Episode 1 Police 24/7

This time on Police 24/7, the eyes of the world are

on Cardiff for one of the biggest derby games in the Premier League.

220 countries worldwide are going to watch this event on the telly.

A possible audience of 4.7 billion people.

It's a crash with serious consequences for one drink-driver.

-Keep hold of the back of your trousers.

-You've got my hands cuffed.

Look. Hold them there, look.

And the hunt is on for a wanted man.

Police! Show yourself!

This is a week in the life of the largest police force in Wales.

Seven days of action with cops on the street

and the criminals that they try to meet.

This is Police 24/7.

The time is 8:51 on 3rd November.

This is evidence-gathering footage.

SPC1 filmed by PC3935 Simon Chivers for the football event

Cardiff City versus Swansea - 1600 kick-off.

Thanks for coming, everyone.

I think everybody knows it's Cardiff versus Swansea City today.

I think everybody's excited, like all the fans,

for the first game in the Premiership.

It's live on Sky so the eyes of the world are watching.

PC Simon Chivers is a football intelligence officer

and he's been collecting information on potential troublemakers

to share at the team briefing.

A person has made a phone call saying that Swansea supporters will be

staying at the Travelodge on St Mary's Street

the night before the game, so that would be last night.

They have access to three Range Rovers and weapons and they intend to

use these weapons to attack Cardiff fans, so be aware of that.

Policing today's event will be an enormous operation

for South Wales police,

with thousands of fans travelling from Swansea to the capital.

REPORTER: 'The biggest derby game in the history of Welsh football.

'A clash of rivals and styles and cities. It is East versus West.

'And let's not dress this up into something it is not.

'These fans do not like each other. It is hostile, it is intense.'

And it's not just the players on the pitch that'll have to be

at the top of their game today.

Derby day for any football fan - and I am a football fan,

first and foremost - is, you know, the one you look forward to.

You always look to see, when the fixtures come out,

when we're playing Swansea.

So, yeah, very much looking forward to it

and looking forward to a good day.

Criminal activity doesn't stop

just because there's a big event in the city.

The priority policing team are on patrol,

led by Sergeant Vincent Easton.

We deal with whatever the priorities are, which,

generally in Cardiff, are burglary, auto crime, drugs, organised crime.

Today, Vincent's team are about to arrest a man suspected of burglary.

They've been hunting him down and they think they've found him.

The door's going to open up, mate.

-No?

-No.

Police! Show yourself!

-WOMAN:

-Can you stop it? There's kids in here.

Where is he to? Where is he to?

-We've been sleeping!

-He's upstairs.

We was sleeping. There's no need for that.

We're sleeping, we are.

He's on the roof!

He is on the roof.

-Echo-Tango 2-7...

-There he is. He's up there. He's up there.

With all the usual exits covered,

the suspect has chosen an alternative escape route.

-He's on this roof here.

-All right. All right.

-You'll fall, mate.

-Huh?

I tell you, you'll fall, so why don't you come down, mate?

WOMAN SHOUTS

Basically, the suspect we've been looking for

has gone to the roof of the property.

He's climbed across and we're basically going to try

and keep a containment on the area until we can get him down, basically.

We may have to call a negotiator out if he refuses to come down

so that's where we are at the moment.

We got several officers covering the back and front of the properties.

We're not going to follow for, obviously, health and safety reasons.

Cos obviously it's...

it's not very safe for himself up there, as you can see.

Stay there until the Fire Brigade, mate, I don't want you falling.

-I don't want you falling, though.

-Uh.

-All right.

SHE LAUGHS

As well as persuading the suspect to come down,

the officers now have his angry friends to deal with.

Watch it, mate. Careful. Get on the floor. Get on the floor.

-What do you mean you just...?

-You just swore at me!

-No, I didn't.

-You just heard that.

-Listen.

-No!

-What do you mean?

You're going to hurt him!

MAN SHOUTS ANGRILY

You're going to hurt him.

Stay there. I'll get ladders.

Yeah, 2-0, he's refusing to come down.

Can we call a negotiator and let bronze know, please?

Reporting for duty is Whisky-Oscar 9-9,

the police eye in the sky...

..and heli-cop Nick Cain is preparing for a busy shift.

This is our area on the map.

This is all of South Wales and Gwent police force.

We got Gwent over here, South Wales and we've got a border area, which...

So, we can go, using our hi-tech equipment,

we can go to Swansea in 25 miles.

Half of that, 12 and a half minutes.

So thank goodness for that hi-tech equipment.

One thing that is certainly hi-tech is the helicopter.

And Officer Cain has been part of the team for the past 14 years.

All the police officers out there who are on response,

that's what they are doing all the time.

I'm doing exactly the same as them

except I'm sat in the back of a £3-million aircraft.

The heli-cops' job now is to assist officers patrolling Cardiff

before the big match kicks off.

CHEERING AND SHOUTING

We're going to have a great day out.

-THEY CHANT:

-We're coming for you! We're coming for you!

HE CHANTS

Fortunately, the potential trouble between fans

raised at the morning briefing hasn't materialised.

You will be receiving 14, 1-4, coaches.

I'll let you know when the first ones are on their way to you.

Because passions run high on derby day,

all Swansea fans must travel together in a convoy

and meet the police at the services on the M4.

-Hey!

-Hey-hey!

And PC Simon Chivers is there to greet them.

Some very well-behaved Swansea fans here. Tremendous.

-Gentleman, how are we?

-Oh!

-Oh, no, you can't have the hat.

Come on, let me have the hat.

-Come on, the Swans!

-Come on, the Swansea.

99% are here to enjoy the day and it's the same with Cardiff fans

and the whole policing operation is to facilitate the people who

come here with legitimate intent to watch a game of football.

My job is to identify the small amount of people

who aren't here for that reason.

CROWD ROARS

The police have been lovely, the weather's been fine

and the Swans are going to get three points.

This is a huge event.

You know, we're talking 220 countries worldwide are going to watch

this event on the telly. A possible audience of 4.7 billion people.

That is Cardiff on the world stage like it's never

been before that I can recall.

Guys, can you start boarding the coaches, please?

As the Swansea fans begin their final leg of the journey,

the heli-cops have spotted a potential problem.

We've got a vehicle stationary there. Parked up.

We're trying to find out if there is somebody in it at the moment.

Parked at a bit of a weird angle.

Yeah, that's what I'm concerned about. I don't like this...at all.

With the convoy just minutes away, the crew are concerned that there

might be a sinister reason for the car's presence on the bridge.

This vehicle is tucked away on the road.

Could be innocent but could be waiting for the convoy.

-RADIO:

-'Yeah, we're just arranging for officers to go and check now.'

Do we know where the convoy is?

It must be close now, I would have thought.

Just making the rear of the convoy approaching.

They're definitely waiting there for something. It doesn't look right.

-Not right. It's not right at all, that, is it?

-Back door's open.

-Is that the back door?

-Yeah, looks like.

This convoy is going to be closing up now, I would have thought.

I'm keeping an eye out. I can't see them yet.

'We have two traffic officers on their way.'

Yeah, it looks as if there's two persons in this vehicle.

The heli-cops' hunch was right.

They were waiting for the Swans fans,

but with nothing more harmful than a Cardiff City banner.

The convoy can make its way safely to the match.

In the capital, the rooftop escapee is going nowhere.

And he's drawing quite a crowd,

which is a concern to Sergeant Easton.

There is dangers of, obviously,

him falling off the roof, is the biggest one,

him knocking things off the roof onto people below -

tiles, things like that.

So our main priority is his safety and our safety

and everything else is secondary.

The man claims he'll come down as long as some of his demands are met,

including the light for a cigarette.

Fag break over, the man finally decides to hand himself in.

At Cardiff Bay custody suite,

there's no chance of making a quick getaway.

-What's he here for?

-Burglary.

-Where was he arrested?

-On the roof.

Got a job as a roofer, has he?

I should have.

-Did you arrest him?

-Yes.

You have got a better head for heights than I have.

OK, sign your name on the pad in front of you. If you can see.

Thank you. OK, all done.

If you go through that door and we will see you in a bit, OK.

-Bye-bye.

-Cheers, mate.

Although the police found their suspect,

the evidence against him was not conclusive.

Eventually, another man connected to the suspect

went to prison for the burglary.

Kick-off here is at four o'clock

and the stadium is filling up very nicely.

The noise starting to grow, as I'm sure you can hear.

THEY CHANT

As Cardiff and Swansea fans arrive at the stadium,

officers from all over the force area are on duty.

-Hiya. How's it going? All right?

-Yes, good.

-Looking forward to this?

After 15 years as a football officer,

there are not many fans' faces that PC Chivers does not know.

-Hi, mate. How's it going?

-Good, yourself?

-Not too bad.

-Come on!

-As you can see, everyone is in good spirits.

A lot of these people, their whole footballing calendar,

the whole footballing year, is going to revolve around this day.

Without fear or favour, completely neutral, I am.

You heard.

CHANTING

The stakes could not be higher,

the Cardiff City Stadium is a cauldron of noise.

This stadium is packed to the rafters,

there is not an empty seat in the house.

Officer Chivers's role during the match will be to monitor

the segregation line between the two sets of fans

and deal with any trouble should it arise.

There is a guy about halfway up in a grey/blue tracksuit top.

I've been doing this for such a long time,

as a football supporter first and then as a police officer, that when

there is something in the offing, I have an idea of what I'm looking for.

So while looking at the crowd, I'm looking for associations,

I'm looking for people acting in a different way,

doing things that they don't normally do.

That's why I'm here, to give our commander, the match commander

a heads-up as to what's going on that I can see that he can't see

because he is remote from the situation.

As the eyes of the world are watching the football players,

the police cameras are scanning the fans.

It's history in the making as Swansea City kick off.

-It's time for cool heads.

-Yeah, right.

In the west of Cardiff, the Ely response team are on duty.

Right. Let's go.

Barry Walker has been a police officer for 23 years.

One more check down the front, job done.

His partner, PC Liz Window, used to run shark diving trips

in Australia before joining up six years ago.

INTERVIEWER: Being a police officer or shark diving, which is most scary?

-Definitely the sharks.

-I don't know.

If you've been stuck in the middle of the Bob Bank,

when it was there, on your own with about 300 marauding

Cardiff City fans coming at you, that's quite hairy.

-'We are receiving a call for an RTA on Cowbridge Road East outside 477.'

-What's going on?

Dave needs help.

SIREN BLARES

The scene involves a four-vehicle collision.

It appears a man has already been apprehended for the crash.

-Can you step out? Put your hand behind your back.

-No problem.

Hand behind your back.

Why have you undone your trousers? What have you put down your trousers?

-I haven't put nothing down them.

-A drug dog's going to come down.

-It's going to search your car, OK?

-I'm not stupid.

You keep hold of the back of your trousers, mate.

-Keep hold of the back of your trousers.

-I've got my hands cuffed.

Hold them there, look.

-There you go.

-Come with me, mate.

-Put him in the back of the van.

-OK.

The Clio was travelling down this way and there was a people carrier

that was just pulling out of this junction here.

Basically, the Clio has decided to swerve around it

and as he has come around the side of the vehicle, he has smashed into

the Iceland van, bounced off that and collided with that red Toyota, forcing it onto the pavement.

He's obviously now in custody.

-Step up for me and just take a seat.

-No problem.

Just so you know, look, there is nothing in the back of this van.

It's all been forensically cleaned,

anything that's left in it after you've come out is down to you.

-Was it a drunk drive?

-Yes.

And he's been fiddling about in the back of the car,

that's why his trousers are loose.

Trying to hide something,

so we will have him strip-searched down there now.

It's no laughing matter for the man's daughter,

who needs to go to hospital.

There is a 12-year-old girl, a front-seat passenger.

That is the airbag that has done that. Luckily, not her head.

RADIO CHATTER

The heli-cops are on a shout in Bridgend to assist officers

and a dog handler on the ground.

We can only assume he may be under that bridge.

I am checking under the bridge now with the dog handler.

A vehicle has been abandoned and the driver

and passenger have made a run for it.

We've got them now. They have cleared the bridge,

onto the south side of the motorway.

INAUDIBLE

We are down the banking, bottom of that path on the right side now.

Have you got him?

-I can see him.

-The suspects split up in an attempt to get away.

We are sticking with one at the moment.

He's heading across, back towards the cinema complex.

One has taken cover,

but he can't escape the helicopter's thermal imaging cameras -

enabling the crew to direct the officers to his hiding spot.

We've got one in custody. Where is the other one now?

We have got one now from underneath the gantry.

The other suspect is soon sniffed out by the dog

and his handler, hiding in the nearby bushes.

We have got two in custody at the moment, is that right?

Yes. The male kicked out at the dog.

She has bitten him.

Good for her.

I couldn't possibly comment.

-Thanks for your assistance.

-No, no, thank you, they'd have got away otherwise.

It has been a team effort.

The driver was later charged with driving whilst disqualified

and without insurance.

He was left to nurse a sore leg.

Back at the drink-drive incident in Cardiff, PC Walker has had

to give some bad news to one of the owners whose parked car has been damaged.

At the minute, there is no insurance on his car.

It may well be that he has some sort of trader's policy

that we are not aware of, that we have yet to find out about.

All right? I know it is not all right,

but unfortunately that's where we are at the moment.

I just walked up and I saw it. I was 20 yards away, wasn't I?

But I'm parked perfectly legally and as I said,

-I'm the innocent party in all of this, so...

-Which is your car?

The one that's there, on the pavement. The one that's wrecked.

Let's us get it off there and see how it looks, OK?

I've just spent £600 on it.

A new clutch, it's just passed the MOT, would you believe?

-He was definitely over 30 and he didn't have lights on.

-No lights?

No, and I mean the visibility is a little bit...

As the damaged car is towed away, PC Window

gets confirmation of the arrested driver's breathalyser results.

He blew 98 roadside and then what did he say?

71 back at the nick, so twice the legal limit.

It's just a shocking thing to do

with your 12-year-old daughter in the car.

I think, every police officer has got no tolerance

whatsoever for drink-drivers.

I lost a cousin through drink-driving and it...

It kills, at the end of the day. There is no excuse.

In custody, the drunk driver was found with a credit card

hidden in his underpants.

In the end, he was found guilty of drink-driving with no licence

and no insurance.

He was banned from driving for three years.

CROWD ROARS

Ballamy hits it. Caulker header. 1-0 Cardiff City.

Steven Caulker.

With spirits high amongst the home team supporters, PC Chivers

needs to identify if anyone in the crowd is acting inappropriately.

Our friend up there started jumping around as soon as they scored.

And pointed at the camera and he stopped straightaway.

We've got one of Swansea's main supporters amongst this group

and in the stand.

Their behaviour since Cardiff has scored has deteriorated a bit.

And I wanted to gather some evidence of what they're doing.

To hold them accountable should their behaviour get any worse.

But it's a Cardiff City fan that Simon has to have a word with.

Tell you what, right?

Just enjoy the rest of this game

because what's going to happen next

if you don't is I'll have you over this fencing,

you'll be getting arrested and you'll be getting banned, all right?

OK? I don't even want to know your name. Just have a bit of sense.

You would not arrest someone for a minor public order offence

inside the stadium today.

They would have to be doing something pretty seriously wrong

that endangered people's life or safety.

What we'd do is we would look at their behaviour

and if it is significantly worse than the people around them

then it falls below the standard that is universally accepted.

We'd find out who they were.

They would be arrested and we'd go to court

and ultimately they would probably be banned.

There's certain parts of the fan groups that think they can still

behave in a way that they did in the '90s and those days are gone.

We won't have it.

OPERATOR: What's your emergency?

My girlfriend kicked off with me.

Started booting my car and started attacking me.

I can't handle it no more.

She was threatening to stab herself. She's just gone mad.

Drove a screwdriver into her. I didn't see where it went.

I didn't see any blood.

SIREN BLARES

PCs Walker and Window are the nearest to respond to this

domestic call for help.

They're searching for a young girl who is in a vulnerable state,

according to her boyfriend who made the 999 call.

Can we clarify

if this female is still in possession of the screwdriver?

That's her there. We're with the female now.

-Hi.

-Hi, lovely.

-What's going on then?

-Have you got a screwdriver on you?

-No.

-Where's it gone?

-I don't have one.

-Did you have one when you were in the house?

-No.

-OK, not my colour.

-I'm confused.

What's going on is there has been an issue with your boyfriend.

We had an argument. I left the screwdriver in the house.

-I said to him I was going out.

-Right.

-Were you going to harm yourself with it?

-No.

-No. I got a tattoo of his name.

-Right.

We had a bit of an argument because I think my mother died.

I've been adopted when I was younger so I don't know what happened.

Should we go back down to the house and sort out what's going on, then?

Yeah. I'd like to, yeah.

Abbey has heard some distressing news

whilst looking into her adoption

which has triggered tonight's incident.

My real mum could be dead.

And I just don't know what to do with that.

If my mum is dead, then I never got to meet her.

And I'm really emotional about it. I don't know what to do.

I feel my whole life is falling apart

because my birth mum is the only thing that kept me alive.

He's going to look after you, but you've got to look after him.

Stop running around the streets and stuff.

OK, thanks.

Good night.

Job done. Another missing person found and reunited.

But just as the team get ready to leave...

-..it all kicks off again.

-I've lost him. I don't care.

-Behave.

-Get off me.

-Let's cuff her up.

I hate you, Chris. I hope you die.

I want to kill you. One day I'm going to kill you.

Watch your foot.

For some reason she's flipped.

And started to perform with him again

and he's come back outside, as you saw.

It's all over.

And she's gone berserk. So the problem is we can't leave her now.

Cos it's going to keep happening.

The officers now have no choice

but to take Abbey into custody for her and her boyfriend's safety.

CHEERING

It's full-time at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The bragging rights are going to the capital.

It's finished Cardiff City 1, Swansea City 0.

THEY SCREAM

With the home fans celebrating a 1-0 victory,

it's been an eventful day for PC Simon Chivers.

THEY SCREAM

Of course I'm happy about the result, I'm a Cardiff fan.

But I'm happier the day went with no problems, no disorder.

All the work and planning and intelligence that goes into these

big events has proved worthwhile and we've got a good result all round.

Yeah, I'm happy.

With over 25,000 people attending the game and millions

across the world watching, South Wales Police got a result too.

They didn't have to make one arrest.

In Cardiff Bay Station...

..Abbey's arrived in custody.

What we'll do is, since you're freezing cold, we'll get you

some clean, dry clothes, put you in the cells for a couple of hours

until you've sobered up and we'll have a chat about who is going

-to pick you up and take you home.

-That's great.

-Happy with that?

-Yep.

Hopefully my boyfriend, if he's happy with me.

I've sobered up a little bit.

-Not quite enough.

-It's my mother. I don't know if she's dead or not.

It's quite emotional.

Couple of hours and we'll get you sorted, all right?

-Thank you so much for that.

-No problem at all.

-All right.

SHE LAUGHS

Abbey will now get a chance to calm down in a cell for a few hours.

I have pretty much got myself into a big state. I've drank quite a lot.

I've, you know...

..shown actions of aggression to my boyfriend.

As in trying to go for him with certain items.

But this is my first time here. I don't want to be here again.

Definitely not.

I'm one of these people who have learned straight away

not to be here again.

Abbey won't be charged,

and response officers Walker

and Window can return to the city streets.

You can call me love all you like. It's not a problem.

You just can't block the road, I'm afraid. Thank you very much.

He called me love.

He did.

THEY LAUGH

-All right, love.

-I enjoyed that.

Next time on Police 24/7...

-On the hunt for a suspected drug dealer.

-We'll be seizing that.

It may well be used as the surface to cut the drugs.

That's not good.

In custody, the all-day breakfast hasn't hit the right spot.

This is why I don't eat baked beans.

Yuck!

It's the police.

And a missing student gets traffic cop Peter Hoole breathless.

I'm getting too old for this.