Episode 7 Neighbourhood Blues

Neighbourhood policing has come a long way

since the days of 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!

-Hey, hey, hey.

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

Coming up...

What surprises lie in store for the team

on this house visit to a suspected cannabis farm?

Open the door!

DOGS SNARL

Could these be deemed dangerous dogs?

I want to know the temperament before I start going in there,

but they do look like they have got

the characteristics of pit-bull types.

And the team's sleuthing skills are put to the test

with a midnight mystery.

This is going to really bug me.

The new style of neighbourhood policing is all about listening

to local people's concerns and making communities safer.

The big question is, are these teams really making a difference?

Stay watching. We are about to find out.

The Neighbourhood Team are countrywide leaders

in the fight against Britain's home-grown cannabis industry.

Police! Stay where you are!

In the past year alone,

they have seized cannabis with a street value of millions of pounds.

They have targeted major criminal operations

growing plantations in empty warehouses...

..and even low-level users

cultivating plants in their wardrobes.

Sergeant Mick Stephenson is no stranger to drug busts.

He has been on hundreds in his 26-year career

and his keen nose for trouble means that nothing escapes his attention.

For about 12 months now, there's been quite a strong smell

-from time to time, of cannabis down at

-BLEEP.

And the other morning, when I was coming to work,

-I got to junction

-BLEEP

-and it absolutely stinks down here again.

And it comes round about every 12 to 16 weeks,

so obviously someone is having a grow and there is every chance

that it is a decent size, probably the full house.

Acting on his suspicions,

Mick has assembled a team to pay the street in question a visit.

It's wafting around in the street, isn't it?

But first, they have to put their noses to the wind to figure out

which house the pungent odour of cannabis is coming from.

Because of the way the wind is blowing,

I would've said with the other side of the street altogether.

A process of elimination begins and it is not long before

one property attracts all of their attention.

We need to go around the back, yeah, we do.

The teams go around the house

to get a better look at the layout of the property.

A closer inspection reveals all the windows

have been fully covered up to keep prying eyes out.

If you move that out of the way and look in,

there is further plastic sheeting over another door inside.

-Is there?

-Yes.

A peep through the letter box makes Mick decide

that they should enter the house.

-See the next door along? There's sheeting up as well.

-Oh, yeah.

Go ahead.

Sorry, mate, say that again. All the windows are what?

There's someone at the door at the back. Stay there, Andy.

But it seems the knock on the door has spooked someone inside

and they may be trying to make a run for it.

To the front, Andy! To the front!

With no time to waste, the team try to cover every exit

and perform some assault course style tactics to achieve this.

-Open the door!

-Open the door!

No-one has managed to escape,

but Mick is in no doubt that it is time to enter the property...

-Put the bottom in.

-..which can only mean one thing.

It's time to get out the big red key.

Just do that bottom panel.

Yeah, just be mindful.

Crawling into the house, every step the team takes

reveals evidence of a full-scale cannabis operation.

Police!

But there is still no sign of the shadowy figure

seen darting around through the windows.

As the police climb the stairs,

a man can be heard crying out in a foreign language...

Show yourself!

-Anybody else here?

-..before freely surrendering himself.

The man appears to be of Far Eastern origin.

Although it's not necessarily the case here,

in the past, the police have discovered

many of the so-called cannabis farmers in the UK

are illegal workers,

some who've been trafficked into the country by criminal gangs.

If you open that bottom door, Andy, while I search the rest of them,

cos there is more than one bed in here.

I'll pass him on to Mitch, get him in the cage.

The team have good reason to suspect that there may be

more than one farmer working here, not least of all

because there are hundreds of plants, with a street value

of tens of thousands of pounds, potted about the property.

The rooms downstairs have all been set up ready to grow cannabis.

There is nothing in there at the moment.

On the sort of first floor, there are two rooms that are full.

There will be 70 plants in there, maybe.

And maybe another 100 in the room behind us, of a similar size.

If you are in there, come out!

There's a bed here, there's another one downstairs.

We've only got one guy so far.

A phone that won't stop ringing gets Mick's attention.

It could be the hotline between the farmer

and the criminal who owns the grow.

This phone is constantly ringing now.

-Well, there is a phone at the address. Somebody called

-BLEEP.

The rest of it we can't read because it's all in Vietnamese or whatever.

Mick heads over to the police van where the detained man is waiting.

-I've patted him down.

-Do you speak any English?

Do you speak English?

-Any hope of getting any information from him...

-Don't you understand?

-..is dashed by the language barrier.

-I'll take that as a no, then.

Vietnamese adults and children have been trafficked into the UK

illegally for years.

In the past two years alone,

142 Vietnamese men were jailed for growing cannabis in the UK,

many of them coerced by the gang masters into doing the job.

-Doesn't appear to be anybody else.

-Back inside the house,

the full extent of the operation is becoming visible.

Not only is there a swathe of healthy, growing plants,

but also an abundance of evidence of previous grows,

suggesting this operation has been ongoing for some time.

So, this has probably been here

all that time that we have been looking for it, look.

And there is ample evidence to suggest the criminals were hoping

to turn out even more batches of the drug had they not been busted.

There's probably 100 in there.

And about the same in there, I would suggest.

The next thing to demand Mick's attention is the dodgy wiring.

Cannabis growers are notorious for stealing electricity from the mains

and creating elaborate and dangerous wiring set-ups

in order to satisfy the large amounts of electricity required

to power the lamps which supply the plants' growth.

That, there...

..is the main cable,

see the thickness of it, coming into the house.

So that is straight from the mains in the street.

The electricity board will now be needed to be called in

to make the building safe, but for Mick it is now

a race against the clock to dismantle the grow

and destroy the cannabis plants.

In two hours' time, it is going to be getting dark,

so we need to get it cleared out as quick as we can now.

And there is the important matter of gathering any evidence to try

and trace who owns the property

and any information about those who have been using it

for this illegal activity.

And hopefully some time before midnight we will be out of here!

These sorts of high-visibility raids send a message to the drugs trade

that the Neighbourhood Teams will never give up

on their bid to rid the streets from the scourge of drugs.

It's good news when the teams score a result,

but they know there is always

another problem just around the corner

and making sure the most vulnerable members of the community

get the help and support they need is always a priority.

Humberside Neighbourhood Policing is all about serving the community,

with PCSOs on the beat and officers on the case.

For Inspector Steve Lamb,

neighbourhood police work is the pinnacle of policing.

PCSOs are very important in policing.

In my own personal view, they do have some real wide-ranging powers,

PCSOs, and, you know, they are literally,

they are bodies on the ground, they are always out

in the communities, you know. Local knowledge really is second to none.

They know their communities inside out.

PCSOs generally do a pretty good job.

They always seem to be around the community, talking to the locals

and, yeah, generally pretty positive, I think.

By becoming valuable members of the community,

the Neighbourhood Team

can forge strong links with residents of all ages.

How can you get all these trophies and then,

when you are with certain people, just behave like that?

By working with families and youngsters in particular,

real changes can be made that help put young lives back on track.

Building up trust isn't always easy, but as PCSO Jane Waddingham

and a young woman on her patch acknowledge,

the results can be truly life-changing.

Over the past couple of years I have been involved with Danielle,

I have been asked to sort of like make regular contact with her.

She is only 18 now and we are just going to see how she is,

how she's getting on.

SHE KNOCKS ON DOOR

-Hello!

-Hello! Are you all right?

-Yes, thank you.

-You are looking different.

-Thank you.

-I believe it was your birthday yesterday?

-18.

-18!

-So, what did you do for your birthday?

-I just had a little drink.

-Not much, but good enough!

-Yeah?

But the real gift is Danielle's own good health and progress.

-Off the drugs and everything, still?

-Yeah.

When I first came into contact with Danielle,

she was taking quite a lot of drugs. She wasn't... Well...

-It was crack cocaine?

-Yeah.

-Heroin?

-Yeah.

-Things like that.

You were taking anything, really, weren't you?

Since I was 11 years old,

I was taking weed and other things and that.

Quite a little wreck-head. And now I've just calmed down.

18! You've turned 18! You're growing up! Being responsible.

Yeah, you have took a hold of it, haven't you, really,

-and getting back on board, aren't you?

-Yeah.

-So, I'm quite pleased with that.

-I don't want any more trouble.

I don't want to end up in an early grave.

At the end of the day, you're only young once,

-so why wreck your life now?

-Exactly.

-And just live...

-You just live with regrets really, don't you?

-That's what I mean.

-You've only just turned 18, haven't you?

-I'm off to get a job now.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

-Yeah? What would you like to do?

-Just factory for now.

That will be all right, just for a while, yeah.

I'd like to do a hair and beauty course in a few years' time

-when everything is a bit more stable.

-Yeah?

Have my own place and that and my family again.

She may only be 18,

but there is a lot of water already under Danielle's bridge.

-Danielle was pregnant at the age of 15, weren't you?

-14, 15.

Just the fact that I was young, stupid, life situation was just...

horrendous, really.

No matter where she is, I will always love her, no matter...

And I do think about her 24/7.

You just can't let it get you down.

She wouldn't want that, would she? So...

She wants her mummy to be healthy and be proud of me

and not on drugs, so that is what I wanted,

to just prove to my little girl that I can do it, and to myself.

It is still tough, but you get through it

and you pull yourself up through it.

You've got a positive attitude at the moment.

-Make sure it stops there.

-It's staying there.

I can't be doing with it.

Though it has not always been plain sailing,

the safety net is still going to be there.

Like I say, if you can't cope with anything, you know where I am,

the doctors, if you need to speak to anybody.

I've had my ups and downs, with each other, haven't we? But...

at the end of the day, we've pulled through it

and I've had the right support over the years

and I wish I had listened to you a lot earlier!

And thank you very much, Jane.

You've done most of the work yourself, to be fair.

You have done really well. You have. And I'm really pleased with you.

When we first started meeting, like I say,

she would never communicate with me,

she wouldn't engage me or nothing like that, but I'm very persistent.

-I like to...

-You like your challenges, don't you?

I do like my challenges, yes! Danielle was definitely a challenge.

But yeah, I kept coming back,

even though she used to say horrible things to me.

I kept coming back, just talking to her.

Eventually earned her trust and then she started opening up to me

and telling me quite a lot of things and...

Obviously, I've given her a bit of advice and, as you can see, she is

on the right path at the moment and I'm quite happy with that.

Give us a cuddle!

These kinds of visits and this kind of success story

instils confidence in the most vulnerable members of the community,

reassuring them that the police

are a force for good who they can reach out to in times of difficulty.

It has been very draining, but worthwhile, as you can see.

She has turned her life around,

which is for the better and I am happy with that.

It's as quick as that with this one.

Every year, the police seize

thousands of so-called dangerous dogs.

Some of these animals have to be humanely destroyed

because they are pure-bred banned animals.

Many others, however, may be crossbreeds.

For them, there is some hope.

If the police decide the dog represents

no direct danger to the public,

a judge can lay down strict restrictions on ownership

and control of the animal in order that it can be kept as a pet.

Many of the youth do have these pit-bull terriers.

It is some form of status and...

Which is a bad reflection on the dogs sometimes

cos I'm sure a dangerous dog in the right hands

can be trained into...

Well, not so dangerous.

But this comes with a cost and a responsibility that many owners

are unable to bear, so the dogs end up being destroyed.

Over on Riverside,

the neighbourhood police's dangerous dog expert, Gareth Walker,

is investigating complaints from neighbours.

The two dogs, who are local family pets, may in fact be pit-bull types

and therefore banned breeds.

The owner has made contact with us

and is quite willing to work with us to try and identify the dogs,

although he believes that they are Shar Pei dogs crossed with...

..American Bulldogs, I believe,

but I have tried to get hold of him previously

and I can never seem to get hold of him, so I'm just going to go

and see if we can have a look at these dogs properly.

See if there is anybody in.

They are not in, so I'll have a peer over the fence.

I know how high these dogs can jump!

Gareth gets a good look at the dogs

and, after watching them a few minutes, he is confident

he can make an initial assessment.

But he isn't about to jump in and examine them close up just yet.

Ideally, I want to know the temperament

before I start going in there, really,

but they do look like they have the characteristics of pit-bull types,

not Shar Pei crosses as the owner says,

so what we'll do is I will try and...

I will go and give the number a ring that's on the front door

and see if somebody can come back and have a word with us

and then we'll see where we go from there really,

whether we have to go to the magistrates and obtain a warrant

to go and get the dogs and get them seized,

or whether they are willing to cooperate with us

and hand the dogs over.

So, we will give them a ring and see how they are going to play ball.

After repeated attempts to contact the owners,

Gareth is unable to get hold of them.

This means he now has to get a court order to seize the dogs

so they can be given a full examination back at the pound.

I've been and had a look at the dogs and can confirm that they have

got several characteristics of pit-bull types.

Because there are two dogs

and their temperaments are unknown to Gareth, he is taking no chances

and dog handler Kelvin will be going with him for back-up.

Quite inquisitive, so they will probably come to us and have a look,

but really we'll be guided by you in relation to what you want us to do.

I've got a sleeve and a catch pole.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-Right.

With the team briefed and kitted up,

they load into the van and head to the location.

PC Alan Cowley explains most concerns about dangerous dogs

are raised by worried families

who are responding to fears raised by press coverage.

They come to the attention

because the Hull City Council dog warden service contacted us

to say that they had been contacted to say there was possible

pit-bull type dogs at the house

and they passed that information to us

and we are duty bound to go and have a look at that.

Arriving at the house this time,

the police are in luck as the owners are at home.

-Hello, there. All right?

-Hi, mate.

-Hi, mate. Nowt to worry about.

I'm one of the dog legislation officers from the force.

I've tried to get you a couple of times,

I don't know if your number has changed.

It just said it won't accept. We came the other day...

We tried that and it was just cutting off last week.

I tried about six times when we came down.

It's in relation to the dogs that are in the back.

I've issued a warrant for us to have a look at the dogs

-and take them away for examination.

-Take them away?

Yeah. It gives us the power to do that.

Cos I can't do my typing here.

We've got to look at the characteristics of the dogs.

What's the dogs' demeanours like? Are they all right?

When the council came, they said,

"Oh, pit bulls, pit bulls, pit bulls."

And when they left, they wanted to take them with them.

Yeah.

The dogs' owners are very cooperative

and want the matter to be cleared up as quickly as possible.

-If you are going to carry them, it's easier than leads.

-OK, no problem.

-What's his name?

-Freddie.

-Freddie, that's OK. Good lad.

And the owner helping in this way not only benefits the police,

but the dogs as well.

If the owners can bring them out, cos it saves them getting stressed,

getting leads put on them, or the pole if they are aggressive,

and then being carted to the kennels and dragged out the other end.

You know, it is a lot nicer for them just to be popped in here.

They are friendly dogs, so we can

pop a lead on at the other end and walk them out,

give them some treats

and get the water and the beds and everything sorted

and they will be happy when they get there.

Gareth explains to the owner that the dogs will be fully examined.

If they are found to be dangerous dog types,

they may still be able to keep them...

So, I'll get these off, they will be sorted this afternoon,

give them today to settle down. Tomorrow, the next day...

..but subject to very strict conditions,

including that the animals must be muzzled in public,

computer chipped and fully insured.

No aggravating factors, no nothing.

Gareth passes over some general details about the dogs

to Kelvin, who will now take them to the pound.

-..Since they've been born.

-So a double kennel?

If you can ask if they've got a double kennel.

Ideally, I want them in there.

Having examined the animals,

Gareth is satisfied that they are dangerous dog types.

The owner agrees to go to court and adhere to the stipulations

laid down by the magistrate that will allow him to keep them.

You know, a dog on a lead continuously with a muzzle on it,

it's not going to be a 100% happy dog,

but you know, what's the consequences?

They get put down or I get them home and they stay on the lead.

When everything is up and added up, after the court case, kennel fees

and stuff like that, I think I'm looking at about £1,000 to £1,500.

Gareth is satisfied that the dogs are safe pets and, providing that

the restrictions are adhered to, doesn't foresee any future problems.

Richard is fine with his dogs. He's loving, he knows what he's doing,

he's got a good sense about him in relation to the dogs,

how to control big dog breeds.

They are well looked after, they've got enough room outside

to be playing around and bothering with each other, so he is fine.

I've got no problems with him

being an owner of a dog of that sort of breed.

And, a few days later, the owner gets reunited with his animals,

though one of them is being kept in the kennels for a few extra days

as she is in season.

The family are delighted to be getting their pets back

and are glad to put the whole episode behind them.

Of course I've missed them.

It's, you know, like having one of your kids took off you.

I know it's only a dog, but they are part of the family.

In Hull city centre, the team are blue-lighting it to a destination.

Staff in a city-centre cafe have spotted a person

with a kitchen knife in her coat pocket.

Long, dark hair with a ripped pocket on her coat.

Black handled knife in the opposite pocket to the one that is ripped.

Constable Mick Davison and two PCSOs have arrived on the scene

to check out the potential problem.

Where have you just come from? It's all right, my love.

Can you just come here a minute?

I believe you may have a weapon,

so I'll just make you safe so you're not hurting anybody

and I'll take you outside. Do you understand?

Do you understand, my love? Do you understand?

I believe you may have a weapon on you, OK? All right?

I want to put you somewhere safe where you can't hurt yourself

or other people. Is that OK? I'm going to search for a weapon.

I'm going to take this out of your pocket now, all right?

I can't see anything.

The knife is swiftly removed,

but the individual's extreme mood swings immediately raises concern.

I've taken the knife out of your pocket...

I just showed you it.

Let's go round the back.

But, in arresting the individual

for possession of an offensive weapon,

Mick suspects there may be mental-health issues in the mix.

Obviously, that is a small kitchen knife

and it is still capable of inflicting serious, if not...

fatal injury on somebody, so she has been arrested in relation to that.

I think she is displaying some...

potentially some signs of mental illness.

That will be taken into account when she is in custody.

To be on the safe side, he uses a piece of legislation

that relates to mental health and welfare.

This allows the police to detain someone

if they believe the person is suffering from a mental illness,

needs help or may be a danger to themselves or others.

The woman with the knife was not charged with possession of a weapon

and instead is getting the help she needs.

Neighbourhood police teams always try to stop a problem

getting out of hand in the first place.

They try to make a strong show of force at the first sign

of anything that may cause distress to the public.

The Humberside Neighbourhood Teams

have scored a string of major successes by taking the fight

to the region's suspected drug users and abusers.

During the past year,

the Neighbourhood Team have been waging a war against drugs.

Whilst they have scored some dramatic results,

there is no letup for the police

when it comes to shutting up shop on drug users and abusers.

Today, over at Riverside, the team are planning

a raid against a man suspected of using Class A drugs.

Mick and Lorraine, you are going with Craig's team.

A dawn briefing gives the 20 officers

the information they need for the strike.

Splitting into two units, they head to the location.

Lorraine explains some more about the job in hand.

-There's a property on the address on

-BLEEP

-Street that has got...

-It is separated into flats and it's

-BLEEP

-flats

within the building that are allegedly dealing drugs.

So we're going down there to...

to do a couple of warrants, basically.

We've got a full team behind us, MOE team,

to put the doors in and then we'll just go in and see what we can find.

And Lorraine knows first-hand that on these jobs

you must always be prepared for the unexpected.

You just never know what you're going to walk into.

You never know who is going to be there or, you know,

what is going to happen when you get inside the property.

I suppose there is an element of nerves about it.

On arrival, the police prepare to strike.

OK, we've gained entry.

We'll assess and take the lead and then everyone else follow.

The occupant is about to get a very rude awakening.

LOUD BANGING

-Police!

-Police! Stay where you are!

-Stay where you are!

Stay where you are.

Put your hands out for us. Is it Robert? Hey, mate, you all right?

We've got a warrant to search your property, mate, OK?

-Is your hands all right?

-Yeah.

I'll put it on loose. Is that OK, mate?

Have you got anything on you, that could harm us,

like uncapped needles or owt?

With the building secured, it's now time for the team to prepare

to search the place from top to bottom.

The handcuffed suspect is taken to the van

to be carted off into custody.

SIREN WAILS

Back in the house, the search for drugs is on.

Since we came in, he admitted

he had some wraps in his top cupboard here.

Just in there. He stated himself it was heroin.

That was prior, obviously, to arrest and caution.

So that is what he is in custody for at this time.

What we are going to do now

is get the drugs dog in to do a more thorough search,

see if we can find anything else

and it will be a case of seizing the drugs,

seizing some of the drugs paraphernalia, but good job.

The house is very untidy,

but amongst the jumble of belongings, it's not long

before the team start discovering all manner of items of interest.

The force's top nose arrives

and is given the run of the house to see if he can sniff anything out.

My house is not quite as... disorganised as this.

The dog is rooting all around the house,

trying to detect any signs of drugs.

Searches like this can take many man and dog hours,

but attention to detail is essential.

Slowly, more evidence of drug use and abuse is uncovered.

The extensive search of the property is coming up trumps.

Just some digital scales. We found those.

He's got two mobile phones.

And I believe a quantity of drugs has already been found, so...

We'll take it just in case.

The drugs dog's already been in.

It has searched the lower part of the flat

and now the officers, the trained officers, are in

looking at the upper parts of the flat,

so cupboards and on top of shelves and stuff like that,

so hopefully we'll find some more, but as I said, we've got enough

to get him in custody, so in the long term it is quite a good thing.

The show of force shown by the police was well received

by many residents who live on the street

who felt concerns they had about drug use and abuse

were being taken seriously.

Small amounts of heroin were uncovered at the property.

The man was fined £110 for possessing the drug

and ordered to pay costs.

One of the roles of community policing is to ensure that the most

vulnerable members of the community are supported in every way possible.

We have certain pockets of very sort of vulnerable communities

and that might be people who are elderly,

it might be people who live alone,

it might be people who have particularly young children

or it might be people

who have mental-health problems

or learning disabilities, for instance.

And it's really important that our Neighbourhood Teams build up

a rapport and a relationship with them, so that we can...

we can do everything we can, along with partners,

to help reduce the fear of crime.

Care in the community has far-reaching consequences

for the neighbourhood police.

Increasingly, they find themselves on the front line, dealing with

people coping with the full spectrum of mental-health challenges.

And, with over 800,000 people living with dementia in the UK,

police experience in this area is growing all the time.

PCs Paul Arthur and Jade Salmon

visit a woman who has called the police

frightened by 100 youths being rowdy outside her home.

Scouring the area around the woman's home, there is nobody about

and double checks confirm that the neighbourhood

has been quiet all evening.

The 100 people have not just departed,

they have never been here at all.

-Hello.

-Are you all right there?

-You can come in.

-Is that all right?

No, we understand, yeah.

The woman is also worried the people have been inside her home.

-See that chair there?

-I do.

-There was three sat on there.

-OK.

There was a little fat man sat there

-and he had a blanket here, doubled over.

-OK.

And I could see it going up and down, so I knew something...

-Probably like that.

-OK and that's why you have rung us, was it?

-But it's frightening when you're on your own.

-No, I get that.

Do you have any sons or daughters?

-Well, my youngest daughter is my carer.

-OK.

I tell you what, do you want to go and pop the kettle on?

A cup of tea, reassurance that the house is secure

and a call to the woman's carer gets things back on track.

Though these people are not real, the woman's distress undoubtedly is.

-I hate being a nuisance, but...

-You are NOT a nuisance.

She's telling us that there's people in her house

and she is slightly confused today.

She has taken all her medication for the day

and we are happy that there is nothing untoward in the address.

It's obviously distressing to us to a certain level, but as I say,

we've got a duty of care over the lady

to make her safe in her own property.

-All right, then, we will leave you to it. All right?

-Thank you.

-You are very welcome.

-All right.

Caring for the community.

Another string to the bow

of Humberside's neighbourhood police teams

as Dr Ahluwalia explains.

They are very broad minded.

They wish they could do more for our patients, not less,

and I found working with them actually is quite inspiring,

in terms of looking at the way that THEY speak to patients

and seeing how WE could all improve our communication skills

by looking at their good practice.

All across Humberside,

many public areas have been designated as no-drinking zones,

but as Sam Chandler is out making her regular beat walk,

she gets information over the radio

about a possible disturbance in a local park.

I've just had a report come through.

There's two drinkers sat on a bench, causing a nuisance.

One of my colleagues is on her way at the minute,

but we try and go double crew with something like that

because you don't know what you're going to walk into.

It's a children's play park, so it is public perception -

when they take their children in there to play,

the last thing they want to see is a group of drinkers.

On arriving at the park, Sam links up with Jackie

who is already at the scene

and has been having a few words with the offenders.

Can you tell him to be more respectful?

Papa Victor 33, can you show me off at Bean Street park, please?

Any ID with you?

-Yeah, toilet roll what I wiped my

-BLEEP

-on.

Do you know...? It's disrespectful!

-I don't mean to be respectful, but what you probably...

-Disrespectful!

Background checks are made on the people,

some of whom are none too happy about the police presence.

The reason I'm talking to you now is because we had a complaint

from a member of the public that had a small child in the park.

-You'll understand...

-BLEEP!

And obviously, when there's children playing, it's not very nice,

is it, to have a couple of drinkers sat here?

-So that's the reason why...

-No, no, I agree.

Getting the details of the man is proving to be a challenge.

Come on! You're hurting my feelings and I'm bleeding there

and I'm hurting there in my heart, where you bleed there and there.

Right, no offence. I don't mean to be...

Despite not having ID, Sam recognises the man and it turns out

he is already wanted by the police for assaulting a police officer.

That fact alone means, as tensions rise, Sam puts in a call for back-up.

I have dealt with this male before on Hessle Road.

That is the reason I've asked for the section 27

because he is getting quite agitated

whilst we are stood here talking to him.

Lee and Neil are fast on the scene

and Sam gives them the lay of the land.

Obviously, Michael is wanted apparently for assaulting

a police constable, so I have dealt with him before.

It's the only time I've pressed my orange button, so just be careful.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, no worries.

Michael, there is a warrant out for your arrest

for failing to appear at Magistrates' Court yesterday.

So you are under arrest at the moment, all right?

You don't have to say anything, but it may harm your defence...

I need to... I need to use... I need to pee.

You can't urinate here. You can't urinate here.

That's being brutal! That is against my... You're being a bit nasty.

It's a bairns' park!

Yeah, you've just brought me a can of beer

and brought me in here, so what was...?

Yeah, but I never said you could go peeing here, did I?

Because he is wanted for failing to appear in court

following the assault of a police officer,

the man is led away to police custody

and the woman is sent on her way.

With the park now free of the drinkers,

Sam reflects on her previous encounter with the man.

I came across him about two months ago.

He was extremely violent, extremely unpredictable

and it was the only time I have ever had to press my orange button,

which is my emergency button, so as soon as I came across,

I realised it was the same male.

And, as Jackie and Sam return to their beat walk,

they get news that the man has been up to his old tricks again.

He has kicked off in the back of the patrol car now,

on the way to custody.

The police officers have just had to call up over the radio

for a police van to assist, to put him in a cage.

He's just...

He spits at you, he screams, he is violent, he kicks, he punches.

The reason why he is in custody is because he was

wanted for an assault on a police officer, so you can imagine,

you know, what sort of individual we are actually dealing with.

The man was jailed for 42 days for assaulting a PCSO

in the course of their duties.

There are some wrongs being done to me!

The Neighbourhood Teams have to make tough calls

in difficult situations.

Much of their crime busting is based on tip-offs

passed on to them by locals, information that can help them

take down any type of criminal carrying out any type of crime.

It's midweek and it has been a quiet night

over at Bridlington Neighbourhood Office,

but for Mark and Nicky, a routine patrol

has just turned into something out of the ordinary

as they have just taken a call

to investigate something very sinister sounding.

So, we are going up to a place called Sewerby Park.

We've had a call from a member of the public

that they have been up there walking today

and they have come across a suitcase containing some photographs

and, a bit more worryingly, they have come across a rope with

a noose-type knot in it in a tree, with no-one in the area.

It doesn't help, the fact that it is very windy,

so we're unlikely to get any air support

and it is very dark, which will hinder us a little bit,

but we've got four officers going up there just to try and

search for it, so we will see if we can find it.

Arriving at the location,

the temperature has dropped below freezing, which leads Mark

to do the chivalrous thing and offer Nicky his jacket.

Nicky?

Yeah, here's my jacket.

Torches in hand, Nicky and Mark

link up with other members of the team who have also been sent in

to investigate the suspicious sounding noose and suitcase.

Using the printout of the original witness statement

as their starting point,

they try to figure out the area the tip-off is trying to guide them to,

not an easy task given the darkness

and the worsening weather conditions.

The police spread out to form a small search party

and begin to scour the land with their torches for any clues.

As they reach the woodland boundary,

they elect to split into two teams in a bid to locate the hanging tree.

As they push on into the darkness,

Nicky's torch highlights a shadowy figure.

But as they move in for a closer look,

it's not a distraught stranger,

just another member of the Neighbourhood Team.

Having scoured a large area to no avail, the team regroup,

the clock ticking, and if there is someone in danger or distress,

they need to locate them as soon as possible.

At the minute, we are a little bit lost.

A member of the public gave us some directions and we have

followed those to the best of our ability

and, at present, we have not found what we're looking for,

so one of the other officers is just ringing the informant back

to see if we can get some better direction from them.

The weather right now is absolutely freezing!

And I'm very grateful that Sergeant Skelton has loaned me his jacket

because that is what a good sergeant would do - look after his staff.

It is all about staff welfare.

Thank you, bye-bye.

Following another call to the witness, some extra information

has been raised which could aid in the search.

It is through the woods, towards the golf course,

and as you walk through the wood...

As the new information looks like it may prove to be useful,

the deteriorating weather conditions mean the search

is in danger of being called off, so time is now of the essence.

I've checked the tree line and I can't see any ropes

and I can't see any suitcases.

This is going to really bug me.

But suddenly comes the breakthrough they are looking for,

when one of the torches picks up

a length of rope dangling from a tree branch.

They move in for a closer look.

Closer inspection reveals

it isn't anything as sinister as a hangman's noose.

As you can see from the rope, it's not a noose,

it's not somewhere where you would

put your head and hope to hang yourself,

it's more of a kiddies' swing, what you'd get...

You find quite a few appearing at the Danes Dyke,

so at this moment in time, we are quite satisfied

there is nothing suspicious.

But there still remains the matter of the suspicious-sounding suitcase,

which Nicky finds nearby.

The team move in to examine it.

Going to recover the suitcase. As you saw, it's...

It's quite old clothing and a lot of it is mucky and mouldy inside,

so it appears to have been there quite a long time.

So we will take it back to the police station

and make sure there was nothing untoward with it.

The search has taken several hours

and used up a considerable amount of manpower,

but the exercise demonstrates

not only how the team are ready to respond to anything,

but also keeps their night-time search skills sharp

for when a call for help signals a real emergency.

The only alternative we would have had

if we hadn't found it was to leave it for the morning, em...

Which then, you know, concerns tend to grow if...

It is nice to get a job bottomed

and sorted out as quickly as we can, so it is a good result really.

It just goes to show the variety of jobs that we get stuck into

in the Neighbourhood Team.

And as for Mark, he is just glad to be heading back to the warm.

Seeing as Nicky had nicked my coat,

we are all off back to the police station

to thaw out and have a cup of tea.

Back at the station, the contents of the suitcase were closely examined

but found to contain nothing more than a pile of worn-out clothes.

The dumped suitcase is an example of careless fly tipping

when the clothes could have been recycled at a local clothes bank.