Proceedings begin on the M5 just outside Exeter with Chris Davidson and his crewmate Mike Brown out on patrol. An ANPR ding alerts them to a car on the motorway with drugs history, and the driver, at first, seems ready to stop – but doesn’t. Burning off flat out, the pursuit begins with chilled commentary from Mike. The roads get narrower and narrower, but the speeds don’t drop; until, eventually, the inevitable happens and the bandit car loses it on a bend and – a Road Wars first – rolls. Despite best efforts with batons, the windows prove remarkably resistant to their attempts to get the guy out of the damaged vehicle. Amazingly, despite rolling a car, having to be dragged out, and barfing all over the road, the driver still attempts to do a runner and has to be largely sat on to be cuffed. It doesn’t take long to find out why he’s so eager to get away: lots and lots of wraps – and we’re not talking the edible kind.
And it’s only the first week of filming!
Still in Exeter, we join Darryl Drew and Murphy the dog out on patrol and heading to a crashed car from which three youths have fled. Witnesses send them after the lads, and Murphy quickly picks up a trail, which he sticks to –er– doggedly (sorry). Half a kilometre away, his nose comes good and he corners one of the lads on a pavement. There are no more trails to be found, but the youth that’s been captured hands over a few names, so the driver is nabbed in the end.
Unlike the Proactives, the RCU doesn’t do rapid entry, so we hand door-smashing duties over to the Tactical Aid Group – or TAG – who specialise in this sort of thing. And so, we head off to the Coastal town of Dawlish where the unit, with narration by Simon Boobyer, are about to carry out a drugs raid using a truly fearsome two-handed enforcer to take out the door. The journey to the target house is one that would probably startle any dog walker as a bunch of coppers in full riot-gear saunter down a leafy alleyway like a scene out of Hot Fuzz, but it gets them to the front door undetected, so who’s bitching? There are two women in the front room, taken completely by surprise, but things are genial despite the use of handcuffs. There’s loads of evidence of drug use, and a wildly tail-wagging little spaniel reveals a bag of weed; but there’s nothing more than that – unless you count the mega-hot curries in the freezer bags.
Rejoining the RCU, the unit is out hunting as a pack today on the M5. Mark Moore is lying in wait in one of their unmarked Ford STs, looking out for their target vehicle – which contains a suspected drug dealer. Giles Bedson and Roger Hocking, in one of the marked Beemers, are waiting up the road to assist with the stop, ready for instructions. They’re joined by Ian ‘Taff’ Jones in the other unmarked ST and preparations for the strike begin. It’s rather hard to hide a marked vehicle, but this is achieved by bunching up behind the Fords. Giles has the task of calling the shots, and they execute a superb tactical stop on a dual carriageway, which completely prevents the driver either fleeing, necking evidence or anything else. Just as well really, as the car has a huge bin-bag full of cannabis in the boot so he’d never have been able to chew all that up in time.
Beside the seaside today – in Ilfracombe to back up undercover cops who are tailing a suspicious car belonging to suspected drug dealers. Mike is at the wheel, crewed with Becky Jones, while Mark and Taff wait nearby in the other marked beemer. Being a waiting game, passing the time is the order of things at this point and a spot of witty banter ensues until the strike is called. Giles, in one of the STs, is already on scene, outside a shop which is also searched. The car contains only dregs of drugs, but also a lethally customised hockey stick, a gas mask and a box of sugar puffs with a startling free gift inside – some Kamagra. Back in the shop, there’s a huge stash of antique weaponry and a heap of what the dealer thinks is ecstasy tablets – which wouldn’t do much for your mood, but would certainly ensure you are no longer troubled by intestinal parasites.
Over in Plymouth, Mark, accompanied by Jon Manning, finds himself behind a motorbike whose rider is displaying L plates – and carrying a passenger. Amazingly, the lads don’t flee when the stop is called. The rider – who doesn’t actually own the bike – claims to have a full license, in which case he won’t have anything to worry about, and that he is fully insured to ride all bikes, as his own bike is in a garage – hence the L plates as it belongs to the passenger. Further questioning reveals that his bike was actually stolen, and he now isn’t sure if he’s insured after all; though he does have a license – retrieved by the passenger from his house. Amazingly, despite leaving the scene, being out of sight and returning again, the passenger has completely forgotten to remove his bag of cannabis from a coat pocket! Being on a drugs warning already, there’s no chance of a street caution so he’s off to the nick. And the driver still hasn’t figured out whether he’s got insurance…
It’s dog-time again, this time with Steve Cruwys and his dog Razor in Exeter heading out to the scene of an accident where a car has managed to slam into a lamppost. The passenger is slumped over a nearby wall, possibly having a concussion-induced puke, as the windscreen on his side has been majorly head-butted right through thanks to the lack of a seat belt. The driver is, however, largely uninjured, though Steve suspects booze is involved. He’s right. The driver blows 88.
Back to Plymouth again, and Mike and Chris come across a guy who has thoroughly overindulged on the falling down juice and letting all and sundry know how he feels about life in general. His language is appalling, and he is not in the least impressed to see the cameraman at the other side of the road. The language doesn’t improve, and his temper is precarious, so a van is required to transport him safely to custody. Though quite why he feels the need to caution Chris is a mystery.
