24 Hours in Police Custody

When does a row at home become a case of domestic violence? That's the tricky question the police face as they are called to intervene in the many domestic dramas that happen night and day behind closed doors in Bedfordshire. The force has seen a surge in the number of incidents of domestic abuse being reported to them, to over 200 a week. Domestic violence crimes have been given a high priority and the police have new powers to charge suspects, so they have their work cut out navigating very personal situations. The stakes are high; although many couples decide to make up, officers are all too aware of the tragic statistic that on average two women every week are killed at the hands of their partners. These issues around domestic abuse are often covered in television drama but for the police and the victims this is no drama; it's real life.

A man is on the run from Operation Bosun, Bedfordshire Police's specialist unit who tackle gun crime. Police believe that the wanted man is lying low for the moment but remains armed and dangerous. Gun crime is a force priority: in just six months Bedfordshire Police have dealt with dozens of reports of weapons being discharged and have seized 23 firearms. Finally officers spot their suspect and call in armed back-up. The attempted arrest is a moment of high tension and drama that plays out in an ordinary street in an ordinary town. This isn't a crime thriller; this is real life. 24 Hours in Police Custody, the critically acclaimed documentary series that follows the work of Bedfordshire Police around the clock, has a fresh approach to capturing their investigations into major crimes. Cameras follow each case in forensic detail as officers race against time to disentangle the evidence and build a case, which they then dramatically put to their suspects in interview.

During Luton's May carnival, a man enters a house and sexually assaults two young children. Bedfordshire Police are determined to find him before he can strike again.

A young woman has made a complaint of rape against a man who she met in a bar. What follows is a series of interviews with the woman and suspect, as police try to unpick the different accounts.