Episode 2 Neighbourhood Blues

With unprecedented access, Neighbourhood Blues follows the

police in Somerset as they take on the crimes that annoy us all.

-Don't manhandle me!

-Come over here.

Targeting antisocial behaviour, drug abuse and criminal damage,

beat officers and PCSOs tackle the problems that, if left unchecked,

could blight the lives of millions.

Armed with the latest cutting-edge kit,

they have the power to strike hard when needed.

Police - stay where you are!

But just like the days of Dixon Of Dock Green...

-Evening all.

-..it's all about partnering with local people.

-Brilliant.

-Working together to sweep crime off our streets.

Police - search warrant!

SIREN WAILS

Coming up...

neighbourhood teams raid a flat and turn up a firearm.

Anyone any good with, uh, weapons?

Teams blitz Weston on a Saturday night.

-Come over here.

-Yeah, but lay off of him.

And a neighbourhood officer assists a deaf man after

-an unprovoked attack.

-Was he drinking? Was he drunk?

Yeah, he was drunk.

This is Somerset. Home to some of the country's wealthiest communities.

And to some of the most deprived.

Over 900,000 people live here - not all on the right side of the law.

Antisocial behaviour can ruin lives. One nightmare neighbour

doesn't just make life unpleasant for those close by,

but can create an environment where

more serious crime can take hold.

So, community police teams are always looking for ways

to crack down on offenders.

In Weston-super-Mare, the Neighbourhood Teams are fighting

an ongoing battle against antisocial behaviour on

the Bournville Estate.

To try and improve life for residents, the police are

cracking down on any offensive behaviour in the area.

If you four want to go together...

Today, they're raiding a flat where fights,

late-night parties and the smell of drugs have been making

life a misery for everyone else on the estate.

If we park... The rest of us will park round the corner

in the crew bus. If you get entry, give us a shout,

we'll be there quick as a jiffy. All right?

A veteran of 16 years, Colin's got a cunning plan to gain entry.

I'm a little bit short on resources -

so we've had to box a bit clever today.

So, I have got one of our female officers to...

To dress up as a postal delivery lady...

Hopefully, she's going to knock on the door...

They will open the door, and we will go, "Hello?"

And we're into the address.

Colin's hoping that by using the undercover officer dressed

as a postal worker will mean they don't have to smash

the door in.

They are composite doors - they are extremely difficult to get through.

So, if we can get them to answer the door...and get in simply

that way, then it's a lot easier all round.

We're not damaging doors, we're not upsetting people et cetera.

The team park up the near the house and wait for their

-"special delivery" to arrive.

-We know someone's in there, cos we can see them from

-the upstairs window.

-The postie is actually out delivering,

so...that may well be a good time for us.

After repeated complaints, the tenant is on his final warning.

If the team find any evidence of drugs,

he could be facing eviction.

Our two plain-clothes officers are just attending the address now,

to see if they can gain entry. We're going to hang back

and wait for the shout to go and support them.

In goes the undercover officer, dressed as a postie.

As she goes in the front, the team scrabble to get in round the back,

without the occupant noticing.

They meet back up inside the block and head upstairs to his flat.

The team rush into the flat to subdue any occupants

-and prevent anyone destroying evidence.

-That's clear...

Luckily, the man they came to see is home.

We've got a warrant to search these premises,

-all right, under Section 23...

-Yeah,

-BLEEP!

One glance around the flat, and the neighbours' complaints

of antisocial behaviour look justified.

I'll ask you one time, one time only...

OK, that's fine, you might find it funny...

OK.

The man may claim he's a reformed character,

but officers aren't going to take his word for it,

Straight off, Russ Millier finds a dangerous-looking iron bar

sitting in full display on the pegs by the front door.

It's the sort of thing that we come across on warrants,

that sometimes can be used as a weapon against us

or, again, a barricade on the door. So... Yeah, a nasty bit of kit.

Why have you got an iron bar behind the door?

-Oh, I had some trouble.

-What?

-Somebody was smashing on my door.

-Why?

-Cos I smashed their telly.

-Why?

So you've got an iron bar behind the door, in case what?

-They smash my door through.

-Why would they want to do that?

I dunno, why would you... For anybody that owes you money.

-OK. So your iron bar is there for your protection?

-Yeah.

OK, fine. All right.

But the iron bar isn't the only weapon in the flat.

Russ...?

The gun was carefully hidden in the man's bag.

I was told there were no drugs there...

-And we've got that.

-That was in his actual man bag.

In his bag?

Time to get some answers.

That...

I know what you're saying. Yeah, it's an imitation firearm,

but I know what I'm doing with it.

This is a gas-powered pellet gun, powerful enough to pierce the skin

or even blind someone.

I don't want this on the estate or anywhere near this, all right?

There's no need to have this kind of thing, is there?

How is any other member of the public supposed to know as well?

Yeah, I get where you're coming from.

You'd frighten the life out of them, wouldn't you, if you pointed that?

-I wouldn't take that out, that's stupid.

-But you've had it in your bag.

-The gun is convincing enough

to be a genuine concern to police. And despite the man's protests

that he's changed his ways, the team have uncovered yet more evidence

of antisocial behaviour.

Where?

-In the lounge?

-Yeah. Do you want to see what we found?

-Yeah.

-Right, come on, then.

Well, it's got to be weed, isn't it?

-Right.

-It's all...

-It's got to be weed.

-I'll nick him for that in a minute.

-In his bag...

The Neighbourhood Team work closely with the local authorities

to deal with antisocial behaviour on the estate.

While the search continues, the local housing association arrive

to speak with the tenant.

There is lots of young families that live in the block

that are disturbed constantly by visitors.

And smell drugs and things like that. Being woken

up at three in the morning with fights.

So, it's not acceptable. It just takes one person in a block

to really disturb people's lives to the point that, you know,

they're really suffering.

The man's already had a final warning about the effect

his behaviour's been having on the community.

As his antisocial behaviour hasn't stopped,

the man is now facing eviction.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

After a long argument with the sarge, the man finally agrees

to hand over his gun.

So, you will disclaim it?

Despite being banged to rights after complaints from residents

whose lives he's made a living nightmare,

the man's got his own grievance. They are taking his phone.

I'm very angry.

We'll get it back to you as quickly as we can.

Oh, yeah(!) They've still got £700 worth of my clothes

from when I went to jail. That's, like, six, seven months ago.

-What did you go to jail for?

-Burglary.

With the search complete, the team head back to the station.

We'll see you later!

HE LAUGHS

We will. I'll see you in court.

The man might not be taking it seriously now,

but he'll be laughing on the other side of his face when

the evidence gathered for the eviction is presented.

A successful job for us, really, to get something like that

off the streets. But also just let the community

in and around the block know that we're not tolerating

his behaviour and the antisocial behaviour that comes with

his address.

The man was given a £90 fine for possession of cannabis.

He was also served with an eviction notice and gave up his tenancy.

Hopefully now, the families in the block can finally sleep easy.

For Neighbourhood Teams, it's hugely important to look out

for the most vulnerable members of the community.

In Bath, Adge Secker's beat has a large deaf population,

who can be more vulnerable to bullies or criminals.

To help him communicate with them, Adge has learnt sign language.

Some people from the deaf community feel very, very isolated

because they can't have a normal conversation with a police officer

or a PCSO that doesn't sign.

So that, to a degree, marginalises them

from accessing the services from the police.

Well, that's never right, is it?

So, if we can just at least have a conversation with a police officer

or a PCSO that can sign... Um, it just normalises all of life,

really, for them. And it means that they can have a conversation

with us, and we can try and help them

and that is what we're all about.

Adge is on his way to see a deaf man who has cerebral palsy.

He's been hit in an unprovoked attack and Adge is determined to help.

Remember, you e-mailed the police and said to us that Ben...

grabbed your arm, is that right?

Yes.

No.

-What's his name.

-I don't know.

-You don't know the man's name.

Is he...

Do you think...

Think that man may be a friend of Ben?

OK. So, what you're saying is that in the park a man...

He doesn't... You don't know his name.

A man punched him. Why that man punched you, we don't know.

Don't know.

That man - was he drinking? Was he drunk?

Yeah, he was drunk.

I'll go and see Ben.

And I'll come back.

And I'll tell you... what Ben says, OK?

OK?

'Looking after vulnerable people is a big part of my role.

'He was very upset there, wasn't he? Just not knowing why he's been hit.'

So, we'll just go and see Ben and see what we can sort out,

see if we can get to the bottom of it.

Jerry's obvious vulnerability means finding his attacker is

a priority for Adge.

His first step is to trace the witness who was with the man

who hit Jerry. Luckily, Adge has dealt with him before.

Is Ben in?

And has a good idea about where he might be.

Just chuck it behind that Peugeot, that will be OK.

There he is there.

Adge has spotted the witness, Ben, in a local park.

Now to find out why his mate, allegedly, hit Jerry.

So, what's it all about, then?

-I don't know.

-Yes, you do, come on! Don't mess me about!

This bloke - he went over there, over to that bench over there...

-Hmm.

-Hit him around the arm.

-So, what's his name, then?

-His name's Ben.

-Ben?

-I don't know his last name.

Come on! I wasn't born yesterday! Who is it?

-No, I don't know his last name.

-Yes, you do.

Stop telling me lies - who is it? Ben who?

I don't know his last name, that's that - I don't.

Where's he live, then, Ben?

-Erm... I do not know.

-When was the last time you saw him?

-Erm, yesterday.

-So, both the witness and the alleged attacker

are called Ben. But even with this fresh information,

Adge isn't confident of getting a result.

I don't know who that person is.

We'll do our best to try and trace him.

But the truth is that that might be a little bit difficult

for us to establish the identity of that person.

I'll put that round to the city centre officers,

they may know who that person is...

So, we do need to get to the bottom of it if we can.

But identification is the key.

Detective work takes time and needs to be thorough.

But as we'll see later, sometimes a lucky break is all police need.

RINGING TONE

Hello, is that Ben?

Still to come on Neighbourhood Blues...

..it's kicking off at kicking-out time.

-BLEEP!

-Just let him go.

And police rush to help a motionless man.

-No, he looks very unconscious.

-Hello? Hi.

Policing town centres on a busy Friday or Saturday night

is always a challenge for Neighbourhood Teams.

They need to ensure people have a good night out

and stay safe, but also respond quickly if fights break out

or things get out of hand.

In Weston-super-Mare, police inspector Sharon Bennett

is heading up a large operation to clamp down on people

taking drugs and dealing in Weston's busy bars and clubs.

Welcome to Operation Joined Up. Tonight is all about all

the different agencies joining up

to make the town centre on a Saturday night

nice and safe for everyone who's coming out to enjoy it.

For tonight's show of force, ambulance crews and the council's

licensing team will work alongside the neighbourhood police

to blitz the town centre.

Sharon's expecting a big night.

We've got 20,000 people here, we want to make sure that town is

nice and safe. It's going to be quite impactful, really,

for those licensees to see us all turning up, in force.

Cracking down and making sure they're sticking to the

licensing objectives.

Weston has been a popular tourist destination for decades.

Nowadays, this part of the Somerset coast gets over eight million

visitors a year, enjoying the beach in the daytime

and the nightlife as the sun goes down.

SHOUTING AND SINGING

A pic of me taking...

Town is really busy already tonight. There's a lot of

out-of-towners, a lot of drunk people already,

which isn't necessarily a good sign. But hopefully,

if they see us out tonight early on in force, they might get

the message of to keep well-behaved and go home early.

-We're all good people!

-Good, I can see you're enjoying yourself.

It's 9pm, and Weston's alcohol licensing team

are out in force to do spot checks

-in the town's bars.

-We'll be doing underage checks in there,

making sure there's nobody in there who's being served alcohol

-under 18. Is the duty manager here, or the owner here?

-No.

Do you get asked for ID quite a lot?

The licensing department from the local council will be in there,

speaking to the licensee, making sure that they've

got everything displayed they should have.

-It's only routine licensing.

-Oh, right.

-We have other agencies with us.

The licensees are just having a good time

and everyone in there is behaving.

Which is all we want.

While Sharon inspects the seafront bars,

Barclay is just getting started.

He's here to sniff out any drugs people may have

-brought into town.

-Barclay's been a drugs dog, now, for 12 months -

he's quite new to the job. He's come along really well.

He indicates on any prohibited drugs - cannabis, cocaine, heroin.

It's not long before Barclay takes an interest in a passing man.

This indication is enough for the officers to give him a search.

Just have a quick word with my colleague over here.

With a sense of smell around 1,000 times more powerful

than a human's, Barclay can smell scents over a week old.

This time, the search draws a blank.

All right, take care, have a good night, cheers.

Barclay's nose is so sensitive that just shaking hands with

someone who's smoked drugs or handling money used to snort cocaine

will trigger his interest.

-Mate, hold up there.

-Another stop. And this time Barclay's detected

something sealed in a bag inside the man's wallet.

OK, mate. Come and stand over here a minute.

Inside the bag is cannabis.

-Is it just a caution, or is it...?

-Quite possibly, yeah. If you've not been in trouble with us before,

then we may be able to deal with it here and now.

We'll walk you down to... We've got a mobile police station.

As part of the operation, police have set up a mobile police unit

to process offenders. The plan is to deal with people on the spot

wherever possible, meaning police can stay on the beat.

-You're done, Matthew, all right?

-Thank you, sir.

Cannabis seized and drugs warning accepted.

-Have a good night, all right?

-Yeah.

-This guy is free to go.

-See ya.

-Take care.

Half 12, and a team led by Sergeant Mark Jenkinson

is working in the entrance to one of the town's 26 nightclubs.

This state-of-the-art drug-testing machine shows if people have been

in contact with drugs, by analysing a swab from their hands.

-Over three for cocaine.

-OK, that's a positive result.

Mate, do you want to just come with me?

But like Barclay the drugs dog, this isn't proof of guilt.

It only gives the police the authority to carry out further searches.

That would indicate to us that you've possibly had direct contact with drugs.

-MAN MUMBLES

-Just listen to what I'm saying, OK? My name's Sergeant Jenkinson,

I work out of Weston-super-Mare police station.

I'm going to detain you for the time being,

to search you under the Misuse of Drugs Act, do you understand that?

-That's fine.

-OK, have you taken any drugs tonight?

I haven't taken any... It might look like it...

-It does look like it, yeah. Cos your pupils are big, that's all.

-I've been drinking...

Tonight's show of force is about sending a clear message that

the police won't tolerate drug abuse and antisocial behaviour in town.

Despite the positive reading, the search draws a blank

-and the man's free to go.

-You can go straight back in, mate.

-Thank you.

-Shall I walk you back in?

-Yeah...

-Come on, then.

It's not long before another positive result.

I've got a faint residue of white powder in there, OK?

So, I would suggest that you probably have been in contact

-with drugs at some point.

-With only traces of powder in his card case,

the lad is let in to the club. These searches and random testing

aim to discourage people from taking drugs in the first place.

It just sends out a good message to explain we are out here being

proactive to try and prevent the casual user from coming into town

high on drugs and potentially causing issues.

So, yeah, we're happy with it.

Inspector Sharon has finished with the pubs,

and is checking in with a unit stationed near the pier.

One of her officers has just spotted something suspicious.

-I think they just...

-Which one?

-See the one...?

-Yeah.

The officer has seen some suspect behaviour in an alley.

There's a guy in a black hoodie, there, sir.

Why are you grabbing me for?

Listen to the officer.

You are being detained for the purpose of a search, OK?

You got anything on you? Anything sharp?

We are going to have to deal with it.

Rather than mess about, the man immediately admits to having

amphetamines, known on the street as whizz.

-Right pocket. Zip pocket.

-All right.

When you've been in neighbourhood policing for as long as Sharon has,

-you see a lot of familiar faces.

-You know me, don't you?

I remember you when you were littler than this, you've sprung up.

-I remember when you were about this big.

-I know.

I haven't been in any trouble since I went to jail.

He was seen to act suspiciously in an alleyway.

We've stopped him for a drug search and found these two

bags of what he is admitting to is amphetamines - speed.

With nothing else found on him, the drugs are confiscated

and the lad is arrested and street bailed - meaning he has to attend

the police station for an interview on another day.

What's more important tonight is that we keep the police officers

here dealing with the people in the town, being a presence.

If we arrested every single person and took them to custody...

We can deal with them at another date, another time.

For Sharon, keeping her team on the streets is critical.

Coming up later...

Thousands of drunk revellers spill onto the streets at closing time.

But lay off of him.

And police have their hands full maintaining order.

Take your hands off me now!

Across the UK, it's estimated there are around 6 million CCTV cameras,

monitoring streets, buildings and businesses.

The most hi-tech systems have 24-hour-a-day operators

who spot and follow trouble as it happens.

In Bridgwater, the town's cameras are linked into a wider system.

We, basically, monitor 147 cameras

over six different towns.

In Bridgwater, I think we've got about 40, 45 cameras

that we monitor.

We can zoom in, zoom out to get really good facial images

of people. We can get photographs from those images as well.

Operators work closely with the neighbourhood policing teams,

helping prevent crime, and working to protect the public.

Chris spots something worrying - a motionless man lying on the street.

Somebody's collapsed or is lying on the floor in the middle of

Fore Street in Bridgwater. Can't see his face, so we can't tell

what exactly has happened there.

They're certainly not moving. Obviously, she's showing

a bit of concern as well...

And that sort of makes us concerned.

We have to look after this person's welfare.

What we'll do is call the police or the PCSOs that are on duty

in the town centre. Control to Charlie Oscar or Papa Charlie,

Bridgwater town centre, over.

PCSOs Dave Schofield and Sarah Mees respond to Chris's call for

someone to check the man out.

We're just going to try and get through this traffic

and go and see if he's all right.

Easier said than done at the moment, cos it's quite busy.

In the control room, Chris is getting worried.

No, he looks very unconscious.

OK, we're just coming to St Mary Street,

so we'll be with him shortly.

Thank you. Beside the bench.

It's taken just four minutes for police to reach the scene.

-Hello.

-I just saw this gentleman.

-Do you know him?

-No, I don't.

He was up by the bus stop just now.

Hello.

Hello.

-Hi, I'm Sarah from Bridgwater Police Station.

-Hello.

You all right? Have you been drinking today?

Bleeding?

As Sarah talks to the man, it's clear why he's out cold

in the street, having lost a shoe.

He's not badly hurt, just very, very drunk.

Do you want to sit back on the bench?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

I'll help you up.

-Oh, no.

-Just going to get you sat on the bench, OK?

So you're sat upright.

All right?

Are you going to be sick?

Have you got anything on you, ID wise?

If you can just give me your date of birth.

They need to find out who the man is.

I don't need your phone.

But he's in such a state, he's unable to help them.

WOMAN: They ain't going to harm you. They're not going to hurt you,

they're here to help you.

HE SNIFFS

You're not really making much sense to me...

-BLEEP!

-No.

-BLEEP!

-Mm.

The man's so drunk, he's a danger to himself

and potentially to others as well.

I'm not really sure what he's trying to say to me.

Not sure he really knows.

Fortunately for the man, police have a duty of care to look after

vulnerable people, even when it's self-inflicted.

Why are you crying?

Have you been through a hard time lately?

Yeah? Anything you want to talk about?

We're here to help you.

We're going to make sure that you're OK.

And at the moment, you're not OK, are you?

No.

He's clearly been drinking alcohol.

He says he's not taken anything else.

We are here to make sure he is OK...

And go on his merry way.

Which, at the moment, won't be very far.

Luckily, as they wait for the man to sober up...

Do you know him?

..his brother-in-law appears. He's been looking for the man,

concerned he might have gone on a bender.

He's drunk, fallen over - he's cut himself.

What do you do it for, all the time, then?

Eh?

-Shall I take him home?

-If you want to take him...

If you're his brother-in-law...

Take care. Get yourself sorted out, all right?

The man's had a lucky escape - anyone in his state would have been

easy pickings for pickpockets or thieves.

He won't let go. Thank you very much.

MAN GROANS

-Are you OK?

-All right, thank you.

-You're welcome.

See you later, thank you.

While this guy is harmless - alcohol can make people very confrontational.

Around 700,000 incidents of alcohol-related violence

happen in Britain every year.

I think he's probably going to get a bit of tough loving on the way home...

Yeah. He's safe - which is our main aim.

Thanks to the sharp eyes of the CCTV operators,

this drunk is off home today, without becoming

another statistic.

Back in Weston-super-Mare, the operation to crack down on drugs

and keep the town safe has hit its first real challenge.

COMMOTION

-Come over here...

-It's 1.00am - closing time.

As hundreds of drunk revellers spill onto the streets,

police have their work cut out breaking up fights.

If you would let him go...I'll take him home.

And making sure everyone else gets home OK.

He pushed a policeman...

You explain to me...

One o'clock now,

people have started moving down towards this end of town.

Where they tend to end up, really.

This is where we get our main sort of trouble, if you like.

Turns into a bit of a bottleneck.

While his team try and keep control,

Russ gets called to search the streets

for a man who ran off into the dark.

The dog's just... Or the dog handler, we say,

has just seen a chap do a turnaround upon seeing the dog.

We're just going to have a chat. There he is there.

As the man ran, he's going to be searched.

At the moment, you're going to be detained

for a search relating to drugs? Have you got anything on you

that you shouldn't have? No?

Russ takes the man to the van for a search...

Just... What have you got on you? Just your phone?

-Phone...

-Are you known to us?

-Years ago, like.

-Years ago? How many years ago are we talking?

-20?

What's in there, mate?

Sorry...?

It's your wallet. So, what's in it?

I don't know what that is...

-Let's have a look.

-Just step back a bit.

-OK.

Huh?

-What do you mean, "soda"?

-Solder.

The bag of white powder that the man's claiming is soldering flux,

-was carefully tucked into his wallet,

-Listen...

Russ isn't convinced.

That, to me, all right... And I've seen a lot of it -

that looks like amphetamine, OK?

So, at the moment, you're under arrest for the suspicion

of the possession of a controlled drug. All right?

-That's weed.

-OK. So... Going back to the beginning, when I asked you if you had anything you

had on you that you shouldn't have...

-All right - simple question, wasn't it?

-It was, yeah

All right - cannabis. Still a class B drug, isn't it? Illegal.

Yeah, I know.

Right, jump on here.

The man is arrested and street bailed.

When he later attended the station, he accepted an official caution

for the possession of drugs.

But Russ's work isn't done.

He's called to deal with yet another incident.

This time involving drunk clubbers.

The doorman's just approached us from Caesar's Club...

saying that there's two males left the club and now threatening

doormen cos they won't give them a refund.

I'm getting my money back cos there's no one in there.

It seems the man suspects a conspiracy against him.

-Do you work for...

-Come round here.

Do you work for the Illuminati? Yes or no?

-Come over here, please.

-Don't manhandle me.

-Come over here.

-Don't manhandle me.

-Calm yourself down

-right now.

-Take your hands off me now.

I'm not a person, I'm not a person.

THEY ARGUE

You'll end up spending the night in custody.

In the nick of time, a friend intervenes

and takes the man away before the incident can escalate any further.

For officers like Russ and Sharon, knowing whether a situation

calls for a robust or compassionate response is exactly what

-community policing is all about.

-Whoa, whoa, whoa!

You are on their premises, they don't want you on there.

-Come over here.

-Whoa, whoa! I'm not causing any trouble.

-I'm not saying you are.

Move over here, I want to have a chat with you.

Please, mate, I don't want to cause you any trouble.

Right... Do you understand why they don't want you here? Yeah?

-Have you got somewhere to go?

-We can't allow you to stay.

-I've got somewhere to go.

-Do us a favour - go there now,

and we won't have to deal with you again, will we? All right?

-Is that fair enough?

-S-sound.

-Good lad.

Again. Number two?

-All right?

-You two are sound coppers, you know?

All right, mate, no worries. Look after yourself.

The night is finally drawing to a close

and the last stragglers are making their way home.

-Have you got a Taser?

-No.

-No. I don't need a Taser.

-I didn't look, did I?

I don't need a Taser, I'm mean enough with my hands.

At 3.00am, Sharon's long shift is finally over.

It's the end of the evening, it's three o'clock in the morning.

Everyone's tired, everyone's very soggy.

But actually, it's been a really successful night.

With 130 people tested for drugs by the mobile scanner team,

tonight has sent a strong message to casual drug users.

Over the course of the evening I think I've probably had...

up to about ten to 15 hits of...

Mostly tonight it's been cocaine.

All in all, the purpose of the two proactive drugs teams were to

try and get people who were taking drugs or had drugs on them

nice and early, and get them searched and get them that message

that you can't bring drugs into Weston.

We will find you, we will throw you out of the town centre

-and stop you causing problems.

-As well as two arrests for drug possession,

the huge police presence in town meant potential fights

-were nipped in the bud.

-Everyone was happy to see us,

we had lots and lots of smiles, we had loads and loads of high fives,

loads of selfies, it was a really good atmosphere

and that's what I want to see.

Protecting the most defenceless members of society

is at the heart of neighbourhood policing.

In Bath, Adge Secker is still on the hunt for

the man who assaulted Jerry.

Why that man punched you - we don't know, don't know.

But while on his beat,

he checks in on another member of the deaf community.

Steve appeared on a previous episode of Neighbourhood Blues,

when he was being harassed by two youths.

You've been having two people asking for cigarettes, alcohol...

And sometimes, yeah, food. It's the biscuits and food,

everything else, yeah.

And it's making you and your wife, Julie, stressed, yeah.

OK. So the way we're going to deal with that...

Yeah. Tell them to stay away from here. Not come back.

Now he's back to make sure that the lads have been keeping that promise.

So, you've not seen them?

Brilliant.

He's just told me that everything is perfect, it's quiet,

life is calm.

Those guys haven't been back since we went to speak to them.

And to me, that's a massive success.

Adge's investigation into the assault on another deaf man, Jerry,

hasn't been going well.

-Hi.

-Hello.

Jacob! Whoa!

He's come to give Jerry an update.

He told me that that man's name is...

Ben?

Doesn't know where the man lives.

Um...

The man's second name... No, nothing.

What? Where?

Show me, come on, then.

Jerry has done his own detective work

and may have found his own attacker.

He says he knows where this man lives,

so...he says he's going to show me...

So, I'll go and see. This is the great thing that the police

have done for me in terms of paying for me to learn how to sign.

It means I can have this conversation with Jerry

and I can give him the service that I would give for anybody else,

for that matter.

A hearing police officer who can't sign wouldn't be able to achieve,

hopefully, what we might be able to achieve in a minute.

After a few minutes' walk, Jerry points out the house.

That one?

You saw that man...who hit you...live there.

OK. Go back to your house.

Charlie Sierra, 1-6-0-9...

-Go ahead, over.

-Can you do me a voters' check, please, for...

A voters' check should tell Adge who's on the electoral register

at the house.

-OK, thank you, much obliged.

-Now he's got Ben's full name,

and after making some enquiries he's able to get a mobile number.

RINGING TONE

Hello, is that Ben?

Ben, hello, Ben. It's... My name's Adge.

I'm a policeman from Bath. I need to have a quick chat with you

about an incident - it shouldn't take too long,

I just need to get to the bottom of it.

You won't be arrested, I need to talk to you, that's all,

as a voluntary attender. That's easier for you, I can assure you.

Adge tries to arrange a place to meet Ben.

But Ben's adamant he won't meet him at a police station.

Bath Police Station is not the only place I can interview -

that's no problem whatsoever. Even going to Keynsham town centre...

It's just on the outskirts of Keynsham...

It's in an industrial estate, for goodness' sake.

Ben's being awkward, but it's much better for Adge to arrange to meet him,

rather than have to find him.

Well, I've got to go somewhere...

STATIC

..because we're coming up a brick wall at every suggestion I offer.

Finally, Ben agrees to meet Adge at a local pub

and attend a formal interview.

So, half past two at The Bear, thank you very much indeed,

I really appreciate it, bye-bye, now. See you tomorrow.

Bye.

HE SIGHS

There you are, then. That's a bit of negotiation for you.

Erm, a bit dramatic... "Oh, I can't be seen here, I can't go there."

Erm, well, you know, we've got... He's got to be interviewed.

We'll do it at Keynsham Police Centre, that's absolutely fine,

no problem at all.

Erm... And we'll see how it goes from there.

Next day, Adge arrives for the rendezvous.

All this cloak and dagger, Machiavellian stuff, it's all

very exciting.

Adge goes into the pub - it's last orders for Ben.

OK, he's in there. He's a little bit camera shy, so I'm going

to take him to Keynsham in a minute. I'll interview him

and then we'll decide what we're going to do him.

So, there you are - progress!

Back in Bath, Adge reflects on the result of the interview.

During the interview, he fully admitted the offence.

He said that he approached him and he punched him on the arm.

But he is saying that he did that just as a way to say,

"Hello, mate." Or, to use his words, as a respect kind of thing.

That's what he said. He didn't realise that he hurt Jerry.

He was very apologetic...and he regrets his actions.

If his victim wasn't vulnerable, that might have been the end of it,

but Ben was given an official police caution for common assault.

The difference here, though, is that our victim, Jerry, is a

vulnerable member of our society. And we need to look after him,

we need to protect him. So, the factors, if you like,

are aggravated a little bit - and that's why we took

the action as we did.

Time to break the good news to Jerry.

I asked him to come to the police station...

-and I interviewed him.

-Yes.

He told me that he's sorry for hitting...

Sorry for hitting you.

He didn't realise...

..when he hit you...

..he hurt you.

He's told me that he will not see you again.

So, how do you feel...?

Happy? Excellent. Good stuff. OK.

Really, really good, OK.

-So, how's the dog, how's Jacob?

-Fine!

Yeah?

Jerry's happy with the outcome

and it's case closed, as Adge has the satisfaction

of knowing he was able to help a vulnerable victim,

and provide him support when he needed it most.

While being a neighbourhood officer is all about building

good relationships with your community, you also need to be ready

to tackle anything that's thrown at you.

To deal with extraordinary situations, you need to be

highly trained. And some of that training happens here,

at a camp near Bridgwater.

It's a lot of padding, it takes about 15 minutes to put on.

Officers like Alice are often thrown into the unexpected,

and have to ensure they can remain calm in potentially dangerous situations.

But this is her first time riot training.

THEY CHANT

Last year, 113 Somerset officers were assaulted on duty.

So, while they'd rather police gently, it's important

to be ready for the rough stuff.

Road shields, go!

Really difficult to concentrate. And if you think, this

is just a training environment... How much harder it's going to be

when there's massive groups of people in front of you.

Lovely.

So, we're running a little, mini exercise, so to speak.

A staged riot - just to test the officers in the skills

they've been taught.

By making the training as realistic as possible,

officers know full well what to expect should they ever need

to use these skills for real.

ALL SHOUT

Do something, come on!

Obviously, we've got a threat in front of us.

They're moving forwards towards... Trying to gain ground.

Back to the junction.

ALL SHOUT

Stop!

OK, hands on your heads! You're all giving up.

I've probably only been on the ground for 20 minutes,

but it does still feel like we've been on the ground

for probably about two hours.

For Alice, this course has given her the confidence she'll need

when things get hostile.

If I was to be deployed to a situation - I feel like

I could be a support to my colleagues rather than

a hindrance. I feel like I've learned so much.

As we've seen today, it's teamwork that enables

the neighbourhood police to keep the streets safer

and make them more peaceful places. But it's

the understanding of individual officers

that makes the real difference.