SIRENS WAIL
This is Police Interceptors.
Get on the ground!
Police Interceptors? A real-life one?
I'm gonna tell my kids about this.
And you're riding with the pride of Northamptonshire...
Speed one-two-zero.
- ..ace pursuit drivers... - Contact, contact, contact.
NPAS 5-1.
..with air support...
Got two out. Stand by.
- DOG BARKS - Come out!
..and a crack dog unit.
If you move, you will get bit.
Argh!
- They bring down the bad guys... - Police!
- I believe you are wanted, mate. - Police with a dog. Stand still!
..keep the streets safe...
- Put your arms behind your back. - Argh!
Get on the floor!
..and battle 24/7...
- Get down on the floor. - ..in the war on crime.
Crash, crash.
On the floor now!
It is what it is. We find them, we lock them up.
Coming up, a slippery customer in Corby...
Vehicle's here. Crash, crash, crash.
..throws up a few problems.
I feel sick. I'm gonna be sick. Please!
A smash, a bash...
reveals the stash to the Op Revive team.
Well, that's quite a decent grow.
When suspected burglars bail out, Lucy and Bryn go to work.
Good boy.
It's the last gasp of Monday,
and Aaron "Griff" Griffiths is on the hunt for a silver Golf.
I think...
Six-one. I might have got it in the Corby Old Village. Stand by.
The Golf's been seen previously in another county,
with balaclava-clad figures on board,
who are suspected of numerous car thefts.
I'm unmarked, very slow driving. Stand by.
Griff's in the unmarked Beamer 340, so anyone in the Golf won't know
there's an interceptor on their tail.
- 'How many occupants?' - I think it's two.
And he can direct the cavalry without spooking the suspect.
It's not aware of my presence.
We're Cottingham Road, out of the Old Village.
I'm not going to make any attempt to stop it.
We'll wait for TPAC mobiles and other resources.
The plan is to box the Golf, and two TPAC units arrive.
I've got you.
'Romeo-Papa-six-four, TPAC mobile behind vehicle, on the roundabout.'
With James and Lockie taking over as the lead car,
and a firearms unit behind them...
'Offside indication,
'and it's right, right, right, Gainsborough Road.'
..Griff plans his next move.
Suss how if I can get ahead of it, but I don't think I can.
As well as being an advanced driver, Griff's stinger-trained,
and he's going to lay down a bed of spikes for the Golf.
'Going back towards Turner Road, in that direction anyway.'
Trying to get a stinger out. Stand by.
It's all about predicting the suspects' route.
'At the junction, wait.'
But unfortunately, the Golf's driver hasn't read the script.
'The vehicle's increased its speed slightly.'
Wrong side.
'I'm going to assume they're aware of your presence now.'
'Yeah, I'd say so. Vehicle is now failing to stop, failing to stop.'
That way. That way.
The Golf's taken off, and the pursuit is on.
- It's going that way. - 'Yeah, speed five-four.
'Vehicle is approaching Oakley Road way.'
As Griff plays catch-up...
'Right, right, right, onto Oakley Road.'
..in the lead car, James and Lockie are all over the runaway.
HORN TOOTS
Yeah, speed five-four. Risk is low.
The suspect driver is not exactly Lewis Hamilton.
Speed is slow. Stand by.
And it's left, left, left, Cecil Drive.
But the roads are too tight to box him in.
Stinging his tyres is still their best bet, if they can pull it off.
Though who needs tactics when your target's driving is this bad?
TYRES SCREECH
Vehicle's here. Crash, crash, crash.
Police! Get down! Get down!
The passenger's legged it, but Lockie goes for the driver...
- All right, all right. - Out the car. Out the car now!
OK, all right.
..who's a bit of a change from your typical boy racer.
All right, all right. Listen, I get it, I get it.
- Ooh, all right. - Put your hands out.
Right, OK. Oh, my God. Do you have to do this?
Yes. At this moment in time, you're...
- I didn't know what to do! - At the moment,
you're under arrest for failing to stop... Give me your other hand.
All right. I didn't know if you wanted it, sorry.
..failing to stop...
Wait, wait, no. You don't get it. Wait, please.
Who's that? Who's that? What's his name?
He asked me to... No, he asked me to let him in the car.
- You don't get it. - What's his name?
- I don't know! - Are you sure you don't?
No, I don't know. Listen, trust me, please. I'm actually being serious!
He got... He asked me for help, yeah?
And I let him in the car. This is my friend's car, please.
OK, but you've just failed to stop.
I feel sick. I'm going to be sick, please!
You can be sick, but you're going to custody.
Perhaps her car sickness was caused by the low-speed skid.
And while they deal with the driver...
Which way?
..Griff keeps his eyes peeled for the passenger.
But he's done one in the dark.
'He's gone into a field, a play park, on a pedal cycle.
'He's long gone.'
So he heads for the stacked Golf.
- You OK? You good? - Yeah, yeah, we're good.
She's in custody, I'm just searching the vehicle now.
The intel on the car seems spot-on.
Passenger side, tucked down the side of the seat,
got a black balaclava.
So we've got balaclavas, we've got a tool at the moment,
a little bit of cannabis, bank cards there.
That's just from this front area here at the moment, so...
slowly clearing our way through the vehicle
and see what else we can find.
With cannabis in the car,
they're going to do a drugs wipe on the driver,
and they suspect she's under the influence of more than weed.
- Her purse, down the driver's side. - Sorry?
Her purse, down the driver's side, got that inside.
OK.
It's a small bag of white powder.
If you get some evidence bags.
You might need a few of those.
What's that?
- That, right here. - Ah, it's, um...
- That's crack. - Crack, innit? Yeah.
The car is like a dodgy Aladdin's cave.
I think we'll have offensive weapon in her bag as well.
- Is that a ball in a sock? - Yeah.
- Prison-style, that is. - That's in her handbag.
I'm guessing a pool ball, looking at that.
Looks like it's the sort of size for a pool ball in a sock.
Lockie's seen most things in his interceptor career,
but not this.
18 years in the job, and you hear stories,
but I've never come across a pool ball in a sock before.
She's already been arrested for failing to stop,
and the charges are starting to stack up.
You're now being further arrested for dangerous driving,
driving without insurance,
driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence,
possession of class A, possession of class B,
and possession of an offensive weapon, at this time.
So, on the floor, we found this,
which is, um, I'd suspect to be crack cocaine.
As you see, it's quite shiny, and it's in rock form.
That was found on the floor there, obviously next to the vehicle,
and then, inside the purse of the subject that's been arrested,
got two - an empty bag
and a bag that's still got powder-form substance,
which I'd suspect to be cocaine, or it could be amphetamine,
and that's been found in the purse. Erm...
Yeah, a pot with quite a few buds of cannabis in.
The drugs wipe result comes as no surprise.
Cannabis and cocaine.
You're also under arrest under section 5A
of the Road Traffic Act, for driving a motor vehicle
while over the prescribed limits of cannabis and cocaine.
The young suspect will have plenty to think about
during her night in the cells, and it's a welcome,
if slightly unexpected, result for the team.
Really tiny little girl. Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise,
and I think she was surprised to see us as well, judging by her reaction
when we first got there and started dragging her out the car.
The male didn't want to hang around and speak to us,
so there's inquiries ongoing as to who he is.
But she's... she's got a lot of questions to answer in the morning.
The driver pleaded guilty to dangerous driving
and having no licence or insurance.
She received 12 months' imprisonment,
suspended for 24 months, and a 12-month driving ban.
No further action was taken with regards to failing to stop,
possession of drugs, the offensive weapon, or the alleged car thefts.
However, for drug driving, she was banned for a further 20 months.
The passenger is still a wanted man.
Coming up, five men went to mow down a cannabis farm...
They're ready to pretty much harvest. Couple of weeks.
- What do you want? - Oi, you!
What do you want?
..and Lucy's faithful hound Bryn...
- Bring the dog, then. - Stay where you are now
- or you'll get bitten. Hold him. - Argh!
..gets his teeth stuck in.
Argh! Argh!
In one month, English and Welsh police targeted
cannabis grows run by organised crime groups, or OCGs.
- Police! - Police! Police!
Nealy 200,000 plants were seized, with an estimated street value
of between £115m and £130m.
This is on an industrial level.
Often, these cannabis farms not only cause a blight on local communities,
but also involve criminals exploiting vulnerable people.
Literally, their whole life is just looking after these cannabis farms.
Intelligence suggests there's cannabis grows
at two addresses in Rushden.
The neighbourhood's team are tackling one, and...
..the Operation Revive unit, including Connor and Brad,
are heading to the other.
So, we go in. We see, obviously,
hopefully, lots of rooms of cannabis,
one room where they live in,
which will probably have a farmer, who's normally an illegal immigrant,
or someone who's being exploited, inside.
They'll probably be there, so they can be unpredictable,
cos they get told all sorts of rumours about the police,
that when we go in, we'll kill them, or subject them to serious violence,
so they can be very unpredictable.
But it's not only angry farmers the team have to be on their guard for.
We know that the OCGs that use these addresses will sometimes place
electric wires, so that we can get caught on them,
or spikes, needles, trapdoors.
They can get very creative, so, unlike our normal drugs warrant,
where we run in and get our hands on people very quickly,
once we're in, we're going to go in a bit slower today,
and just watch where we're going.
Last year's nationwide crackdown
saw Northamptonshire coppers carry out 21 search warrants
on suspected weed farms, and seize more than 5,000 cannabis plants.
And though the team can't be sure
the intel on this property is accurate, it smells promising.
Yeah, it stinks of weed.
- Going to go hooli bar, then. - Yeah.
They use the hooli bar first
to remove the glass for their own safety.
GLASS SHATTERS
Glass cleared... they unleash the 16kg key that unlocks every door.
Although this one's proving a tough nut to crack.
Finally...
Go. Slow, slow, slow.
- Police, police! - Police!
..they enter with caution in case of booby traps.
They've got barbed rail.
Police!
One in the address has gone back inside.
- Did you hear that? - Yeah.
Someone inside is trying to make a run for it.
Police! Come to the door.
But the team has the rear covered,
and the runaway knows the game is up.
Come to me now!
- Turn around. - Turn around.
Hands behind your back. Hands behind your back.
Right, at the minute, you're detained under Section 23
of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
- Upstairs. - OK. Come this way.
- Police. - One detained.
This could be the farmer, and the search is on for any others.
Police. Show yourself. Police.
- Police officers! Show yourself. - Police.
- Right, how do you wanna do it? - Check that door first.
Check that room, I'll stay out here.
Doesn't look like there's anyone else home.
Police, show yourself.
But they're still concerned about any nasty surprises.
Don't touch the door handle yet.
Satisfied it's safe, they draw back the curtain on this outfit.
This isn't just a bit of home-grown.
It's fine. Check the...
And it's not just one room.
- Many plants. - Ah...
This whole house has been converted into a sophisticated cannabis farm.
Downstairs, there's one huge grow in the living room.
On the top floor, we've got three bedrooms full of cannabis grows,
all mature plants. And then the loft is also covered.
We'll have forensic photos being taken of everything,
we'll seize some of the plants,
and then we'll put it all for questioning
to the chap we've arrested downstairs,
and then the cannabis will completely be removed
from the property.
They nip this is the bud just in time.
That's quite a decent grow, like, lengthwise.
They're ready to pretty much harvest. Couple of weeks.
They're ready to be going, if not... very, very shortly.
The property wasn't booby-trapped, but Connor's found something else
potentially meant for unexpected visitors.
Big stick. There's not much to it.
It was down by the side of the bed, so he's obviously kept it there
in case someone's coming in that he doesn't want to have come in.
But today, he decided to try and run away
instead of beat us over the head with it.
As well as the weapon, they've discovered some revealing documents.
Ooh, I like this! We've got an IS91, detention paperwork.
It seems the suspect is awaiting a decision from immigration
on whether he'll be allowed to stay in the country.
So, it looks like he was given paperwork
directing him to stay at a place called the Atrium Hotel,
so it's quite possible that he's been contacted by...
- Is the spelling right? - Yeah, that one.
..been contacted by other members of the same community,
and basically been enticed from that hotel
to work in a cannabis farm.
9.50. You're under arrest for cultivation of cannabis.
It may harm your defence if you do not mention
something you later rely on in court.
Anything you say may be given in evidence.
Most of the crop will be destroyed,
but a few plants are bagged up for analysis.
So they'll go to drug experts
in a different station, who will then weigh it,
and then they do various tests and all sorts to work out
what they think it weighs and how much it'd be worth,
and then that will then be submitted to the courts,
to give an idea of how much this operation was worth to them.
Although maths wasn't Connor's favourite subject at school,
he's a dab hand at totting up
the value of a major weed farm.
If they get, like, say, three or four crops in a year...
and they're getting 150, 200-plus plants in each one,
and it's got a rough street value of a grand a plant,
you know, you are getting into the millions, you know,
if you've got it going over a period of time.
And they won't have just one. They'll have... You know,
in a couple towns in the area, they might have you know,
between five and ten on the go at any one time.
It's a massive operation.
But not everyone will be sharing in the profits,
with the farmer likely at the bottom of the pile.
Well, he's already told us that he's come in off a boat from the Channel,
um, and that he's been asked... Couldn't find work,
so he's potentially been exploited into doing this.
So this is as much about safeguarding him
as it is getting this to not be allowed on the street.
The farmer of Weed House pleaded guilty to growing the cannabis,
and was sent down for 12 months at His Majesty's pleasure.
A total of 200 plants, with a street value of 140 grand, were destroyed.
The Northamptonshire force has 15 dog handlers,
including Lucy Sculthorpe, who's on training duty today
with four-year-old German shepherd Bryn.
Come on, then.
- BRYN BARKS - Where is he?
One of the force's top trackers,
Bryn's sniffed out a rogues' gallery in the line of duty.
But even master crime-fighters need regular practice.
Where is he?
Drawing the short straw this morning,
and playing a hidden suspect, is Sean,
an instructor from the dog unit.
Some suspects, especially those on drink or drugs,
think they can take on a police dog. They quickly learn that they can't.
- Oi, you! Get away from the dog. - What do you want?
Get away from me. Stay where you are.
- Send the dog, then. - Stay where you are now,
or you'll get bitten. Hold him.
- Argh! Argh! - Good boy.
Argh! Argh!
Man versus dog is usually a one-sided fight.
- Argh! OK, OK! Argh! - SEAN GROANS
Bryn, out! Out! Good boy.
Yes, good lad. Good boy.
Most bad guys forgo the fists and make good with their legs...
Oi, you, in the bushes, stay where you are or I'll send the dog.
Stay where you are. Hold him.
..usually with a similar result.
Argh! Argh! Argh!
OK, argh!
Bryn's favourite snack is chicken feet,
but he'll make do with some padded arm.
SEAN GROANS
Stop fighting with the dog.
Bryn, out! Good boy.
Training course complete...
Good lad. Yes, clever boy!
..real-life action beckons.
Good boy!
It's late night in Wellingborough,
and the dynamic duo are after a pair of suspected burglars
failing to stop in a stolen van.
Road conditions are bad, visibility is poor,
and the suspect's driving is as ropey as the weather.
SIREN WAILS
Cutting through the rain at more than twice the speed limit,
he's running on borrowed time...
..and the inevitable is just around the corner.
Crash, crash, crash. Stand by.
Two men, out and running.
Go, go, go!
As the calvary rolls in, the runners disappear into the woods.
Go round to Lucy, give it to Lucy.
BRYN BARKS
They might have a head start,
but Lucy and Bryn are up for the challenge.
You all right, Luce?
- Mate, trust me, Bryn will find them. - Yeah.
The fleeing suspects will have left scent trails
as they clambered through trees and vegetation.
To Bryn's finely-tuned nose, it's a trail of bad-guy breadcrumbs,
and the hunt is on.
Yes, yes, we're tracking. Stand by.
It's tough going, but a few brambles...
..and a bit of water aren't going to stop them.
They emerge from the woods into a field next to some houses,
and Lucy updates the team with their progress.
Yeah, one-seven, we're across the stream, towards the housing estate.
My location is on the group with the ARV.
With a sense of smell 10,000 times more sensitive than a human's,
Bryn's homing in like a scent-guided missile.
Yep, yep. Yep, we're going.
After 25 minutes of tracking...
Yep.
..Bryn follows his nose to a back garden that seems deserted.
Come on.
But the dog knows otherwise, and leads Lucy
to some garden furniture covered by a tarpaulin.
Police with a dog. Come out now!
- BRYN BARKS - Come out now! Do you understand?
You'll get bitten by the dog.
Right, the dog's on a lead. Come out slowly.
I'm stuck, I'm stuck.
Right, my colleague is going to come in with no dog.
If you make any sudden movements,
the dog will bite you. Do you understand?
Right, my colleague is going to come in.
- Yeah, yeah. - Under the garden furniture.
Hours of training have paid off,
and Bryn has his man, who was cowering under the tarp.
- BRYN BARKS - Good boy, Bryn. Wait. Watch him.
The suspect sensibly surrenders,
and it looks like Bryn will be getting his chicken feet tonight.
Good lad! Good boy, Brynster. Clever boy!
Bryn's undercover runaway turned out to be the passenger from the van.
He was found guilty of an unrelated offence of causing GBH,
and was banged up for two years.
Forensics identified the driver,
who pleaded guilty to GBH and dangerous driving.
No action was taken against either of them
for burglary or vehicle theft.
A good night's work, and dogged determination.
Coming up...
- Good morning. Can you get out? - No.
You can't get out?
..there's no escape for a drink-driver.
- Hello. - Hello.
And Dave and Callum...
96.
..deal with a bloke in a hurry.
- He's being pursued. - Yeah.
All over the shop.
According to the UK government,
more than 28,000 people a year are convicted of drink driving,
and the interceptors know only too well
that drivers who are over the limit are an unpredictable breed.
Sometimes, it can be aggressive.
Obviously, we're prepared to deal with that, if it is the case.
They don't want to be caught, I understand that.
They know the implications of what's gonna happen
if they do get caught drink driving.
Get people that accept it for what it is,
and are apologetic and genuinely are remorseful with it.
Unfortunately, you still get dealt with the same way.
Then you do... We had people last week that just don't seem to care
or understand the issues with it,
but then we see it first-hand on the roads
what the implications of drink driving can be,
and the collisions that can occur because of it.
The wee, small hours after Saturday night
are prime time for drink drivers,
and as Bomber and Rob make their way to an RTC in Kettering,
they have low expectations of what awaits.
There's been a report of a collision,
whereby a little red Corsa...
..has collided with a BMW.
The caller suspects that the driver of the Corsa
might be under the influence of alcohol.
With the suspected drink-driver potentially trying to flee,
Bomber's not hanging about.
That's one-way.
Is this Clarence?
It's Clarence Road, yeah. Oh, there she is.
Rob sums up the scene.
Oh, dear!
The car is wedged, facing the wrong way
down a one-way street, with the driver at the wheel.
- Hello. - Good morning. Can you get out?
- No. - You can't get out?
- I don't know. Hello. - Hello.
What's happened?
- Right, basically, I've been here... - Right.
- ..trying to get into my car. - Right.
- And that's happened. - That's just happened, has it?
Makes perfect sense.
Why don't you come and join me in the back of my car
- for the time being? - Right, OK.
And then we'll start going through getting your car sorted, shall we?
- Right, OK, thanks. - Where are your keys?
Where are the keys for the car? Here you are, I'll take them.
- There you go. - So, go round this side.
The best place for this wobbly suspect...
And watch yourself there.
..is in the back of a police car.
- I've got my breath pots ready. - Fine.
I was going to say, if you'd have given me a minute,
I could have got that out your way.
Having been quite chatty, she's now gone all shy.
Doesn't wanna speak to me now. Interesting.
But the onlookers are happy to talk.
Who's...? Has anyone seen what's happened?
We all heard it.
- We all heard it. - You've all heard it?
According to witnesses, the lady has been trying to reverse her Corsa out
for about 30 minutes. Bomber does some digging.
- What's your name? - Are you joking?
- No. What's your name? - Is that a joke?
- No. What is your name? - I'm not telling you right now.
No-one's joking here! Around 260 people are killed each year
as a result of drink driving, and Bomber is deadly serious.
I suspect that you're... you've been drinking.
I need you to provide a sample.
If you don't provide one, though, you'll be arrested.
- You know that, don't you? Yeah? - Mm-hmm.
Failing to provide without a reasonable excuse
is treated as severely as being caught driving over the limit.
What is your name? Sorry? Hello?
And failing to talk isn't going to help her either.
Blow into the tube, please, until I tell you to stop.
- No, thanks. - You're not... You're refusing?
- Yeah. - OK, you're under arrest on suspicion
- of failing to provide... - OK.
..a sample of breath for analysis, OK?
You don't have to say anything, but it may harm your defence
if you do not mention, when questioned,
something you later rely on in court.
Anything you do say may be given in evidence. OK?
Right.
That was simple. She's just failed to provide.
Romeo-Papa-one-four.
Another unit will recover the car...
..and Bomber seems to be making some progress.
Is it...? OK.
I've done nothing wrong!
Well, you have. You're under arrest now.
Why?
For failing to provide a suitable sample.
- OK, right. - Thanks.
Jump in the car, please.
Bomber's been on the force for nearly 20 years,
and has zero tolerance for drink-drivers.
But he's giving her one last chance.
Right. I can do this again. Do you want to provide a sample of breath?
You're gonna be arrested anyway.
No? OK, fair enough.
This chatterbox is off for a trip to the nick...
Cos I suspect that you're drink driving.
..to blow on the evidential breath test machine.
What's your surname?
But there's still a wall of silence.
- Come on, then. - We'll go and speak to the skipper.
Sergeant. He's through here.
Perhaps she'll open up to the sarge.
- Same desk? - This one, yeah.
This way round.
Then we're just going into here. So if you want to just stand up
in front of where this gap is, that'll be ideal.
That's it, that'll do.
- I don't have to do this. - Yeah, you do.
- No, I don't. - You do.
- No, you absolutely do. - It's part of the police process.
What's that like?
OK, we'll leave the handcuffs on now.
Face the desk and speak to the sergeant.
It's a simple request. Act like an adult.
But it looks like this drink-driver doesn't want to turn around.
SHE SOBS
OK, I require you to provide two specimens of breath for analysis,
by means of an approved device.
This is really important, OK? You need to listen to this.
I warn you that failure to provide either of these specimens
will render you liable to a prosecution.
Do you agree to provide two specimens of breath for analysis?
Has she been saving her breath for the evidential test machine?
So do you agree to provide two specimens of breath for analysis?
Doesn't look like it.
OK. Right, that's fine, then.
There's no point trying to drag this on longer than it needs to be.
Wrong cell. Good effort, but not the right one.
We don't know how drunk she is,
but I suspect she's gonna be well over the drink-drive limit,
and so she's been put into the cell. She'll spend the night there,
then, in the morning, we'll stick an interview on her.
But ultimately, she's gonna be charged with failing to provide
and she'll go to court, and she'll face a disqualification.
So, erm, whether you decide to provide a sample or not,
she's going to lose her driving licence either way, so...
Little Miss Silent found her voice
and pleaded guilty for failing to provide.
She was banned for 18 months and ordered to pay £439 in fines.
Another major contributor to road accidents in the UK is speeding.
We're at 114, 115.
It not only raises the likelihood of a collision...
..it also increases the chances of you being killed
or seriously injured as a result...
That's just bonkers.
..and interceptors have little sympathy for the speed demons.
I think it's just selfish, really.
It's a little bit like drink driving, isn't it?
People do it because they think they'll get away with it
and they think there won't be any consequences.
There's no real need for it, you know.
It's shown that speeding by even, like, ten, 20 miles an hour
doesn't really make that much difference to your journey time,
so there's no point.
You put yourself and others at quite a lot more risk
for not really any benefit.
Interceptors Dave Lee and Callum are in the unmarked XC90,
with eyes on a nippy Ford Focus ST-Line.
He's got my interest cos he's right up the chuff of that Beamer,
and, obviously, knowing that he's got no plates, number plates on,
might make him think that he can drive like a buffoon.
The tailgating driver has trade plates,
which allow those in the motor trade to temporarily drive vehicles
without having to register them.
And, actually, if he's delivering that to a customer,
- if that was my car, I wouldn't be very happy. - Mm.
And Dave's not happy with the bloke's driving.
Certainly got 90, clocked at 90.
Look at him. He's just raring up behind stuff, isn't he?
96.
Exceeding the speed limit was estimated to be
a contributory factor in 27% of UK road deaths last year.
Aggressive driving at these speeds is a recipe for disaster.
Just bullying people out the way, isn't he?
- He is, isn't he? - There's nothing smooth
- about his driving either. - No, there isn't.
- It's all very erratic, isn't it? - Yeah.
He's heading for points on his licence,
and it's all been pointless.
- Look, he's taking off again. - Yeah.
Why? Cos the traffic lights are red.
- Like he's being pursued. - Yeah.
All over the shop.
The driver's clearly unaware of the unmarked car tailing him.
- What's that, 70 in a 40? - 71.
It's time to pull him over. But there's no need...
- Oh. - Happy days!
..as he's pulled into a dealership, thankfully in one piece.
And the penny's dropped.
Well, it has now, cos I've put all the blue lights on, so...
- Hello, driver. - Hello.
I need to speak to you about a traffic offence,
so I'm gonna caution you. You do not have to say anything,
but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned,
something which you later rely on in court.
Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
Do you know why I've stopped to speak to you now?
- Yes, some guess. - Why am I talking to you?
Maybe I'm speed fast... driving fast, or what.
- Maybe? Is that a maybe or are you? - No, I think yeah.
You are. Are you in any rush to get anywhere?
- No. - No? OK.
Have you got your driving licence with you, please?
Er, just...
Speeding at over 66mph in a 40 could mean six penalty points,
and it looks like he's just the wrong side.
So we've got you at 67mph in a 40.
Yeah, sorry.
You've also been driving up the backside of everyone else
and trying to push them out the way, bully your way through traffic...
Yeah, man, I know.
- ..swerving in and out of lanes. - I know this, sorry.
Is this your job?
Possibly not for much longer.
The dealership were equally concerned
that, obviously, this is, you know, a customer's car,
and a bit upset with the way that it was being driven.
But that sort of driving's not acceptable.
Whether that's how he normally drives, or whether...
Because there's no number plates on it,
there would be no, you know, consequence,
he might feel a bit immune to traffic offences.
I don't know. But either way,
hopefully, this might change his manner of driving,
and if it changes it and it makes it a little bit better,
then, you know, we've done our job.
So you're free to go. And drive safe, OK?
- OK, mate, sorry. - That's OK. Thank you very much.
- All good? - All good.
Speedy was reported for driving without due care and attention.
His fate rests with the Criminal Justice Unit.
Still to come...
See the double yellow lines? You're on a zigzag line.
- You can't park on zigzag lines. - No, I'm sorry.
You wait all episode for a zigzag line offence...
Stay there. I'll give you a bit of paper.
..and then two come along in the same story.
Just dropped some materials.
Yeah, but you parked on zigzag lines.
I can't park anywhere.
Some of the lesser-known Highway Code rules
include fitting a satnav to the wrong part of your windscreen,
not sleeping in your car under the influence of alcohol,
and beeping your horn when stationary.
But Michael Hollowell is thinking
about rule 191 - not parking on a zigzag line
leading off a pedestrian crossing, like the driver of the Hyundai.
There he is.
The bloke makes a half-hearted dash for it...
Excuse me! Hello?
..but it's not exactly The Great Escape.
On the pavement. Shut your door. Shut your door.
Come over here. Right, you've gone into the shop.
Yes, my baby... my baby, he's... he's hungry, sir.
See the double yellow lines? You're on a zigzag line.
- You can't park on zigzag lines. - No, I'm sorry.
The reason you can't park there is to avoid blocking the view
of pedestrians using the crossing, and Michael leads by example.
Do me a favour. I want you to drive off the zigzag lines.
- Here? - Yeah, I want you to drive...
Cos I don't wanna park on zigzag lines,
so if you park down behind that Vauxhall, I'll pull down behind you.
- Now? - Yes.
- OK, sir. - All right?
Do not drive off, or else you'll be in my bad books.
Michael's top policing peeve is this offence,
so he's got some recommended reading material for the driver...
..who turns out to be from Romania.
- Have you read the Highway Code? - Sorry, no speak English.
You've no idea what the Highway Code is, have you?
Really, if you've come from a foreign country
and you want to drive on our roads,
you really need to be reading the Highway Code.
And something else you need to drive here...
Insurance. What insurance have you got on the vehicle?
- Sorry? - Do you have any insurance?
Yesterday, I... my car.
Insurance? No insurance.
The driver's knowledge of UK road laws...
HE SPEAKS ROMANIAN
..is as good as his English,
so he phones for some family assistance.
- Is that your partner? - My sister.
- Your sister? - Yes.
- Does she speak English? - Yeah, speak English, yeah.
- Hello. - 'Hello, good afternoon.
'Good morning. What's going on, please?'
- Hello, your... Is it your brother? - 'Yeah.'
Can you let him know he's going to be reported for driving
the vehicle with no insurance,
and also, the vehicle is going to be seized?
'Please, sir, he's going to make the insurance. Don't do that, sir.'
No, no, no, we'll be taking the vehicle away.
So just let him know, while I fill in the paperwork.
Michael still needs to caution the driver,
but the bloke's sister has had to go.
Anybody else that speaks English that you know?
Now I speaking my friend, other friend.
OK.
Luckily, his mate is on hand.
- Ah, OK. - Hello, sir, good morning.
- Hello. How are you? - I come to translate for him.
- Nice one. That's ideal. - What happened, sir?
So I'll do it in bits and pieces, all right?
So he's being reported for the consideration
of the question... Do that bit first.
- I do not understand. - OK, so he's being reported
for the consideration of the question...
What does mean that?
Do you want me to find it, so you can read it to him?
And if you've ever wanted to know what "zigzag" is in Romanian,
pay attention.
The offences are, number one, parking on zigzag lines...
FRIEND TRANSLATES
..and no insurance.
FRIEND TRANSLATES
All right? Yeah? Does he wanna make any reply?
- No. - Well, ask him.
FRIEND TRANSLATES
- No, no. - No, no.
OK, don't say no for him when I'm gonna ask him.
It's him, not you, I'm reporting.
There's one more bit of bad news for Michael to deliver.
Ta. This is for the property that you take from the vehicle.
- You take the car? - I'm taking the car, yeah.
- Sir, no, please. - Yeah, car has to come with me.
I need to submit the insurance for him.
No, but there's no insurance on the car.
- Yes, I make now, sir. - You can't.
- I can go and make insurance now. - No. Car comes with me. That's it.
The car's off to the pound.
Stay there. I'll give you a bit of paper.
And Michael's off to see another dodgy parker.
Driver, pull in behind my police car for me.
It seems this place is a bit of a zigzag offence hotspot.
Just dropped some materials.
Yeah, but you parked on zigzag lines.
I can't park anywhere.
Well, I'd rather you park on double yellows
- than the zigzag lines of a crossing. - I didn't...
So stay where you... You are joking me?
- Well, yeah. - You're a man...
You're man of an age that you know what zigzag lines mean.
No-one parks on zigzag lines.
It was quite heavy, what I had to carry.
- However heavy they may be... - Yeah. - ..you don't park on zigzag lines.
Right, so I've reported this chap for parking on them,
so, unfortunately, you're gonna get one too,
so stay put until I finish with him.
Michael zigzags from one job...
OK? I'll leave you with it. Thanks a lot.
..to another.
So when you pulled in to park,
did you not see the lovely blue lights on my police car?
Well, I did. That's why... I didn't wanna park in the bus stop,
so I pulled up there just to drop some lead, which is heavy.
I couldn't pull down the other street, cos they're all parked up.
I thought I'm only going to be a couple of minutes.
Yeah, well, a few seconds is too much on zigzag lines.
But there's no need for a translator this time.
So you're going to be reported for the consideration of the question
to be considered to be prosecuted for the one offence,
parking on zigzag lines of a crossing.
You don't have to say anything, but it may harm your defence
if you do not mention something you later rely on in court.
Anything you say may be given in evidence.
- Do you want to make any comment? No? - There's not a lot I can say.
No. Well, no. I mean, you can say what you like, really,
but it's your choice whether you want to say something,
but don't worry about it.
And the moral of the story?
You only have to look at the Highway Code. It says you can't do it.
The man with a van was reported for parking on a pelican crossing
and attended a What's Driving Us? course.
The Romanian driver went to court and was convicted
of parking on a zigzag and driving without insurance.
He was fined a total of £1,322,
and received six points on his licence.
There's no excuse to park on zigzag lines.
Why would you need to park directly outside a shop and run into the shop
and then run back to your car, when you could park
ten metres, 15 metres down the road?