Jeanette Ward, producer of Police 24/7, talks about following South Wales Police as they deal with dangerous dogs and traffic incidents.
I’ve often wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a police force, so working on Police 24/7 gave me the opportunity to do just that. I was struck by how varied the work of a police officer is and soon came to realise the job isn’t just about blue flashing lights.
As the weeks progressed I found myself instinctively drawn towards the Dog Section based at Waterton in Bridgend. This is where they train their dogs to become canine cops.
However, on the flip side of the coin, the Dog Section is also responsible for dealing with any out of control, dangerous and illegal type dogs in south Wales. I knew nothing about this line of work so I was advised to get in touch with PC Walter Pennell, the Dogs Legislation Officer for the force.
Walter is responsible for seizing and identifying banned breeds, which are a major problem in south Wales. He told me that lots of people still own banned dogs, but just don’t know it. Some people also choose to use them as status symbols and even for fighting.
The Pontypridd neighbourhood team
During the week of filming PC Pennell, in conjunction with police officers based in Rumney, Cardiff, set up two Dangerous Dogs search warrants on homes. It all happened very quickly. Walter knows only too well that taking away the family pet can be a stressful experience so trying to keep everyone calm was the name of the game. As hard as it may seem at the time, Walter’s first and foremost concern is the welfare and safety of the community so removing the dogs is a necessity.
Walter confirmed that both were pit bull types and the owners would be prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act. But because there was no evidence to suggest the dogs had been involved in any crimes, he would recommend to the judge they could be returned to their owners as long as they complied with strict guidelines. That way Walter and other police officers know where the dogs are, making it a much safer place for everyone.
What I witnessed with Walter was just a tiny fraction of his workload but it was time well spent with a man who truly loves his job and ultimately loves dogs.
In stark contrast to tracking down illegal dogs, I also spent time with roads policing officer PC Peter Hoole. No sooner had we turned up for work at half past six in the morning – loaded the camera, plugged in the microphone then we were off on a call to Merthyr Tydfil.
During the early hours of the morning, a car had been involved in a serious road traffic accident. Peter, along with several other officers would take over the investigation from the night shift. By the time we arrived, the driver and passengers had been taken to hospital – one with life threatening injuries. All that remained at the scene was a crumpled car which had been cordoned off enabling a Specialist CSI officer to examine the site for evidence.
It turned out the driver wasn’t the registered keeper of the car so we followed Peter in his search for the owner. It wasn’t as straightforward as Peter thought, but eventually after knocking on quite a few doors, he eventually tracked him down and was able to take a statement.
Our second encounter with PC Peter Hoole was on his night shift. Having spent some time with him and other officers in RPU in the weeks leading up the actual shoot, there was chance we could end up being in hot pursuit of a stolen car, drug runners or pulling over drunk drivers – all of which I’d witnessed during the research period, but we had none of that.
The start of the shift was introduced by an enormous crack of thunder shortly followed by buckets coming down in star rods! "That’s it" said Peter, "we’ll be busy tonight. We’ll have bump after bump, mark my word." And true to his word every single call Peter received was to a road traffic collision, from the back streets in Pontcanna and Grangetown in Cardiff to the A48 and the city centre.
At one point, the rain was coming down so heavily that the camera lens kept on steaming up. Like Peter, we carried on through the wind and rain until the bitter end. Thankfully on that particular shift, no one lost their lives.
Police 24/7 is a four-part series, shown on Wednesdays on BBC One Wales at 8.30pm.
