Episode 10 Neighbourhood Blues

The friendly, caring bobby pounding the beat has always been the

hallmark of British policing...

Fantastic. Pleasure to be known, my friend.

..and has even been immortalised on film by the fictional

Dixon of Dock Green.

Evening, all.

Today's neighbourhood police teams continue that tradition,

but also tackle the root causes of crime head-on

by targeting known hot spots...

Unlucky. ..stamping down on antisocial behaviour...

I'm arresting you for a public order offence.

..and waging war on illegal drugs.

I can smell cannabis already.

In this new series of Neighbourhood Blues,

we follow the policemen and women of Somerset as they continue their

quest to make our streets a safer place.

Coming up, an elderly man stirs up trouble at a pub...

Are you really going to do that?

..a down-and-out is on the run in elegant Bath...

He's been located by one of our PCSOs.

..and a late-night manhunt for a teenage burglar.

He was just stood there. Yeah. And did you see him wander off?

You did. He went that way, he went that way.

He was going to come round the front of the house.

Anyone who is the victim of a crime can find the ordeal difficult

to fully recover from.

Now, there is a new way of dealing with offenders

which gives victims a far more satisfactory outcome.

It's called restorative justice,

where victim and offender meet up and talk through what happened.

It's 12.45 in the morning in Bridgwater, in Somerset.

Neighbourhood officer, Kev Curd, is on patrol

seeing people are getting safely off home after their night out.

He's just taking an emergency call about an unusual-sounding job.

We've had a call out from a premises out in a village on the outskirts of

Bridgwater, where they've had somebody walk into their kitchen,

change his clothes, leaving his wet clothes on their floor

and then walk out without any shoes, socks or trousers on.

The break-in is no ordinary burglary by the sounds of it.

And the more information that comes in,

the more curious the whole thing is getting.

Kev's now hearing the suspected burglar has come

back to the property.

He's now just returned, knocking on the door,

wanting his clothes back.

There's no time to lose

as the occupants are alone in an isolated location.

The property, a farm, is in a rural area on the

Somerset Levels around five miles from Bridgwater.

As Kev arrives, he's joined by other units.

He was banging my front door, just a minute ago.

His clothes are here on the floor.

The farm owners, despite the shock of someone bursting into their home,

are quite calm.

But they can't quite understand what was on the intruder's mind.

So, what clothes did he...? He just walked out in bare foot, did he?

Oddly, the suspected burglar's only stolen some jeans and a T-shirt.

In their place, he's left behind some soaking wet clothes,

a mobile phone and even his wallet.

437, control, can I have a person check off a driving licence?

This is a person that's loitering around this property.

The computer checks reveal the lad is only 19.

And with temperatures outside now around freezing,

Kev is starting to get a little worried about him.

There could be a bit of a welfare issue with this gentleman.

It would appear as though he's come in here, soaking wet.

Trousers, shoes, socks.

Coming face-to-face with an intruder in the early hours is a lot of

people's worst nightmare.

Especially when they are behaving in a peculiar way.

Well, I just woke up to my husband asking, "Who are you?"

And I said, "Who?" And he's chatting to this man...

and I said... I said to the man, "Stand forward."

Because I didn't understand what my husband was seeing.

And he kept saying his friend was...

Amy Winehouse. Amy Winehouse.

And he wouldn't tell us why he was in our house.

I said, "You'd better come out. Come out."

I just walked him out the kitchen door and locked the door on him.

I appreciate he's taken a pair of trousers and gone.

We can cover that issue later. My main concern at the moment is...

He's got a thin T-shirt on... Yep. ..and bare feet and pair of

trousers that are too short in the leg... OK. ..on him.

You've got rooms round here.

He clearly doesn't know where he's going because he's soaking wet

up to his waist, so he's... Yes.

He's either been in your little room there,

or he's been in the one by the farm, hasn't he?

Did you see him wander off? He went that way, he went that way.

He's going to come round the front of the house.

We'll go and wander round. Let us know when you've got him, will you?

And then, obviously, we'll try and recover your trousers.

No, don't worry. We're not worried about the trousers.

Technically, it's a burglary but whether he's in the

right state of mind to know that he's committed a crime,

I don't know. I don't think he does.

I don't think he knows that he's done something wrong.

I wonder if... And I said to him,

"Why are you holding that tube of toothpaste?"

And he just didn't seem to...

And he gave me it back. He didn't understand what he was holding.

The Somerset Levels are a massive low-lying flood plain

crisscrossed with rivers and drainage ditches called rhynes.

It's vital the lad is found before he falls in any more water

or gets hypothermia.

The neighbourhood team may well be expected to hunt down burglars,

but more importantly, they have a duty of care for people.

So, this has now turned into a search and rescue

for a young man whose life could be in danger.

Suddenly, across the fields, Kev spots something.

Do you know who lives in those houses?

That light's only just come on...

..on that house.

So, that's the row of four.

So, that's the row of four.

Yeah. Set to?

There is a public right of way beside my house.

There is a public right of way beside my house.

It goes across this field to a gate and comes up by her house.

It goes up towards the pub.

Security light just came on.

The lady in this house is saying that you could get to that

house along the brook on a public footpath.

He may have walked with that public footpath back to that row of houses.

Kev calls up his neighbourhood police colleagues to assist him,

checking out the light at the house.

That light coming on was interesting to say the least.

At the moment in time, I'm not worried about him being found

as an offender, I'm more concerned that he's out in this weather

in a short-sleeved T-shirt, three-quarter-length trousers

that don't fit him properly and bare feet.

Completely lost, under the influence of either drink or drugs

and nowhere near home.

Kev and his colleagues arrive at the house where the light was seen.

The light in the back of this house came on

when I was in her back garden.

She said, "Oh, it may be their security light."

I thought it was a light inside the address.

I'm going to just knock on their door and see if we can have a look

in the back. Hello. Sorry to alarm you.

Can I have a quick look in your garden? Is that all right?

Sorry to wake you up at this horrendous hour.

Yeah, that's the light I saw come on. That one, there.

All right, he's not in here then.

There is no sign of the missing man.

Cheers, guys. If you do see anybody... Yeah.

..then, just let us know. OK. All right, thank you. Cheers.

Kev needs more help, so he's calling up for dog support.

With the temperature still dropping,

it's imperative the man is found as soon as possible.

This point onwards... Yeah. ..up to the house with the dim light

at the far end... Yeah. ..is a public footpath

and a brook to the side.

He was last seen in the back garden of the house up there

by the occupants and they said he walked round to the back,

and Mark's walked the majority of this part, here.

If the dog can get any sniff of the missing intruder...

..he'll be on his trail in no time.

DOG BARKS

But, there's still no sign of him

and Kev's getting increasingly worried about his welfare.

I'm quite cold and I'm stood with trousers, jacket and a stab vest on

and a shirt on. He's out in potentially a wet T-shirt,

three-quarter-length trousers, bare foot. Lost, drunk.

Coming up, the search with more officers

and the police helicopter goes on.

Finding missing individuals is a big part of the police's job.

As well as those whose welfare is of concern,

the police are also responsible for tracking down people

who have warrants out for their arrest.

Usually, they're failing to turn up at court.

In Bath, Luke Keenan and Roger Parker are on the hunt

for a man who failed to appear in court this morning

on suspicion of begging.

We're looking for a guy who is wanted on a fail to appear at

Bath Magistrates'. So, if he's there and he answers the door,

then he'll be coming with us.

The suspected beggar is well known to the neighbourhood team

and Luke and Roger think they know the address where they'll find him.

The plan is to arrest him and take him straight back to court,

while an official from the Housing Association is here

to repossess the property.

But it appears no-one's home.

Hello? Hello, is anybody there?

The door's unlocked and inside, the place is like a tip.

Nope, there's no-one here.

The wanted man is not here,

but the disgusting conditions he lives in are plain to see and smell.

Cor! There's some suggestion from the local housing authority

that the property has been used for drug use.

Further inside, that suggestion is confirmed.

The flat's clearly being used as a drugs den.

We've got some needles, which appear to be uncapped down there.

And lots of burnt spoons.

It's hard to believe anyone can live in such appalling conditions

as these.

Piles of rubbish and drugs paraphernalia

are strewn about everywhere.

There's some more uncapped needles in the toilet, here.

I'm not going to go too far into it.

And, most worryingly, dozens of used syringes which could be harbouring

all sorts of dangerous diseases litter the floor.

I can't get to the kitchen because there is clothes all over the floor.

Isn't particularly hygienic.

As you can see there's lots of different bits of rubbish

all over the place.

People's main focus, it appears, when they're on drugs, is the drugs.

So they tend to let their hygiene slip around the property

and things like that.

I don't really want to risk walking all over it

in case I get stabbed with an uncapped needle.

The junk and waste has spread to the outside and

with a flat next to a main road,

it's not only an eyesore, but also a health hazard.

As you can see, there's quite a few empty bags of rubbish

and various bits and pieces around.

The squalid state of the flat has upset a lot of the neighbours,

so they are relieved the neighbourhood team

and the Housing Association are finally doing something about it.

I've had conversations with a couple of the neighbours and they're

really, really pleased about it and regarding the mess outside

the house, that's also going to be removed.

That'll be the tenant's responsibility to do it.

So, it's moving on, making the place a little bit more pleasant

for the people that are living in and around here.

It's estimated that there are around 30,000 people

wanted by the police on warrant at any one time.

Fortunately, today's missing suspected beggar

isn't going to be one of those for much longer.

We've located the gentleman we were trying to speak to

in the last address.

He's been located by one of our PCSOs.

There's no time to lose for Roger and Luke.

The man's been found wandering with his dog in Bath city centre.

Before anything else, the man in camo needs to be relieved

of any syringes on him.

Right, where's your pins, mate? They're all over, innit. All over?

Don't do it here in the streets. Open up. No, we've got...

We can't put you in the back of the car, so...

If we can do it just there. Put any of your pins...

While Roger gives the man the once over,

Luke tries to get to grips with his dog.

But he's got a problem.

Excuse me, have you got a lead for your dog, mate?

No, no, I haven't got a lead.

Luckily, Luke's trousers are a snug fit,

so he's liberated his belt for the job.

The gentleman is going to court,

but, obviously, he can't take his dog with him.

It didn't have a lead, as you can see, so I've improvised.

I'm going to be taking the dog to a friend of his

who lives just round the corner.

Dog is going to be safe and he's going to court.

When he appeared in court later that day,

the man pleaded guilty to begging.

After receiving a fine totalling ?270, he was released back onto the

streets and was quickly reunited with his best friend.

Earlier, we saw how a 19-year-old

suspected of committing a late-night burglary had disappeared.

There could be a bit of a welfare issue with this gentleman.

Shoeless and dressed in only jeans and a T-shirt.

It's gone three in the morning and in freezing conditions,

the neighbourhood police are now very concerned for his welfare.

It's escalating to a point where it's going to be, potentially,

a high-risk or missing-person scenario.

The police helicopter has been called in,

but it isn't picking up any trace of the missing person

on its thermal imaging camera.

Kev's next port of call is a nearby pub.

I'll go knock on the pub to do their outbuildings, skittle alley...

Anywhere that's open to the back of these fields.

Just in conversation with the landlord of the Thatchers.

He's gone in there very drunk, very wet, taken off his wet clothes,

taken a pair of trousers from inside and then walked off,

out their property, but we don't know where.

He's miles from home, he's very intoxicated,

so we're just checking the houses and the back gardens in this area.

Oh, right, yes. We've done the houses.

Have you checked the toilets? There? Yeah, there's a toilet there.

Round the back? No, there.

That's a lead, I suggest.

OK. Do you want the lights on or anything,

if you're going over there? Yes, if you don't mind. Right, hang on.

Thank you.

It's the police. Are you back here?

You're not in any trouble. I'm just more concerned about you being out

in the cold in inappropriate clothing.

Just searching the grounds of it now.

Having spoken to the landlord, they've not seen anything.

Just checking. He's got a couple of caravans out the back, here, that

are sort of storage space more than anything.

So we're just searching these in the next couple of minutes.

As Kev goes round the back,

good news is coming in over the radio on his earpiece.

The missing man has been found at last.

Just heard on my radio that we've obviously located the male.

I don't know under what circumstances,

but I have just heard the back end of a conversation that he's been

arrested on suspicion of burglary and is on his way to custody.

The young man, cold and wet,

has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken to the police

station in Bridgwater where he's been given a change of clothes

before being booked in.

His discovery was as much a surprise as it was a relief

to all the team.

The chap just suddenly jumped into the middle of the road,

starting waving his hands to flag us down.

And, obviously, we realised that that was our chap.

So we stopped and got him in the car, made sure he was all

safe and well.

The lad hasn't offered any explanation for what he did tonight.

And all he remembers is that he had been drinking in Bridgwater before

getting lost on his way home.

He said he was cold but in the back of the police car,

he soon started to warm up and there was no obvious injuries

to him, so we were fairly happy about his condition.

We've had a happy ending. Although he's in custody,

it's the happier of the two endings that were possible in this event.

So, yeah. He's in custody, he's safe, he's alive.

It doesn't bear thinking about what was the other option.

A good outcome for Kev and the lad.

But what of the farm-owners he burst in on tonight?

Find out later what happens when they come face-to-face

with the intruder again. This time, it's his turn to be in the hot seat.

I'm just going to do introductions.

Prisons in the UK have reached bursting point.

To alleviate the situation, prisoners are often let out on

licence after serving just half their sentences.

Whilst this solves one problem, it can lead to another.

If they act up again in any way,

they can often be recalled to prison immediately.

And that can be a headache for the police.

In Weston-super-Mare...

..a man sentenced to 16 months in prison for attempting to rob this

convenience store armed with a knife,

has been let out after serving half his term.

He has now broken the conditions of his early release

and he has had his licence revoked.

But, rather than hand himself in and go straight back to prison,

he's done a runner.

It's vital for the safety of the community that the

neighbourhood team recaptures him as quickly as possible.

Russ Millier is on the hunt for him.

We are just going to look at his last location

and see if we can find him.

Police were chasing him earlier through an estate

where his girlfriend lives. But he got away.

RADIO: '6-0 Juliet, he could be anywhere now.'

The man was in a red hoodie and grey joggers.

A description of his girlfriend has come in as well.

RADIO: 'She's got dark brownish hair, dyed with a reddy hint to it

'in a ponytail.'

So he could be anywhere on this estate, right?

RADIO: 'Yep, that's a...'

He is known to me, yeah. We...

We had dealings with him, in fact,

for the offence which he went in prison for.

He's actually been in prison for the armed robbery

from a shop in Weston.

And, as a result, he's come out after serving time

in prison on licence.

He's obviously breached that licence at some point,

because they've recalled him.

Which means it's a straight arrest and it's straight back to prison.

So he's going to be off on his feet as soon as we see him.

There's no knowing if the man is dangerous or not,

so the neighbourhood police aren't taking any chances.

They've put a watch on his house and are out in force

looking for him.

One of the team, in plain clothes, has spotted his girlfriend again.

RADIO: 'Along a footpath, back towards Morrisons.

'Going past the park, now.'

'Yeah, yeah. We're on the bridge, I think.'

The girl is in the park and on her phone, possibly to the suspect.

We are by you, mate.

As Russ approaches the park entrance,

he takes extra care not to spook the girl.

He hangs back, while his undercover colleague

comes over to keep tabs on her.

Hey, Joe, I'm in company. 91.

So, at the moment, we think we've spotted the female - the girlfriend.

And the reason we are sort of keeping it low-key,

is we're hoping she's going to meet up with him.

So, we're letting the plain-clothes officer go on ahead a minute.

The man knows the area is flooded with cops.

So, it is a game of cat and mouse as he desperately tries to hook up with

his girlfriend again.

She's just on the other side of the trees, still on her phone.

RADIO: '147.' She's now...

Looks like she's being directed down towards

the back of Morrisons which might indicate

she's been on the phone to him, and he's trying to get her to

where he is. So...

Uniform are just, sort of, staying back out the way at the minute

and letting the plain-clothes officers do it.

She's gone down the alley.

She's gone back on herself?

Oh, right, OK.

Russ closes in on his prey.

She's just sat... She's just sat through there.

And, if all goes to plan,

her boyfriend he's hunting will soon show his face, as well.

Just a bit of waiting game, now.

Hopefully, he pops up somewhere.

Fortunately, Russ can see the funny side of lurking in the shrubbery.

LAUGHTER

Best things come to those who wait.

Shame it's in a thorny bush.

All of a sudden, the girl is on the move.

Standby, standby. She's gone left, back on herself, mate.

Round the back of those houses.

She's headed towards a friend's house.

OK, I'll come and join you, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, but I can see... Who's in there? Just a female.

Hello.

Russ takes a quick look around for the fugitive.

That's my room. That is your room, is it, yeah?

He's not hiding in there, is he? No.

Where...? Where are we going to find him, then?

Do you know what? If I knew, I'd be there with him, wouldn't I?

Yeah. You don't know where he is? I have no idea, no.

Has he got a phone? No. So, he ain't got a phone.

No. No? The only phone we've ever used together is my phone.

And you've got that?

And I've not got that. That's at my friend's, charging.

You haven't got any phone on you?

You haven't got a phone on you?

No, I've just explained. My phone is at my friend's house, charging.

I've just seen you on the phone. We've seen you on your phone.

Twice. So, know you're lying to us.

No, I've not got a phone on me.

Do you remember this conversation we had, before Connor went in prison?

Yeah, go on. About you harbouring a fugitive... Yeah.

..and that you could get arrested? Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm not.

So, you're bordering doing that at the moment.

He's not with me, is he? So, I'm not harbouring a fugitive.

It doesn't matter. You're not helping any situation by lying.

I'm not with him. You're with him, you lied about being on the phone.

I'm not with him, am I? You were with him. Yeah, all right.

I didn't lie about being on the phone.

Joke, man.

Just for your information, for the plain-clothes that are out

and about, she's off.

The search continues.

And now the search is joined by the police helicopter and a dog unit.

So, she's clearly on the phone to him,

she's clearly working with him to find out where he is.

She won't be telling us, that's for sure.

Later, Russ gets a tip-off from a member of the public,

and the net closes in on Weston-super-Mare's most wanted.

Most crime is seen as something for which the offender must be punished.

However, there is an alternative way of gaining justice.

One where the offender accepts responsibility for what

he or she has done, and the victim of the crime

gets a more satisfactory outcome.

It's called restorative justice and it carried out by bringing both

parties together face-to-face, to discuss what happened.

Restorative justice gives the victims a voice.

So, it gives them the opportunity to explain to an offender how they've

being affected by harm that's been caused.

The young lad we saw earlier,

suspected of breaking into a farmhouse and stealing some clothes

before disappearing, is here to meet the couple

he caused such distress to that night.

The session is run by two experienced mediators.

Right, thanks very much, everybody, for coming today.

I'm just going to do the introduction...

Because of the sensitivity of the matter,

the encounter takes place away from the cameras.

An hour later, the mediators are pleased with how the meeting went.

I think it was a very emotional today.

Yeah. A lot of emotions come out of it on both sides. Yeah, yeah.

And that's what restorative justice does, because when a victim meets

an offender, that's what happens.

It really works. It really works. It's very, very powerful.

The young lad wasn't charged with any offences

for what he did that night,

thanks to the victims deciding they didn't want to press charges.

Good evening. Remember me? PC Curd.

After coming face-to-face with their intruder,

they're now ready to talk about the experience.

You happy to tell me about what's happened?

Yeah, because it is a bit of a shock.

We walked in and seeing his face, it's like...

Yeah. Just being in the police station,

just because he was still in the lobby.

Yep. And we were meeting there. Yeah. And it was like...

Just brought it all back home, really. Yeah, straightaway.

It was really quite scary.

I think your stomach does a flip, I must admit.

Once they got him to sit down,

your confidence grows because you really don't know the outcome.

But you feel really protected and you really feel that you can...

You can speak and you can say what you feel and not be afraid.

And it really... I truly believe it helps... Because, you guys...

..to face him. ..as the victims, are key to this process.

It's about you guys and getting closure on an incident.

Yeah. Whether it be bizarre, or a serious criminal offence.

Yeah. When he was talking to us and telling us what little tiny

bits he could remember. He didn't remember a lot of it.

And he said, to me how much he's tried and tried to remember

and he can't. And it's... He's frightened himself.

And he just... I don't think he would do it again.

No. He didn't realise.

I really think he would think twice before he got too drunk.

The way you, sort of, come cross is quite refreshing.

Because there are others that would say, "No, throw the book at him.

"I don't want to speak to him. He's a piece of dirt."

And I don't... I really don't think in this society it's going to help.

We knew in our own hearts that it was out of character.

It was like, see, you don't do that. No.

It's something you don't do. I just...

You don't break into somebody's house.

The couple have their own poignant reason for wanting to reach out

to the lad tonight.

I actually lost a son of my own, that had just had a couple too many

and fell asleep at the wheel.

And I lost my boy that day.

And I think...

..I could put that across to him really well,

and I think he really took it on board because that is...

That is the time when the tears were in his eyes, wasn't it? Yes.

And he just was so remorseful, and I said,

"Look, my son didn't mean to do that

"and you won't have meant to have done it,

"but trust me, your parents, what you'd have put them through."

And it really got to him. He really...

I truly believe he understood the pain he could give by just stupid

stupidity. Drinking just those couple of beers too many.

We know the impact it's had on you guys. Yeah. You could see it.

You could, yeah. Yeah. He had to relive it and then face us.

So it was hard for him, because of the tears. Yeah, it wasn't easy.

Because it must have been traumatic to come and face us.

Yeah. He won't forget meeting us.

He won't forget that meeting where we could all sit and talk.

Yeah. Explain how we felt.

He really... It... He understands now.

The uninhibited discussion tonight between victims and offender,

has been a great success.

I'll show you guys out. Yes, please.

The couple were able to express their concern for the lad

who, in turn, was left in no doubt about the gravity

and impact of what he'd done.

Earlier, we saw Russ from the neighbourhood police team

track down a girl...

I'm not with him, am I? You were with him. Yeah, all right.

..who he thinks might be the key to finding her missing boyfriend,

who is wanted for recall to prison.

With the police chopper hovering overhead,

a new lead comes in from a member of the public who wants to help.

INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER

Roger that.

Helicopter draws attention to members of the public,

they start looking out for things, things that are going on.

And a member of the public's now seen

a male hiding in the undergrowth by a railway line.

It's clearly going to be him.

So, now we've got units directed to go to that railway line and search

that area, now. But you'll find, not just is it good, beneficial

for us, it makes us more... makes the public more aware.

Russ cadges a lift from a colleague to where the man was seen.

Right, that'll be a footpath, there. We'll jump out here.

Russ searches the undergrowth.

But there's a problem.

If the man he's hunting has gone over the fence,

he could be in real danger.

I've walked the length of it. It goes to thick undergrowth

that you can't get through. But I'll certainly go out to the other side.

To be on the safe side, they're going to shut down the railway.

Any trains that are inbound or outbound now will be stopped.

Until we release that, uh, release the all go to let them go.

The dense bushes beside the railway tracks

have foiled the helicopter's cameras up above.

So, plan B is to send in the dogs.

There is a seven-foot fence, but he easily get over about fence,

to be fair. So, we've just sent a dog in now,

to do a check of that undergrowth.

If he's in there,

his best bet's to put his hand up,

because he ain't going to want that thing coming at you.

But the trail seems to have gone cold.

The dog hasn't really indicated anything. Apart from the fact that

the plank that we saw as we were going through up against the fence.

It looks like a clear, sort of, hop up, if you like,

to get over that fence.

Probably come from this direction, into the bush line,

over onto the railway lines and down. So he may well be

over the other side now. So we're going to have look over there.

Suddenly, the fugitive breaks cover

and has been spotted by the police up above.

It's a race to capture him.

RADIO: 'All units to the train track.'

The runaway convict has finally been caught.

INDISTINCT CHATTER

Well, I think we've got over that bit of wood there, haven't they?

Unbelievable, innit? So, there he is.

Great results. So, caught on the train line,

exactly where the member of the public said.

Connor.

Connor is on the fast track back to the big house.

But first, he wants to make a last phone call.

Let me get my phone, they did say I can use a phone.

Who you ringing? My missus.

Oh, what, your missus that ain't got a phone on her?

I'll have a quick chat with her, shall I? No. Well, yeah.

Cos you're under arrest. Yeah, go on, then.

Russ has got a hunch about who is on the other end of the phone.

Oh, hello BLEEP. Fancy speaking to you on the phone.

That's her friend's phone. Yeah, it's funny, that, isn't it?

OK, then, well, Connor's in custody. So, see you again. Bye-bye.

Let me have a chat to her.

Yes, baby.

It's the end of the line for the fugitive.

He's looking at another spell behind bars.

Thankfully, the neighbourhood team have swiftly got a potentially

dangerous offender off the streets.

The prison licensing scheme enables them to round up anyone

who carries on offending and shows little regard for the rare chance

of liberty they've been given.

Having been released on licence after only eight months

for the attempted robbery of this convenience store,

Connor is now back inside for another eight months.

Just goes to show, really. We had the full strength out today -

helicopter, dogs...

RADIO CHATTER

..plain-clothes units, uniformed units.

And it worked, it all come together.

To be fair, it was...

The nail in the coffin for him was a call in from the community.

Resulted in a fantastic stop.

Every day, neighbourhood officers

face all sorts of criminal behaviour,

from violence and drugs, to vandalism and robbery.

And, more often than not, the offenders are young people.

But sometimes it's our more senior citizens

that get to feel the long arm of the law.

Tonight, in Bridgwater,

PCSOs Sarah-Jane and Dave

have just begun their shift.

Here we are in Somerset, it's freezing cold.

At call has come in from one of the town's CCTV operators...

..about a disturbance he's following at a pub in the town centre.

An elderly man is a bit worse for wear,

and has been ejected by the bar staff.

He's now fallen onto the pavement,

after exacting his own retribution on the pub.

A male has broken a window, and now he's sat on the pavement, I believe,

in the high street, somewhere. But I heard "elderly male" mentioned.

68-year-old male.

Being drunk and breaking windows isn't the kind of behaviour

you'd normally associate with someone approaching 70.

A traffic officer arrives,

and the damaged window is pointed out to him.

But his main concern is for the elderly gentleman

who still hasn't got up.

Do you want to go and see if he's all right? I'll wait here.

Because, obviously, we can't...

All of sudden, the man jumps - sprightly - to his feet.

There's nothing wrong with him, apart from having had a skinful.

The officer is now going to arrest the man for criminal damage,

but he's at that awkward age and wants to argue.

Are you really going to do that?

Are you going to waste police time?

I didn't break it. I deny that. You're under arrest...

The man refuses to take the blame for damaging the window.

OK. What?

I can take those for you, sir.

If you like? No. Listen, you're wasting your time, to be honest.

We've got better things to be doing, haven't we? You have.

You're quite right.

While he's taken into custody,

Sarah-Jane talks to the barman who explains how the man was being

a nuisance and then lost his temper...

And then he's cracked out window, up there. Oh.

..after being shown the door.

Well, because I closed him out and locked the doors.

He wouldn't leave.

Just, just right here.

This crack, along this line.

Just started knocking on it and got a bit aggressive.

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

A passer-by witnessed what happened.

I-I did see commotion going over, and, you know, Bridgwater.

You've got all that. Absolutely!

The council's CCTV operators focus in on all the pubs

and potential hot spots in the town, looking out for trouble.

But they probably got a surprise when they saw this.

After lashing out at the window,

the drunk senior citizen tried his best to get back into the pub,

but he was quickly booted back out,

which is when the eyewitness ran over.

During the tussle at the door, the man fell to the ground.

But, when he was offered help to get up,

the drunk was having none of it.

Tried to restrain the guy, he fell over, I tried to pick him back up.

And he stayed there, playing the old-man rule, wanting the police.

And it wasn't long before the old boy got what he wanted.

It turns out it's not just the window he's damaged.

I believe, before he left the pub,

he also pushed a glass across the bar,

smashing it across the other side.

He's obviously got a few drinks on board.

The Saga-lout was put in a cell overnight to sleep it off.

In the morning, after he sobered up,

he was given a formal police caution.

Police community support officers are often described

as the eyes and ears of the neighbourhood team.

They spend the majority of their time out and about,

engaging with the public - young and old -

in a variety of different ways.

Certainly our PCSOs,

really good skills around talking to young people.

They're used to doing it, and, actually,

they make inroads with our young people and, actually,

we have a big emphasis in going into our schools,

so our secondary schools and our junior schools,

to engage with them early on and to deliver some key messages

around stranger danger, keeping safe,

and all those key messages you want young people to hear.

Today, in Weston-super-Mare, PCSOs Kemo and Jacob,

are visiting Walliscote Primary School

to talk to the youngsters about stranger danger.

Good morning, class.

ALL: Good morning.

We'll be talking to you about...

ALL: Stranger danger.

Who is a stranger?

I live in the same street with you.

Am I a stranger? No. No. Yes.

I am a stranger.

I live next to you.

But do you know me? Yeah, but I can still be a stranger.

Someone you do not know is a stranger.

Someone you do know,

but that makes you feel uncomfortable is a stranger.

OK? Is she a stranger?

ALL: No.

She's Mrs Green.

Who is Mrs Green?

VARIOUS: Our head teacher.

Not only do these visits teach the youngsters about

the potential dangers of speaking to strangers,

they're also a great opportunity to show a more friendly side

of the police,

and for that the PCSOs to get to know the local children.

Yeah, another hat. And you look good!

LAUGHTER

If you teach a child, you know, about what the dangers are,

they can go home and tell their parents,

and then the parents will know, as well. If their parents tell them,

for example, "Just go to the park and play."

The child will turn around and tell them "Mum...

"it's not safe for me to go to the park on my own."

You know? So, actually, that will help the parents

to understand what are the dangers out there.

So, if you are playing in the park and I say,

"Can you help me find my puppy?"

GIRL: Say no. Say what?

ALL: No.

Today's message seems to be sinking in.

That's very good.

First, if they tried taking me or like grabbing me,

I would kick them and scream and just run away.

If the stranger just offered you something,

you would say no, and then,

if they tried to get you, you would just scream as loud as you can.

Or call the police and run back home.

"Keep away from people you don't know.

"They are called strangers." That's very good.

It's really important the children see the positive side of policing

and that they have a really good idea, from a young age,

that they can go to the police officers when they need it.

But also to get that message across from someone different. Because

often we give that message to children, but it just reaffirms it,

hearing it from somebody, perhaps that's in uniform,

and has that sort of experience behind them, as well.

Whether it's improving public confidence

by engaging with communities,

or helping victims and offenders with rehabilitation,

the neighbourhood team frequently demonstrate a depth and array

of police work far beyond the call of duty.

Until next time, evening all.