The Brighton Police

The first episode features officers tracing the criminals behind an armed robbery at a betting shop, and although the perpetrators have got away, detective sergeant Julie Greenwood is confident they will strike again. She says: “The chances are, we will have another on the division, that’s the way the pattern normally works with armed robberies, they get cocky, and think, ‘Oh we’ve got away with that one.’ It’s normally the way, we will have something else within seven, ten days max.” Meanwhile, after a six-month undercover operation, officers are closing in on a gang who they believe are controlling much of the class A drug supply in the city. Properties are raided and the leader of the gang is pursued through the centre of town. On stumbling upon a substantial stash of what looks like cocaine at one of the properties, Pc Rob Staplehurst says: “I’ve done a lot of these and that’s one of the more significant finds I think we’ve had on these sorts of jobs. It’s a big problem for us, you know, fighting with someone who’s had a lot of cocaine up their nose is not a lot of fun, so this is good for us to get this off the streets, it stops a lot of problems in the long run.” Then, just as Julie predicted, the armed robbers strike again at a different betting shop, but this time, police are able to identify them, and a search for the perpetrators and the gun they used to threaten staff ensues.

In the second episode, a family home in Woodingdean near Brighton with four young children, has been attacked by a gang of masked men, armed with knives and poles. DS Gary Tattersall, investigating, says: “Being attacked in your own bedroom by masked men at the age of seven to 12 is incredibly serious, and ultimately that will be what gives [the attackers] very harsh sentences in this case.” Detectives in Brighton have traced the incident to a woman living in Sussex whose brother is serving time in prison. After months spent analysing phone records, detectives believe the attack was masterminded from prison, and police have obtained records of the calls. Now, they need to see if they can persuade the ringleader to come out of prison so they can question him about his involvement. Meanwhile, a woman has reported an attempted stranger rape, and police are carrying out an intensive search for the attacker to ensure he does not strike again. DS Emma Vickers, investigating, says: “He literally has been hanging around on the street corner, potentially just waiting for someone, so it’s extremely predatory... It then makes you think, are the wider public in danger?”