This action-packed documentary series profiles the work of a high-speed police interception unit in Essex.
Led by specially trained officers and equipped with the fastest vehicles in the force, the team tackles the most difficult-to-catch criminals on a daily basis. In the opening instalment, police chase a drug dealer down a motorway at night; a drunk driver risks his life in a bid to escape arrest; and one of Essex's most wanted car thieves leads the interceptors on a high-speed pursuit.
Armed with outrageously fast cars and the very latest kit, the police interceptors are the new kids on the block in the fight against crime - and they are getting results fast. The government is spending serious money on cutting-edge technology and hand-picked, highly trained officers.
Using Essex as a test bed, they have created the hardest-hitting police unit in the country. With a population of 1.3 million people and a network of major motorways running through the county, Essex is a tough patch to police. "We get a lot of people trafficking, we get a lot of high-level crime, a lot of drug dealing - and all of those people involved use vehicles," explains Inspector Paul Moor. "We are all about denying criminals the use of the road." The interceptor team is manned by 20 hand-picked officers who are specially trained to handle vehicles at high speed. "It's not for the faint hearted," remarks PC Dennis Logey.
The teams are kitted out with the latest police vehicles in Britain, which have been specially adapted from rally cars. These vehicles are capable of massive acceleration and boast a range of gadgets, including tracking devices linked to a super-computer back at HQ. The interceptors are also aided by a fully equipped helicopter, which is fitted with a long-range telephoto lens that can read a number plate from seven miles away.
Also key to the unit's success is a powerful computer system which links every camera in the county. The Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system enables target cars to be tracked across the area and their position to be fed to the police interceptors. All of this technology and expertise means that the police interceptors are cracking down on Essex crime - and the criminals rarely know what has hit them.
Add a comment