-city estates to suburbia,

this new generation of community police officers

are on the front line.

Their aim is to develop a stronger bond with the community,

crack down on the crimes taking place on your doorstep,

and formulate fast action plans to take down the criminals.

-I said no!

-I said yes.

In this new series of Neighbourhood Blues,

we go to the Humberside police region

and get exclusive access to 12 teams of neighbourhood

police officers, as they tackle the problems blighting local people...

-No, I don't care!

-'Ey, 'ey, 'ey...

..and rise to the challenge of making the streets a safer place.

Coming up: The team hit the jackpot in a major drugs raid.

You in the building! Come out now!

A much-loved family pet gets mauled to death by a dog.

And I know justice will come.

OK, Arthur...

And we meet the pensioner who turns himself in.

First of all, I denied it.

Because I was ashamed.

A key to good neighbourhood policing is making the team's presence felt

in towns and villages across the country.

Putting hundreds of bobbies back on the beat has received the full backing of the public.

And, as we're about to find out,

it's a great way to warn off troublemakers and tackle problems fast.

Across the country, thousands of community officers

take to the streets every day,

clocking up a soul-shredding 50,000 miles between them on beat walks.

I think it's brilliant. Cos I think it's about visual deterrent.

Yeah, I think community policing is good,

because it just kind of makes you feel as a community a little bit more protected.

PCSOs are at the very heart of the neighbourhood policing strategy.

PCSOs make up the bulk of our neighbourhood teams.

They're the ones who, day in, day out,

rain or shine, are out there

forging links with the community.

The fact that they're so highly visible,

and the fact that their powers are considerable

but still limited,

allows them the freedom to make sure

that the core amount of their duty is spent out and about with members of the public.

All across the country, the neighbourhood teams also hold regular surgeries and meetings,

so problems can be discussed openly and solutions found.

Vehicle crime is down nearly half...

All in all, this is one neighbourhood police force

that is big on community, and big on cutting the causes of crime.

I think neighbourhood policing is without doubt the way forward.

One type of crime always on the neighbourhood team's radar

relates to drugs.

Cannabis isn't the harmless drug some seem to think it is.

Organised crime gangs who grow it

can bring violence and intimidation into a neighbourhood,

and cannabis farms are a big business in the UK,

with hauls totalling over £200 million made in the last year alone.

In Humberside, the police are spearheading

the fight against criminal gangs looking to cash in on a large scale.

Today, the neighbourhood team are acting on a piece of intelligence

that's come in anonymously through the Crimestoppers website.

Tony Walgate explains more.

Basically this morning we've executed a misuse of drugs warrant

at an address in North Hull.

Whilst that's happened,

the neighbourhood policing team have come across what they're saying

is a major cannabis factory

in a factory unit on Sutton Fields.

The location of the suspected cannabis farm

is on an industrial unit on the outskirts of Hull city centre.

PC Paul Yeomans is already on site.

He is one of the police officers who made the initial

investigation of the site,

following tip-offs about suspicious behaviour.

Yeah, we've initially taken a call to come to the building unit

next door here this morning to pick up some...a crowbar

and something that was believed dropped down the side of the building.

We've turned up, spoken to the staff at the building, at the unit here,

who have told us there's an insecurity in the fence between the two,

so we've come, explored the insecurity in the fence,

had a good look around the security hut there and the front of the main building,

there are marks on the front that suggest somebody's tried to get entry.

So I've walked around the back of the security hut and I've found

an insecurity which has led us into the building,

whereupon we've discovered quite a substantial cannabis factory.

It comes as a surprise to the police

to find that the main entrance to the premises has been unlocked -

which makes them suspect whoever was inside may already have done a runner.

But, as Paul explains, the search was done with caution,

because intel suggested people on the site may be carrying weapons.

We've started to do a search upstairs until we've got the information

that possibly they might be armed, and then we've withdrawn.

We haven't searched the whole of it,

so I'm not satisfied that it's empty up there.

Sgt Mark Peasgood does a quick preliminary scout around.

He doesn't find any criminals - but he does hit the jackpot.

Well, there's obviously thousands of plants. They're not quite ready.

Like I previously said, they've harvested the mature ones,

they're waiting for these to mature and it looks like the grow is actually in stages.

There's smaller plants that side,

and then it just goes along to the bigger plants at the back

and then once they reach adulthood

they harvest them and then bring them ones in here to continue the process.

Mark now gets to enjoy his very own David Attenborough moment -

neighbourhood policing-style, of course.

This is industrial, it's organised crime,

it's not your run-of-the-mill back bedroom grow.

They've taken the cost of hiring the premises,

hiding obviously the cannabis factory,

and employing people to actually run it for them.

Over on the other side of the unit,

Paul is giving the lowdown to other officers as they arrive on the scene -

and raises concerns,

not least of all about where the suspects may be hiding.

Have you requested a dog yet?

I've asked for a dog, I've asked for the consideration

of an armed team to search, considering the intelligence.

So...

I mean, they've harvested all that, and there's loads of it that they've harvested there. But...

-it's huge, isn't it?

-It's rather a big one, so to speak.

Potential health hazards mean a specialist search unit is needed

to look into the remainder of the premises.

What's happening now is we've got a specialist team that have turned up.

Officers are going to go into the building with breathing apparatus on,

just with meters and to check out the chemical side of things,

if there's any noxious or dangerous chemicals within the building.

If there is, then they will have to shut the building down and reassess the situation.

If there isn't, they'll clear the building, then we'll look at getting

a scenes of crime officer down

to photograph and evidence everything,

and also the electricity board to come down to make the place safe,

and then we can look at going in and actually starting dismantling.

The dog handler arrives on the scene with the force's top nose.

He's going to see if there are any cannabis farmers hiding out from the cops.

Paul describes the scene inside.

We've had a quick walk-through before I got that information, and there is

everything there from food, bedding, suitcases, TVs...you name it.

And once you go looking into the rooms,

some of the rooms have got, like, a concealed space at the top,

and they could be in the loft, they could be anywhere.

As well as toxic fumes and lethal electric wiring,

there's another danger that the team have to take into consideration,

that links back to some of the intel from the original tip-off.

The NPT's had some intelligence through Crimestoppers.

It's from an untested source,

so we're just trying to develop that intelligence. Unfortunately, we can't.

They've found a substantial grow here,

but there's some mention about armed guards being used.

Find out later how the police have to brace themselves

for the extraordinary scale of the operation that they uncover.

Assaults against partners account for one in six

of all reported incidents of assault.

Domestic violence is a crime that normally takes place

behind closed doors, but today it's spilled over into the street.

Any reluctance the victim may initially have had about coming forward

is made easier by the fact that there were

a number of onlookers to the vicious assault.

Neil and Stu are out making a routine patrol

when news of the attack comes in over the radio.

Just had a male assault a female on one of our local shopping areas.

Sounds like they're known to each other.

We'll have a quick look round, he's probably well and truly gone, being on a bike

and knowing that he's done wrong, so we'll just go and speak to the victim now.

As I was walking out, he tried ramming the bike into me legs.

And obviously I come walking down here,

and he threatened to ram the bike in me again, so I've walked in here

and gone to ring the police and the lady in there's asked me

to come out of the shop, but obviously

I didn't want to cos I knew what he was going to do.

And then he rammed me into the railing there and started punching me in the head...

-On the corner?

-No, in here.

-In here, OK.

..and started punching me in the head and booting me in the head.

Them in there's seen everything. But I want to press charges against him.

First of all, do you need any medical attention?

No, he's just done summat to me arm and it's, like, in me arm all here.

Then he kicked you in the neck as well, did he?

-I don't know if you can still see...

-Yeah, you've got a bit of bruising.

-That's where he kicked me, but these ladies in here seen everything, know what I mean?

-OK.

One in ten of all emergency calls are related to domestic violence.

And although the majority of cases never come to court,

for those that do, conviction rates run high, at over 70%.

-But this time I want to press charges.

-Too right. Yeah.

I really don't want to be with him.

-He did it in front of

-BLEEP.

-He went to go and

-BLEEP.

Yeah.

The only way that I'm going to realise if I don't, is if I'm in a coffin.

Well, I'm glad, you know, the penny's dropped.

Find out later if Kirsty holds her nerves and presses charges,

and how the team do in tracking her violent partner down.

With dangerous dogs regularly making headlines,

the police do everything they can to keep

the hounds of Humberside in check, and the public safe from attack.

But sometimes, a tragedy can strike that doesn't involve a person,

but a much-loved family pet instead.

But the results can be equally distressing for those concerned,

and require a full investigation.

There are around eight million pet cats in the UK,

and over a quarter of all homes have a dog.

These animals are not always known to get along.

And whilst we all know the saying "fighting like cat and dog",

over in Bridlington, that's taken on a literal meaning

that's brought tragedy to a family pet.

PC Richard Bastiman

and RSPCA officer Geoff Edmond

have got together to look into a complaint that's been made by a member of the public.

There's an incident reported to us

last week where a lady

was in the street,

-and two dogs have attacked and killed her cat.

-Yeah.

One of them was a Staffordshire pit bull terrier,

and the other one was, like, a lurcher-type dog.

A male has approached her and said,

"I'm very sorry, I'll pay for any vet bills."

She's kind of like, screamed at him, with being upset.

There was two children, a five- and an 11-year-old

who are her children, were crying and screaming.

The victim here is the cat,

and if that was yours or mine, Richard, we'd be distressed,

cos it's a member of the family, they've got children.

So I think you're right to investigate it, and there's a lot to look at.

Having discussed the incident in detail, Richard decides it warrants

further investigation and decides to pay the cat owner a visit.

His concerns are heightened by the fact

that the dog owner has prior history of not keeping his dogs under control.

The thing that makes it interesting is that this chap

has been issued with a court order

stating that he must have his dogs on leads and with muzzles on as well.

Richard and Geoff arrive at the home of the lady who owned the killed cat.

-Geoff Edmond from the RSPCA, we spoke on the phone.

-Yes.

And I said I'd speak to Richard, get in touch.

What I'm interested is, can you show us where it happened?

-Cos in the statement, it says about...

-There.

She gets to nearly up by the window, top,

she lost her footing and as she came down, the Staffie

grabbed her by the throat, she was dead instantly

as she hit the floor.

What we're going to do is, we've just got another address to try,

so we'll go do that, and then some time today I'll give you a ring, just let you know what's happening.

With the woman clearly distressed,

Richard is determined to track down the owner of the dog

knowing full well the trauma that the loss of a pet can cause.

It's been a family pet for four years, and they actually put

in the statement that she classed the cat as, like, a child, you know.

We need to deal with this chap.

Richard and Geoff visit an address the dog owner is known to frequent.

-Hello. Is Michael in?

-He's not, no.

The dogs are at home, but the owner isn't.

The woman, however, provides Richard with some additional contact information.

Back at the station, Richard hits the phones

and finally makes contact with the dog owner.

I need to speak to you in relation to an allegation that's been made

regarding your dogs.

That they've killed a cat.

Do you know about it, do you?

All right.

Would you be able to come to the police station on Thursday?

The dog owner has agreed to come into the station to be interviewed

under caution for the alleged offence.

It was an accident, the dogs.

-It's ultimately my responsibility they got out.

-Right.

But it happened so fast.

Just as I stopped the car, my son opened the door and...

You know. So, it wasn't that the dogs were loose. They were in the car.

I had no intention of them being released from the car.

With the dog owner's statement complete, he strives

to make it clear that he regrets the situation that

unfolded and that Stella, the pet cat, was killed.

I am just very, very sorry about what happened.

I don't condone the fact my dogs killed the cat at all.

I'm just very, very sorry.

It was never my intention to allow the dogs out of the car.

They've got out of the car and that's my fault.

At the end of the day, it's killed a cat

and I will not allow it to happen again.

So I'll have the dog put to sleep.

With the dog owner admitting to the offence,

it's now left to the neighbourhood team to inform Stella's owner

of the outcome and any proceedings against him.

Obviously, the last I spoke to you, we were hoping that he was

going to come in for voluntary interview yesterday.

He did actually do that. So, yeah.

Richard's actually managed to speak to him and interview him.

Basically, the outcome of that is he has been summonsed to court.

I am so happy because I was so sure he would not turn up.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Oh, that is great news.

I knew that was the feeling so I thought you would be pleased to hear

that he has. That's the outcome of it.

But despite the tragedy, the family are determined to pull together.

The friends we've made through it will get us through it

and the police have been brilliant with everything that they are doing.

They are updating all the time.

Now I've been updated, and I know justice will come,

and that's what we want.

That's all we want, justice.

And if one good thing does come out of this sad occurrence, it's that

community spirit is thriving amongst the residents.

You are quite lucky on the street because a lot of community

spirit is lost. Whereas, on this street, there is a lot of it

-and people do tend to club together.

-I've found that.

The amount of people that have come to say, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

I'm thinking, "Well, where do you live? I don't know you."

But one person says something and then another says something.

And then it gets passed onto families and relations.

She's even had people come up to her at school,

-children saying, "Are you all right? I'm sorry."

-Yeah.

The dog owner was charged with two breaches of a dog control order.

He was given a suspended prison sentence

and ordered to pay £500 compensation to the victim.

His dog was humanely destroyed.

..Came from the boxing club.

Complaints about antisocial behaviour caused by gangs

of youths roaming the streets have dropped dramatically

in Humberside during the past year -

in no small part due to the teams upping the number of high visibility

patrols they make around trouble hot spots

and interacting with the youths.

I'm always worried about teenagers.

Teenagers are always a bit of trouble, if you like.

If you go into the city centre at night,

the teenagers tend to be in hoodies and dark clothing.

Obviously, we cannot say anything because everybody...

They get angry and we don't know what is going to happen.

They are all in gangs as well, so it's quite intimidating.

Another key part of the approach is to advise people experiencing

a problem how to deal with reporting and confronting

the troublesome youths, which can make all the difference

between diffusing a situation or seeing it reach flash point.

Today, Neil and Barbara are paying a visit to an elderly lady

who has in the past had eggs thrown at her property

and windows broken with footballs.

But the trouble has all but stopped,

in no small part due to the lady taking on board the advice

the police gave her about how to deal with the tearaway teens.

Once inside, the lady proudly explains

how the strategy is working.

What have you been like since we last spoke to you?

Like I say, some of them were playing out there

and I didn't take any notice because they were actually out here.

But the other three...

One of them was stood near the front door and it was continuous,

thud, thud, thud. Now, it does get on your nerves.

Anyway, I just went out and said, "Look, lads, can you go

"and bounce that somewhere else, please?" They went, "Sorry."

I went, "That's OK."

-They went and I said, "Thanks for that." And then I came in.

-Good.

So... You know, I was proud of myself there.

-You look a lot better this time around, definitely.

-Yeah.

-Well, that's good then, isn't it?

-Like I say, touch wood.

-Touch wood.

I don't know why anyone would want to see an 80-year-old woman upset

and angry but if you've gone out there, nice and calm,

you have resisted going out for a while and have gone out nice and calm

and said, "Come on, lads, just shift on," that's no fun for them, is it?

Take care.

And Neil hits the nail on the head about why sometimes with problem

kids, being diplomatic can pack more of a punch than venting your anger.

With the lady reassured, the team are now on their way.

The police are always on hand to support vulnerable residents

and are keen that even the youngest members of the community

lend a helping hand, too.

-It's a good park up there, isn't it?

-That's where I'm going now.

-Exactly.

Keep away from there...

Tackling trouble before it starts is the neighbourhood way.

Still to come: Nicky dives in at the deep end.

We are going to have a swim around, so to speak,

and see if we can find any evidence.

Back over in Hull city centre, the neighbourhood team have

followed up a tip-off made to the Crimestoppers website.

It led to them uncovering a massive cannabis farm in a deserted factory.

The grow is worth hundreds of thousands of pounds

but the big question for the team now is where do they start

to gather evidence and destroy this criminal operation?

But first of all, it's time to send in the dogs to see

if any criminals taken unawares by the raid

are still hiding out in there.

Are you in the building? Come out now!

It's your last chance! Come out now or we will send in the dog!

A canine sweep of the building reveals the sleeping

and living quarters.

But after an extensive search,

there mysteriously isn't any sign of the farmers.

We've cleared the building. As far as we are concerned,

there are no viable people in there.

Certainly, on the lower level, work we've got to do now is clear

the roof void area, which the support unit are going to do.

We are going to bring ladders in because the dog

can scan the lower area.

If there was anybody hiding above ground, it would jump up

and start barking. I'm confident there's nobody up there.

We've just got to make sure, belt and braces now, with the ladders

and stuff and physically get our heads and a torch up there.

Then we can shut the power off, make it safe for everybody.

Then recover as much of the equipment as we can and dispose of it.

It's a massive operation.

It's going to take another day or so but, yeah, happy days.

Good result for Humberside Police.

Many of the labourers who work on these large-scale cannabis farms

are illegal immigrants, often from Asia,

who have been forced into slave labour.

Normally found to live on site in fear of the gang masters, the

fact the building is deserted could be an indication that they sought

to escape and tipped off the police via Crimestoppers before doing so.

This is how it is. They get locked in here.

They've got their food and that's it.

They've got to fend for themselves

and make the best of a bad thing, really.

It's another major result for the team

and their fight to keep the streets free from drugs.

All told, in this building, there have been 2,790 plants,

which if you work it out at the average price per plant,

which is around £300,

is somewhere in the region of £837,000.

That's one week's work in here. Times that by four.

That 3.5 million quid's worth of plants in here.

Cannabis farming isn't the only crime

that happens behind closed doors.

The perpetrators and victims of domestic violence,

both men and women, are often hidden from view.

But how do the police deal with a typically very private

form of assault when it spills out onto the high street?

One in four women will be the victim of domestic violence at some point.

Traditionally difficult to police

because of it often occurring in the privacy of people's homes,

today the team are confronted by an unusual case.

A young woman has been assaulted by her partner

in a busy shopping district.

-Thank you for that.

-See you, fellas.

I think it's a big problem nationwide, really.

Humberside Police, one of their policies is to deal with

domestic violence in a positive manner every time, so...

She's going now to give a statement and we are going to go

and get the arrest package together and...

My lad will be getting arrested for what he's done.

SIREN SOUNDS

Neil and Stuart spot the attacker on their way back to the station.

This is our guy who has been involved in the assault.

Give him a shout, see if he wants to stop. If not, I will get...

Mr Hailstone! Quick word, mate. Quick word.

Think he might have scarpered. I can't see him.

Despite their best efforts, he gives them the slip.

So, we know who the offender is because it's domestic.

The violent man is rounded up the next day

and Kirsty holds her nerve and presses charges against him.

We thought we would pop back and see if you are OK.

Obviously, it was a nasty assault, really, wasn't it?

I can't believe you haven't got bruises there.

-It went down straightaway, though.

-Oh, right.

We've got a few statements off people in the shop as well,

didn't we, which helps. Well, we will leave you in peace.

-All right. Thank you.

-See you later.

-Cheers.

-Bye, now. Bye.

Kirsty's attacker was found guilty

and received a 16-week suspended sentence.

The court also imposed fines and a drug rehabilitation requirement.

Results like this depends not only on the commitment

and courage of the victims but on the police's determination

to serve all members of their community with equal fairness.

Grassroots communication and respect

are the building blocks of this ambition.

To help out and break the barriers down.

Quite often, people have a better rapport with us

as PCSOs than they do with police officers, because we are the ones

that do engage with the communities as part of our role.

We are able to get in, like my colleague says,

and interact in a much more friendly and relaxed environment

than a police officer would be able to do.

Gradually, over time, they learn to accept us

and we are there for them, just like any other part of the community.

Ever since schools entered the computer age, they have

become a magnet for thieves looking to get their hands on thousands of

pounds worth of iPads and computers that can be exchanged for fast cash.

This local school has been the target of thieves in recent months

and tonight, a local woman has called the police to say

that three men have been seen acting suspiciously on the school roof.

PC Alan Cowley is first on the scene.

There are three on the roof at the moment.

Confirmed sightings by officers. They've just gone over the back.

I've just heard some knocking up there.

Helicopter's lifting from its base now.

It should be here in two or three minutes. It will do a fly over.

As it is, I think we've got two people... Two have run off the roof.

Our officers are chasing them down Bridlington Avenue.

I'm fairly sure there is still one on the roof.

Officers saw three on the roof. Only two have come off.

But I've just heard knocking somewhere around the back of here.

The helicopter is going to have a fly over and see

if he can see anything for us.

It could be that he is just nicking lead

or dropping through and into the classrooms.

There's thousands of pounds worth of gear in schools now,

computers and televisions and video equipment.

The eye in the sky has got the lad in its sights.

He's here but he's hiding.

Yeah, yeah.

Fella, the helicopter has picked you up. Do you want to come out?

We've seen you.

Come on.

Come on, now, fella!

The helicopter has picked you up.

Fella!

Which way are you coming down?

Come down there and come over this fence here.

There's no way out. You are totally surrounded.

The other two rooftop raiders have scarpered

and the youngster's left to face the music alone.

Don't mess about because the dog will have you as well.

Yeah, he's coming down off the roof, coming to me.

Just one second. Over the wall here, fella.

Just come here and we won't release the dog.

Come up onto the top and jump down here.

Or else the dog will have your legs.

And now down here. Down here.

Right. OK. Face that wall for me, mate.

Okey-dokey, we'll get the bottom of it.

Got a male juvenile in custody for attempted burglary.

Off the school roof. Can you confirm for me, please?

Just jump in there for us, mate.

There is no escape for this teen, who is now

about to see the inside of a police station for the first time.

Just come this way for me.

-Thank you.

-How old are you?

-15.

The boy was given a firm talking to by the police, who decided to

bring no further charges.

The young lad has promised to stay away from school

outside of lesson times and stay off the roof.

The public are the eyes and ears of the police

and on the other side of the city, an urgent call has come in.

A resident has spotted someone acting oddly in their street.

A suspicious male has been seen trying car doors

and house doors in the area.

Along with a number of other patrols, we are going to get into the area

and try and get him stopped.

That's it. There we go.

More information about what the man's carrying comes in.

This male has been seen carrying what is believed to be

a quantity of CDs and I think some wiper blades from a car as well.

Due to the fact that somebody

matching his description has been seen trying car doors, my suspicious mind

would suggest to me that he has possibly broken into a car.

An undercover team pounces before the man could run off or

ditch any evidence.

So what is he carrying?

Neighbourhood officers Shaun Casson and Dave Mackinder intend to find out.

-We are going to carry out a search, OK?

-Yes.

-Right.

-Keep your hands to the front then.

-Has anyone got

-BLEEP?

-I've got nowt. I've told you.

-OK. I'll give you a search.

-Does anyone smoke?

-No. BLEEP.

The search uncovers a ball bearing.

You are under arrest for going equipped to steal.

-Do you understand that?

-Yes.

-OK.

Can I get a smoke?

Mark Peasgood arrests the man as he knows metal shot like this can

often be used with breaking into cars.

He was found in possession of a ball bearing.

Now he's got some questions to ask as to why he has got a ball bearing.

MAN LAUGHS

These sort of things are used to smash car windows, house windows, to gain access.

So he's been arrested for going equipped to steal.

The resident's tip-off comes good as the man later receives two years

behind bars for attempted burglary and breaking his bail conditions.

On top of providing a uniformed presence, PCSOs have a

large part to play in the fight against crime.

Looking for things out of the ordinary, there isn't much

that gets past them.

In Bridlington, PCSO Fearn

-has just witnessed some dubious behaviour.

-Two males have just met up.

-Yeah.

They've got white powder.

One of the males has put powder into his pocket then obviously on me

going speaking to him, one of them has put it down the drain,

-Now gone into the toilet.

-Which drain? The nearest one round here?

-Yes.

-I'll go and have a look.

On the way to where the men are being held, Constable Nikki Cammiss

eyes up a few drains,

and with the likely grate identified,

it's time to get the gloves on.

-He's lucky if it's gone under.

-Yes, he is.

Unless he had something else in the bag to weigh it down.

CCTV have observed a male that we've got in custody drop a clear

bag with white powder in down the drain.

So we're going to have a swim around, so to speak, and see

if we can find any evidence.

What's that bit there?

Nothing that fits the bill leaps out from the filthy debris in the drain.

I'm sure I don't get paid enough money to do this.

The suspicious package has either long gone into the murky

depths or nothing was actually dropped.

Thank you for that.

Nikki heads to where the two men are being detained and searched.

Do you want to take your jacket off then?

One of the pair is caught red-handed with a small bag of drugs and arrested.

-Personal use.

-You are under arrest.

THEY SPEAK OVER EACH OTHER

That's as may be, but still a controlled drug, isn't it?

-£10 worth. Can I have my stuff back please?

-Yes, you'll take it with you.

-Can I have my weed back, please?

-Funnily enough, no.

-Can I have it?

If you don't ask, you don't know.

The other man doesn't have anything illegal on him

so he's let on his way, leaving his chatty friend behind.

The man was charged with possession of cannabis

and given a conditional discharge order, which means the cheeky chap needs

to behave himself for the next 12 months or he'll be called back to court.

Today, PCSO Sam Chandler is pounding the streets

of her Humberside beat in the company of one of the council's

environmental officers, Chris Brown.

We're just going to be looking at the area of St Andrews

and just looking at things like fly-tipping, graffiti,

vehicles that aren't taxed, that type of thing.

Obviously if the area is looking run down, it does lead to more

antisocial behaviour and more crime.

The challenge with fly-tippers is tracing those responsible,

and the search is immediately on for any clues to the culprits,

especially those telltale envelopes that can provide

a springboard for further investigation.

We're just looking for evidence.

Anything really, any envelopes, anything with an address on.

What's that down there? A bit of paper like a receipt or something.

But piecing the potential information together comes

with its own problems.

It's like a jigsaw puzzle, isn't it?

Thing is, sometimes people do get clever

and they know to take addresses off things, but there's nothing on there.

Chris has just found a receipt for the Humber Bridge which is

obviously a toll bridge.

It's actually got the date and time on it and the lane that the vehicle was in,

so, hopefully, from that receipt, we might be able to get some

extra details and that's all going to help to the hopeful

prosecution of the person that's done this fly-tipping.

With neighbours ready,

willing and able to consider having CCTV on their property to try

and catch the fly-tippers, the tide may well be

turning against such antisocial activities.

-I'm getting a bit sick and tired of it.

-Yes, because it's just constantly there.

As soon as it gets cleaned, two days later, it's back again.

It's the number one fly-tipping spot in St Andrews at the minute.

-I've got no problem with one being installed.

-We'll give you a ring later today. Thanks a lot.

-OK.

-I should be in all day.

-That's great. Cheers.

I feel as if the camera was there for a couple of weeks,

I feel certain we'll catch a few people.

But some of the more hidden corners of this patch continue to

provide a dumping ground for more unsavoury activities.

Used condoms. Very nice(!) Human faeces. That's just antisocial completely.

That's disgusting.

Right, I'm going to head out of there because it stinks.

Councils spend £36 million a year clearing the debris

deposited by fly-tippers.

And although it's not easy to bring the culprits to court, several

thousand prosecutions a year are successful.

That's the most worrying thing for me,

if the people are really local, I always think,

at the end of the day, how much do they care about their community?

If they want fly-tipping where they live, that is a real concern.

It's a real close community. There's a lot of positives in the area.

People do look out for each other.

There is a good community feel about the area, definitely.

Unfortunately, it is quite a run down area as well

and they do get problems like any other inner-city.

We've just found something now, Chris has,

just a cardboard box with a name and address on, so again it's

something Chris will probably take or photograph for evidence.

And the most perfect scenario will be that we do get a prosecution out of it.

Investigations are ongoing in this particular case and hope is high

that the vicious circle of tipping and clearing might soon be broken.

Much to the delight of the local residents and the police alike.

Neighbourhood policing is all about developing a good bond with

the community and being an approachable presence.

They've been a real asset, the PCSOs, because they've mingled with

people and done what the bobby on the beat used to do.

They do their job, don't they? We can't live without them.

They always seem very natural and normal.

They're just general guys who know the trials of life for people and, I think, very understanding.

And sometimes this can have a very surprising effect,

such as encouraging someone involved in a crime to come forward

and make a confession to the local bobby on the beat.

Even when the crime is relatively petty, it isn't easy to tell the truth.

First of all I denied it because I was ashamed.

And then eventually I admitted it.

And can he come straight from here with Paul

to have his photograph taken at your place?

The admission of guilt could see Arthur facing criminal

charges for vandalising a vehicle.

But taking into account his remorse

and willingness to pay, Andy is hoping that by acting as mediator

with the victim, he can resolve the situation at the police station.

Arthur was identified as being responsible for causing some

damage to a Transit van. We had him in here with his solicitor.

The evidence seemed to be really good and I honestly did

believe that he would come in here and tell me the truth. He didn't. So I had nowhere to go with it.

I had to report him for summons, he was going to court.

I just got fed up of it being parked on the pavement and,

bad judgment, decided to scratch it.

A difficult confession for Arthur heralds a light at the end of the tunnel.

I've spoken to the fellow. He's here now.

He's admitted the matter and I've got the money for it.

Yes, because I just want to basically finish it today. He's got 850 quid.

I want him to hand it over direct to her, if that's OK?

Arthur can meet her and then pay the cash back if that's OK. OK, mate. Cheers. Bye.

But Arthur's yet to realise his victim's no stranger.

-Arthur, this is the lady.

-We know each other anyway, don't we?

-God, never.

I know. Don't worry. I know you, I know. Our dogs don't get on.

I know. Don't worry.

-I'm just glad it's all over.

-Did you know before today that it was me?

-Yes, I did.

-BLEEP.

-Don't you worry.

Everybody does a bit of stupid things in their lives, don't they?

We don't want it to go to court. We just want it to be over with and done with and... Don't you worry.

I never thought it was yours.

-How often have we chatted over the fence, over the dogs?

-Loads of times.

Do you want to hand the cash over and we'll call it a draw?

-I feel naughty now taking cash but...

-It's done.

-All right.

The woman whose van has been damaged is remarkably calm and understanding

and doesn't want to see Arthur criminalised for his actions.

-Just check it.

-I could go shopping now, couldn't I, really?

-Retail therapy.

-I'll go to Debenhams now.

-Thanks for being so understanding.

-No.

-Thank you.

-All right, come here.

Don't you worry about it.

Nobody... It's all right.

INDISTINCT

All right. You have a good night's sleep and don't worry about anything.

I just need a signature off you there, please. Thank you.

This is an example in motion of how neighbourhood police

officers in close contact with their community can resolve

problems on the spot and, in doing so, save time,

money and heartache for all concerned.

Yeah, he's got a conviction, he's got a caution,

and we've had to have his fingerprints and photographs taken.

But he doesn't have to go to court now.

The lady's been paid for the damage and it's all sort of done and dusted.

In the public side of things, we've not used public money to go

through having to take Arthur all the way to court, using court time,

a lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, et cetera, et cetera.

Instead, it's been dealt with in a common-sense, in the end,

manner, where he's paid for the damage, he's got his caution,

the complainant's happy with that. That is the best result.

That is the best result.

Because we've dealt with everybody at the right level. It's finished.

So I'm really pleased with that. Really pleased with that.