David Farnor | On 19, Sep 2020

With Line of Duty recently resuming production following the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, fans of Jed Mercurio’s police corruption drama (pictured) will still be waiting for their next fix. Until then, Channel 4 may have the answer, with a new documentary promising to go “inside The Real AC 12”.

Channel 4 will follow a police force as it investigates its own officers, with cameras given unprecedented access to the Professional Standards Department (PSD), including the counter-corruption unit, one of the most secretive enclaves of British policing.

Avon and Somerset Police has granted Story Films access to the teams within PSD to show the reality of its work, at a time when the scrutiny of police officers has never been greater.

Commissioned by Alisa Pomeroy, the three-part series will take viewers into an unknown area of UK policing which can involve counter corruption, covert investigations, surveillance and police stings. The most serious cases include officers abusing their positions of power to exploit vulnerable members of the public, passing intelligence to organised criminals and complaints of racial discrimination and excessive use of force. Careers and reputations are on the line with the most serious offenders facing the prospect of years in prison.

Told from multiple perspectives the series will look at the reality of being an officer under investigation and the personal strain it involves, as well as the experience of the complainants – often vulnerable members of the public – and the PSD investigators themselves as they conduction their operations under conditions of enormous secrecy and unique pressure.

The series will be executive produced by Peter Beard and David Nath.

Beard said: “At Story Films we always look to engage audiences in important and compelling stories that are difficult to access and tell. This feels like an incredible opportunity to see a side of policing that has remained hidden to most of us but is so important for all of us to understand.”

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