How it feels to be up-front in a traffic patrol car

As part of Radio 5 Live’s ‘Policing the UK’ series, Chris Warburton visited Meadowfield Police Training Centre in Durham to take a behind-the-scenes look into what police recruits get up to throughout their training course.

One of the most visible and high-risk aspects of policing is being out on patrol in a police car- something recruits will get to do around six months into their course.

Damian Stevens, known as ‘Damo’, is a driving instructor- he took Chris out around the streets of Durham and gave him the front-seat experience of a traffic patrol vehicle.

Damian demonstrated how an officer approaches high-risk speeds of 85mph, “I’m planning every little overtake I’m going to do. It still needs to feel smooth,” he said.

“I’m waiting for eye contact off all the drivers that I’m affecting before I commit to what I’m going to do.”

This clip is from 29 January 2024.

Listen on BBC Sounds.