Swann The Lock Up

This prisoner's having a fit.

He was arrested for violence,

and now he's completely out of it. Under a doctor's supervision,

he's being restrained so he can't hurt himself or anyone else.

Have you got rigid cuffs?

To make matters worse, he speaks no English.

Could you get me a double crewed unit as an urgency, please?

The sergeant wants an ambulance.

PRISONER YELLS

When he was charged, he was sweating and shaking,

which are signs of alcohol withdrawal.

One man has brought every custody officer to their knees.

ALARM SOUNDS

-What do we need?

-Just a few more officers to help out.

CID, then uniform arrive as back-up.

This guy is built like one of the entries to World's Strongest Man.

He's had a fit, he's panicking.

Calm down! Calm down! PRISONER YELLS

What happens in a busy custody suite when there's no-one left to hold the fort?

Is the ambulance here?

This programme contains strong language.

Welcome to the Lock Up.

On the north-east coast,

the city of Hull gets its fair share of booze-related crime.

Of 25,000 arrests every year, more than a third involve drugs or drink.

And most end up here,

at the custody suite of Humberside Police headquarters in Priory Road.

MAN YELLS

The man in charge is Sergeant Pete Swann.

You've had your say. I don't want to listen to you either, that's why you're going to a cell.

He leads a team whose job it is to look after everyone, no matter how drunk they may be.

Wake up.

Never have so many officers crammed into one cell to control just one detainee.

And there are 15 other custody guests, demanding room service.

Sergeant Peter Swann has no choice. The lock-up is shut up.

I've never had to close the custody suite in all my years as a sergeant

until tonight.

It's a badge of honour, we don't close unless we have to.

Even the paramedics have to wait for their moment. It's still not safe.

We're going to try and get him on his side to get the hand behind his back

and then the other one round.

Relax, yeah? No problem.

-Have you had the background to what's happened?

-Yeah.

I think what you've seen there has been panic at what we've been doing.

The difficulty is he speaks no English whatsoever,

so he's got no idea what's happening.

Ambulance.

You're going to go to hospital.

'It's a real nightmare situation for me.

'An alcoholic Pole that speaks no English, withdrawing from alcohol.

'With ten people all in one cell restraining one person,'

you can't deal with anything,

because there's nobody to deal with it, basically.

So you just hope the same thing doesn't happen in two places at once,

otherwise you're really up the creek, shall we say.

He may be a patient,

but he's still cuffed and strapped in case he becomes violent again.

Thank you, everybody.

Every man Jack Harry of us has been in the one cell,

that's why we've not been able to do anything.

The shutdown means Sergeant Swann has to tell his boss.

While the prisoner is chauffered away in his own personal motorcade.

I think he'll be OK now, because there's a taser car behind

and two officers in the ambulance, so yeah, it's all good stuff.

But the tap has gone in the toilet during all the fun and games,

and eventually, it's overflowed.

So I'm not quite ankle deep, but I'm bootlace deep in water.

Needless to say, when the prisoners press the buzzer,

they're getting short shrift. Anyway, I'm open to business again.

I'm just going to check that to see if it's stopped leaking now.

The longest-serving lock-up staffer is on the case.

Jill, the cleaner of eight years, with her Plumber's Mait.

Agh! It's just dipped on me. I bet there's a hole in that pipe.

We're generally managers of the custody suite,

so if there are faults, deficiencies in stores or issues with detainees, that's our role.

Feel under that side there where my hands are.

There was a deluge on my hand there when you did that. Anyway, I will call the plumber.

Before I go home, I'll come and check again,

cos I've mopped it and it's not dripping now.

Is there no end to our talent?

She would be the perfect woman if she didn't support Hull FC, you know.

-JILL LAUGHS

-He's lovely, is Swanny.

We have a bit of banter because we support different rugby teams.

So we do have banter, big style. All friendly, nice banter, though.

The next customer through the doors is up from London for a mate's birthday party.

-Have you been in custody before?

-Yes.

-Yes?

Brief circumstances, please?

He was seen urinating in the street. He was clearly in drink.

And he clearly still is.

-Sorry...

-Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine.

What's your surname?

HE SLURS SPEECH ..It's double-barrelled.

Do you want to spell it for me?

That's one barrel.

Mullered?

So, I've got G-I-M-E-Z,

hyphen, M-E-N-D-O?

Yeah.

-So, that's clear then.

-Are you working at the moment, Ricardo?

-Yeah.

-What do you do?

-Investment broker.

-Restaurant...?

-No.

-No?

-Investment...

-Yeah?

-..broker.

-Ah, right.

I haven't got investment broker. What sort of line of work as it?

-Er...

-Where do you...?

-Is it a...?

-Estate agents.

-Is it the bank, what is it?

-Estate agent.

-Estate agent?

-Try that.

Ricardo has an international portfolio.

Do you speak any foreign languages?

-I do.

-What do you speak?

-Spain, er, Spanish.

-Yeah.

-Japanese.

Yeah.

-Italian.

-Yeah.

-Is that it?

-Mandarin.

-Mandarin, yeah. Any more?

-And that's it.

-That's it?

-Yeah.

That's enough, isn't it? What size shoe do you take?

Seven-and-a-half, but I always buy eight.

Seven-and-a-half, but you always buy eight. OK.

Easy!

RICARDO SLURS SPEECH

-You what?

-I need to pass wind.

You need to pass wind? OK.

-THEY LAUGH

-If you need to let it go, let it go.

-HE BREAKS WIND There you go.

-And that's everything.

Come over to this side for us.

Can you take that as well just in case you're still feeling poorly?

Pretty terrible, really, isn't it? Just having a night out, caught weeing in the street,

-and then after that, you're in the cells.

-It's bad, mate. It's not what you want.

Particularly enjoyed the answer to the shoe size.

-"I'm a size seven-and-a-half, but I'll always buy an eight."

-"Always buy an eight."

You need a bit of light humour, I guess, don't you?

-Keeps you going, keeps you going.

-Absolutely.

At check-in, another victim of booze is on the way.

One, two, three, four, five times in 2010.

-The list of previous offences goes on and on.

-Once last year.

Criminal damage.

Public nuisance.

DP has contacted police on 999 system as she wanted a lift from one address to another.

It's no surprise she's been given an ASBO to stop her being a nuisance.

Her ASBO states she cannot call the ambulance service unless a genuine emergency.

DP has called 999 and then declined ambulance services when they attend.

And this is her second arrest for antisocial behaviour in the last 24 hours.

Right, she's well in drink and she's been very, very awkward.

Shall we have in her...?

-Usual in 11?

-Usual en-suite.

Doof!

-I'm going to pull you back.

-Just put that break off and then we're away.

-You ready?

-Yeah.

Yvonne Jones has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

Have you got any footrests?

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Welcome.

-Are you OK with your legs down?

So, circumstances, please?

She lives in a block of flats.

She has an ASBO which states that she can't cause a disturbance to neighbours across the way.

She's been banging on the door, shouting and swearing at the neighbours.

-Arresting officer?

-Myself, 224.

Hey, you, 2-4.

2-2, 2-4?

Hey, I'm strong and there's no way that you're going to get away with this.

And I WILL take it up with you.

-Is it because you've not got any hair?

-Yvonne?

Have you had any alcohol, Yvonne, or any drugs today?

-Yes, I've had alcohol, yes.

-Roughly how much have you had?

Which is a legal substance.

Yeah, it's still legal as far as I'm aware. How much have you had today?

Two cans of strong beer.

Two cans of strong beer? OK, thank you.

'I've been dealing with this lady for the best part of ten-and-a-half years.'

I cannot explain to you how many man-hours,

how many police hours, how many emergency services phone-call hours

she's actually taken of our time.

Right, there you go.

-Stuart Constable has also met her many times.

-Right, okey-cokey.

All right.

It looks awful.

She's in a wheelchair, but when she does come into custody,

she refuses to move, and also,

she is difficult to the point of being obstructive.

Hi, Yvonne, how are you doing? How are you hurt?

-I'm giving you paracetamol.

-Yvonne is well-known to the custody nurses.

I'm going to prescribe you...

'She comes across as genuine, but she also comes across as attention-seeking.'

She's quite bright, and I believe she's well aware of the consequences of her actions

and she knows when she phones 999 that there's a good possibility she will end up back in custody.

But while she's here, she's got a lot of attention,

she's got people looking after her,

which I believe is the underlying motive of why she makes these phone calls.

We've had her going up and down the street in drink

in a wheelchair, kicking off wing mirrors of cars, etc. Causing criminal damage.

A few years back, she actually was sat in a wheelchair,

threw a piece of her own faeces at me, believe me or not,

and hit me with a footplate of a wheelchair,

and then promptly got up and walked away.

This is something she obviously plays on.

-OFFICER:

-Anything else...?

Only yesterday, Yvonne was in for abusing the 999 system again.

And that wasn't the only trouble she caused.

Well, she's claiming that she's taken an overdose of ibuprofen.

Marvellous.

You do know that when she told us, she laughed?

We went and looked and there's only two missing from the blister pack.

I know, but I've explained we can't take chances.

She knows the score and we can't deviate from it.

The police escorted Yvonne to hospital,

but when she got there, she had second thoughts.

Yvonne's had a change of heart and decided to tell the truth.

She's told the nurses that she just wants to be dealt with now

and she's not taken any tablets at all. So, on that basis, they've discharged her.

Only 24 hours later and Yvonne is back in for harassing neighbours.

Another breach of her ASBO.

What criminal offence have I done?

I've not stolen a bag off anybody.

I've not hurt anybody. In fact, it's ironic.

I'm two weeks into my diploma in counselling,

and then I'm a quarter of my way through a degree in sociology.

So, I like people.

Domestic violence is often the result of over-drinking.

Kerry Taylor and her partner were on the lash

until she reported him for attacking her.

Stand here, Kerry.

Good evening, Kerry. Have you been in custody before?

But now Kerry's been arrested for attacking the police.

We attended in relation to a domestic incident,

-and as I tried to move her out of the way, she punched me in the arm.

-No, I didn't.

-So, she was arrested.

-Yes, you did.

-That's a lie.

-It's not a lie.

-That's a lie!

-That is not a lie.

There was a report of a domestic incident,

so we attended to make an arrest, and at that point,

the alleged victim didn't want us to make that arrest, I think.

Within the melee, a police officer was assaulted by the victim,

so the offender was arrested

and so was the victim for assaulting police.

-Right, what injuries have you got?

-I've got fucking loads!

-Them.

-Right, I'll put them down.

-And that.

Your eye?

All right, so, we will investigate that matter and then you'll be interviewed.

Detective Coupland is on the case of the victim who phoned up the police

but was brought in as the attacker.

-..two in 13?

-Yeah.

-Tell us what went on.

-Right.

Sat watching TV, as you do, knock at the door, let them in.

What have they said to you when they've arrived?

"Is he here?" So I said, "No."

They said, "We can hear him." I said, "Oh, right, then, so what?"

And when you're referring to "Is HE here?"

-presumably you meant you're referring to...

-Peter.

-Peter.

But they did find Peter, her boyfriend of 20 years, and nicked him too.

Mr Webster, you've been arrested for an alleged assault on your partner, or former partner,

so I'm authorising your detention here while we investigate that.

He's also been attacked...

by his own dog.

A dog was set loose,

presumably with the intention of biting police officers,

but it decided it would bite anybody and it bit the alleged offender.

So there was now an angry victim, angry offender, angry dog

and astonished police.

Start running round my house like psychos.

With that, a little Staffie starts ragging on Peter's foot.

This officer's accounts does mention the little Staffie.

Peter made a reference that he would get the dog off in his own way.

He would, but they had his fucking hands pushed so far up his head,

-even God himself wouldn't have been able to move.

-Fair enough.

-Can I just pull your...? Do you want to show my colleague?

-Yeah.

-He's got a few...

-Oh, is that from the dog?

-Either that or one of your lot biting me.

All right. I'm not a biter, so... more of a lover.

Peter's not smitten, he's bitten.

Now, there's blood pissing out all over the floor.

So I stood up to go and stop the dog,

and she grabbed my arm, twisted it round,

and then pushed my head like that on the sideboard unit.

Hence this.

OK. Which police officer was that?

Ugly-looking bird, hair about here.

Dyed gingery-reddy-brown and she wears too much make-up.

Have you got any special diet needs?

Yeah, I eat steak every meal.

-Right, did you hit her at any point?

-No. Violence isn't my thing.

She said that you raised your right arm,

drew it back slightly and punched her in the left bicep. Can you remember doing that?

Well, I tell you what, I've read some fairy tales in all my life,

but THAT takes the biscuit.

YVONNE BANGS ON WALL

Can somebody help?

Are you all right, Yvonne?

OK.

She's fully wet herself now. It's all down the front of her pants,

and she said it's gone into her own boots.

So she's just sat there in a massive puddle of her own urine.

Right.

I'm going to have words.

What more can we do?

-Cos we know that she's...

-Deliberately.

-Deliberately doing it.

BANGING ON WALL

YVONNE: Can somebody help me, please?

Now, Yvonne, what's wrong?

It's not the first time Yvonne has wet herself in custody.

Well, why don't you get that wet stuff off?

I've given you a boiler suit there to get into.

You've got some new, clean clothes, basically, to get into.

-Yes, but I can't...

-Yvonne, I know, I know... No.

I know that you're not that disabled.

I don't know where you're getting that from.

I'm getting it from the medical profession who have looked after you before.

I'm in an electric wheelchair, 24/7.

-I really don't...

-You're capable... You're capable of dressing yourself.

I can't even get over to the boiler thing!

Well, you got over before, didn't you?

-You were placed by the bench.

-Yes.

-And you got to the door.

Yes, but this one wheel, yeah...

You still were able to move, Yvonne, cos we've seen you.

You're going to have to help yourself.

The fact that she sat and urinated,

people might say it's because of her condition, but I know she can get herself on and off the toilet

and she will use that to be more helpless.

But it does seem very harsh.

Sarah's making us some cappuccinos

that the sergeant's brought in in little packets.

THEY LAUGH

Bloody hell. These are really frothy, aren't they?

We had a few problems with detainees being quite demanding, so...

Sometimes it doesn't matter, there might not be many people in

but they can cause a lot of problems.

The party goes on. This boozer's been bounced for stealing a handbag at a 21st birthday bash.

Samantha MacLean was grabbed by the boyfriend of the bag's owner.

OK, Samantha, everybody who comes through custody has to ago through a risk assessment

-so whilst you're here we can look after you.

-Yes.

Set questions that I ask everybody.

-Have you had any alcohol or drugs in the past 24 hours?

-I've had alcohol.

-What have you had?

-A lot of drinks.

-Have you got any money?

-We have, yes.

-Yeah, some money.

-We've got two 20s and three 10s but we're seizing those.

-Why?

As evidence, to prove or disprove your innocence or guilt.

That's a load of shit.

I came out with that money. I got grabbed by the throat by some stranger.

OK, Sam, you are 18 years old or older and have been arrested for a trigger offence, namely theft.

I, PC 123, will now ask you provide a sample of saliva for testing

-in accordance with the Police And Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

-Yes.

The purpose of the test is to see if you have the evidence

of the presence of crack cocaine or heroin in your body.

-Yes!

-If the result of the test is positive,

you may be required to attend an initial and a follow-up assessment with a drugs worker...

Just do my spit test - I don't need a lawyer.

Right, Samantha, I need you round here, please.

Just take a seat on that grey chair.

We drugs-test everyone arrested for offences like theft

because there's always a suspicion that they're stealing to fund a drug habit.

Quite a bright light, swing round and look into the camera for me.

I haven't stole anything and I just got...

-Erm, Samantha, don't talk about the offence.

-Well, I don't take drugs, I don't steal.

I've had a very good night tonight, apart from getting arrested.

-Have you ever done a drugs test before?

-Yeah.

So if you put that in your mouth for me.

I need your finger on there for me.

Oh, I've got two babies at home.

And thinking about them now, doing this shit, makes me want to cry.

No, don't cry.

'I would never say you're befriending them

'but building a rapport so that you're not fighting with them is fairly important.'

I mean, you don't want to be on the floor fighting with them to get their fingerprints,

which we are legally allowed to do.

It's easier to have a laugh if they're willing to have a laugh

and proceed from there.

When they find out that I am right and they are wrong,

they're going to let me go.

Tested negative, negative.

-Grab your shoes that you don't want to lose.

-Yeah.

I don't want to lose my shoes.

'There are drunks who are nice people and there are drunks who are bad people.

'Some apologise, some can't remember,

'and some don't give a damn.'

I'm not convinced people can't remember what they've done.

It is a good defence to having to explain away quite unacceptable behaviour,

erm, when you maybe don't want to.

Samantha can't be interviewed until she's sobered up.

Do you want a cup of tea?

-Do you have coffee?

-I don't.

-I'll have a cup of tea.

-Do you have sugar?

-Just one.

-OK.

Thank you.

At the minute, I feel like fucking shit, all I want to do is go to sleep,

just wake up in the morning and go home to my family...

and my kids.

I ain't done anything wrong and I'm being locked up.

It'll be a long night.

Time of arrest, 11 o'clock. Offence, burglary.

Sean Patterson isn't drunk but he did nick a bag of beer

and then didn't come quietly.

It took 50,000 volts from a Taser to get him this far

and now he fancies giving the cops a taste of their own medicine.

He came in on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage,

but the charge sheet is growing by the minute.

SEAN SHOUTS

He decided to try and kick one of the arresting officers,

er, I've got to say one of the more pathetic attempts at assaulting one of my colleagues,

and within the cell walls, his clothing's been removed

so it could be searched.

Coincidentally, it's been seized,

because he was arrested at the scene of a burglary,

so forensic transfers mean that the clothing itself is evidence of the offence.

Fucking fuck-head!

Patterson is very well known to DC Rob O'Neill.

Sean's been getting into trouble for years now.

He's only just come out of prison, out 16 days,

and there's been a spike already in the area he offends, so crimes have gone up,

his particular crime of choice has gone up since he's been out

and it was the same last time and when he got sentenced last time,

crime went down and virtually stopped.

And what did he steal THIS time?

All this aggro over a few cans of beer.

I've got a simple job for you.

It's a lad called Patterson - nasty piece of work.

He's in for burglary within a dwelling, damage, assault of the police and resisting arrest.

It's up to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide what charges Patterson will face.

The lager is out of date and she bought it last year.

This is out of date and the box, the serial number matches with what's on the cans.

CPS has picked it up. He's really positive, to be honest.

I think he'll be getting charged.

The CPS will make the decision on what you're getting charged with.

And it's a long list, including criminal damage...

..without lawful excuse, damaged a fence - value unknown...

..Kicking his arresting officer...

..Assaulted PC 2468 Stephens,

a constable in the execution of his duty.

..And nicking the beer.

..Having entered as a trespasser, part of a dwelling, namely garage,

stole food and beer, value unknown.

Do you want to sign there, that the charges have been read out to you?

You're not going to be getting bailed today.

You'll be kept in court for the morning. All right?

If Patterson is convicted on all counts,

it'll bring the total on his rap sheet to 126.

Finally, peace returns to Priory Road.

But not for long.

BANGING

Yvonne has managed to change into dry clothes.

She's managed to dismantle her wheelchair.

What are you doing with that?

-Listen, you can get up.

-I CAN'T get up.

I think we've been more than reasonable with you.

I don't think so.

I know that you've got enough power in your top half to pull yourself up.

Let's see how you get on.

-No.

-Yes. You're being difficult for difficult's sake, aren't you?

-Will you help?

-Get your fucking head down!

Yvonne insists she can't get out of the chair unaided,

but the camera never lies.

She doesn't know she's in a camera cell, does she?

I don't know.

Not so quickly.

I find it upsetting to watch cos it looks like we've not bothered

to help her, but we are.

If you try and help,

she will make it hard for you to hold her

so she risks falling anyway.

I find it upsetting to watch.

At the end of the day, she's done what she said she can't do.

BANGING

-Is that her?

-I would think so. Everybody else is tucked up.

Wish I was!

By sunrise, Samantha's lost her sparkle.

It was horrible, cold, noisy.

You can't go to sleep and when you do go to sleep,

you've got somebody opening your door to check you're still alive.

I suppose it's the job, but it weren't very nice.

She's still denying she's nicked a handbag.

I hope they do check the CCTV footage

and they might see it ain't me who did it.

They might see the real person who took it.

But they are checking the CCTV.

There's the pink bag.

There's Samantha and there goes the a bag with Samantha.

They've got a CD of CCTV

and I was on it

doing summat I shouldn't have been.

I felt stupid.

My face started burning. The camera never lies, does it?

A spur-of-the-moment decision I wish I hadn't made.

That's why I'm here.

I'm a silly girl.

I don't know what I was thinking.

You know what they say - don't go out.

It's in the bag.

12 months conditional discharge and £50 to the victim.

There you go - room service.

-Cheers.

-I bet you don't get this at home.

It's not a very nice feeling to be waking up here.

I came here about 9, 10 o'clock last night.

I checked into the hotel, started pre-drinking at the hotel

then literally, I don't remember anything from 12 o'clock onwards.

That will be the two or three bottles of champagne

that I drank before I went out.

In London, all the investment brokers or bankers,

that's all we drink down there.

I don't know why I was brought in here.

Maybe for drunk and disorderly. I'm not exactly sure.

Mr Gomez, do you want to come this way for me?

In fact, Ricardo was brought in for weeing in the street.

It may not be his only crime.

-Have you had a drugs test done before?

-Yes.

I want you to put that in your mouth for me, put some saliva on it.

Don't chew it. Get some saliva on it. Thank you.

We're testing for cocaine, crack cocaine,

or opiates, heroin.

So much of it is a blur. It's unbelievable.

I won't be pre-drinking like that ever again.

Do you use any cocaine?

When I was 18, I tried it.

I say that because it's come back positive.

-OK.

-For cocaine.

As soon as I left the hotel, I could not remember coming here.

Did you have a skinful?

You might put it that way, yeah.

-You can't remember what you did?

-No.

Or what you got up to.

All right, so what that basically means is

you've got to see a drugs worker while you're here.

As long as you agree to seeing the drugs worker while you're here

no further action on it.

-It's half an hour.

-Yeah.

The hangover is about to get a whole lot worse.

We've arrested someone who you guys have got wanted.

Ricardo is wanted by police down south for fraud.

They'd like to talk to him about some dodgy share dealing.

You're wanted by St Albans. You're aware of that, aren't you?

-Mmm, no.

-Well, you are.

-They're travelling up to see you at this moment in time.

-Right.

It's been a bad trip up north for Ricardo.

It's relating to an offence back in 2010

which came back to bite me in the butt two years later.

I guess that's why they call it karma.

What goes around comes around.

Get that off.

Yvonne, the ASBO breaker, was found guilty of breaking her order

and was jailed for almost six months.

-Hey, you.

-Thank you.

Kerry Taylor, the victim of a domestic attack, is now a convicted attacker.

-I bet you're married, aren't you? Do you know how I know?

-How?

Because you iron your shirts like no-one I know.

That might be because he has standards.

She was fined £210 for assaulting the police officer

who had come to her rescue.

See you soon.

Her partner Peter received a caution for his attack on her.

High-flyer Ricardo was fined £80 for urinating in public,

had his drugs talk and was collected by police from St Albans.

He still lives with us in Hertfordshire so we're going to take him back

to save the inconvenience of leaving him here stranded.

You can have one less person in custody.

The good news for him,

he got a free lift home and was later cleared of all fraud charges.

The beer burglar who kicked off got six months for his troubles,

convictions for assault, criminal damage

and burglary did indeed bring his grand total to 126.

Hey! Calm down.

More than our fair share of argumentatives today

so, yes, it's nice to finish.

And the man whose seizure closed the lock up

denied a charge on threatening to kill.

The case was closed and the matter left on file.

I'll be back for more tomorrow and I'll expect more drunks

and more domestics.

My theory's always been expect the worse

and if there's anything different, it's a bonus.

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