Between the Lines (1992) s01e05 Episode Script

we'll probably only get a brief glimpse of Mr Carswell.
His family and friends will want to whisk him away for a private celebration.
Hey! Mike! Mike's here! Mr Carswell, could you just tell us how you feel? I'd just like to say this.
I'm over the moon about it and I'll never be able to thank Sonia and the family and my friends enough for sticking by me.
I'd also like to say that I am double-gutted with the system that put me here.
I spent 18 months in prison for a crime I did not commit.
The guilty people who did this to me, that is the police officers who told lies on oath, are gonna pay for this.
If you want one of these toasters, Chris, they're a bargain.
The guv'nor likes his.
All right, Geoff, I'll let you know.
- He knows a bloke.
- Oh, right.
- I suppose you're off home? - Yeah.
Regular hours, every weekend off, that's me.
Lucky for some, eh? They've tightened up.
You've got light duties because you've been in the wars.
Nothing fatal, though.
I might be putting in for a bit of overtime.
That's if I can get it past the CMO.
Don't rush your fences.
This job's got a funny way of dealing with heroes.
Yeah, well Right.
Enough, Terry! Enough! - You broke my arm.
- Should have been your bloody neck.
Come on, slag! Never a dull moment, eh? - Time you were on your bike? - Yeah, it is, really.
The wife or the job? when will I see you? It's best if I ring you.
I don't want to make any promises.
There's a lot going on.
with the Carswell case getting blown out? There's plenty happening apart from that.
why did you just think it was Carswell? It was on the news.
Not for the last time.
- So how's it going, Mo? - Being back in uniform? It's quite like old times.
Finger who's doing the business at Amberley Road, you'll be out of there.
All we've got is stories from villains that the uniforms have more property from warehouse jobs than the burglars.
All we've got is DAC Dunning making a name for himself with promises we have to keep.
He has promised an investigation of complaints at all levels, so let's do it.
It's a big divisional nick.
More property goes in and out than a cash-and-carry, and that's legitimate.
- You've not picked anything up yet? - Possibilities.
If they are well at it, they're not gonna roll me straight in.
- The troops have been around a bit.
- well, so have you, Mo.
Hm.
- # I just called - Come on.
- Let's have you.
- # To say I love you # I just called Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh.
# I just called to say # Mr Dunning said the Carswell case was another disaster for police withholding crucial evidence You've made a series of allegations about police malpractice.
At the moment many of these are the subject of speculation.
Now, let me correct you on certain points of fact concerning the Carswell case.
Far from being pushed into this internal investigation, I had already invited the Police Complaints Authority to supervise an investigation into this matter.
Now the case has been decided, our investigation can begin.
And if misconduct by any of our officers is revealed, they will be pursued by the full rigour of Jim! But let me remind you So what do you make of all that, then, Harry boy? I'd say Mr Dunning was announcing himself as a squeaky-clean candidate for commissioner.
You might not be far wrong.
How do you feel about that? You know him better than I do, John.
Old African saying, Harry.
The higher up the monkey climbs, the more he shows his bottom.
what is your name? - Jimmy.
- Jimmy.
Right, James, what's your second name? Second name.
- McQueen.
- McQueen.
Mr McQueen.
Could you turn out your pockets? I have to make a list of your property, so get the stuff out of your pockets.
why don't you stand up and do it? Come on.
Up.
That's it.
Right, you'll enjoy this.
Step forward.
Keys.
Cor, wouldn't fancy that in a sandwich.
- I bought a packet for Christmas.
- Did you? Change.
That's your lot.
All right, bunch of keys, one handkerchief.
Ten-pound note and £2.
54 in coins.
- You fucking what? - Manners, you pisspot.
where's the rest of it? I got paid today.
Yes, well, you have been celebrating, haven't you? Do you remember how much you come out with? I had 180 nicker in my pocket.
Listen I've been robbed.
It's a matter of priorities.
Amberley Road's not been on the telly.
I've only just infiltrated Connell in.
I don't want to whip her straight out.
I understand that, but undercover ops are a bit out of order in this game.
You used me undercover.
It was irresistible with you, Tony.
You look bent.
If I pull Connell out now, we risk blowing the whole operation.
I want your team on the Carswell case.
It's a chance for you to shine for Mr Dunning.
That can't do you any harm.
Look, what if me and Harry get started on Carswell? I chivvy Connell to get a quick result at Amberley Road, then she can join us.
- Can she hack it on her tod? - Don't worry about Maureen.
A resourceful officer.
I don't know why you're bothered.
He's only a drunk, no need to collate him.
There's the robbery.
That goes into my files.
That's a load of bollocks.
How do you know he ain't spent it or dropped it out of his pocket? If I reported a robbery every time I was short after a night on the piss, I'd double the crime figures.
The collator pulls together low-level intelligence.
It all contributes to the big picture.
As long as they remember who's supposed to fit the frame.
Hello, darling.
what you got, love letters? In a minute, when we're ready.
- Hiya, Mo.
- Hello, Jen.
- You two mates, then? - we go back a long way, eh, Sarge? That's right.
Come in my office.
Have a natter if you've got time.
I've got to be going, but now I know you're here I'll give you a bell.
- Arrange a night out.
- I've got some gaps in my diary.
- She meant a girls' night out.
- we always said we should.
Yeah.
Sure.
well, give me a bell.
Ta-ra, then.
Bye.
when I'm ready.
Right, then, Mr Hart.
The suspect decamped from the scene with a piece of wood in his hand.
No, he dropped it.
He decamped with a piece of wood in his hand.
Oh, right.
- Your change.
- Thank you.
- Are you looking for a bargain? - Oh, yeah.
It's me lad's birthday in a couple of weeks.
The little bugger wants a mountain bike.
You'll be down for plenty of overtime, then? Either that or promotion, but I never could pass exams.
why don't you ask Geoff Richards to find you something cheap? He knows a man, doesn't he? The brief says, "Did you keep the suspect under continuous observation?" Not really.
Yes, definitely.
No, Richards only deals in electrical gear.
- Could he get me a hairdryer? - I don't know.
You'll have to ask him.
I don't know nothing about it.
You met Tony Clark at my place a few weeks ago.
Yeah.
Yes, I remember.
He seems to have the right stuff.
Yes, I think so.
well, if he shows some form on this inquiry, we might be able to bring him along rapidly.
I'm on the lookout for right-thinking people.
To stay in the Met or to take with you on your travels? Let's not get previous, Brian.
Good morning.
when Billy Morris was collating he never stuck his nose in where it wasn't needed.
- He never did nothing.
- He never did any harm.
But this one - There's a statement? - This one I don't know, she's a bit out of order.
She did say she wanted to be back in amongst it.
Do her good.
- Maureen? - Yeah? - You said you wanted to do a bit.
- when are we talking about? Saturday.
I'm making up a serial, in aid of the Broom Park Community Fair.
- I'm short of a skipper.
Are you on? - Yeah, I'll have some of that.
Good girl.
Give you a chance to show the troops what you're made of.
Rolling drunks? It's a bugger to prove without setting something up.
If we had one of them for a drunk, that would be a lever.
we could make him give us the stolen property scam.
I'm being leant on, Maureen.
we haven't got time or resources to go the long way round.
This electrical gear, get your hands on it, check out the serial numbers.
I am trying, but I've been asking questions and they don't trust me yet.
Get in there with 'em.
Show 'em you're all right.
Give me a chance.
I'm out with the troops on Saturday on aid.
Good.
I'll tell you what would be handy.
Get into the time sheets, see who's desperate for overtime.
Oh, yeah, easy.
why don't I strip off and do cartwheels round the yard too? Is there something you haven't said? Is there a threat to your cover? Nothing I can't handle if I have to.
One at a time.
Calm down, calm down.
I'll take your statement and then this lady's.
You see this man came along, just out of the blue You know what happened.
I've told the same story from the beginning.
The Appeal Court finally believe me.
None of your lot ever did.
You made a number of very serious allegations against police officers.
If you want them investigated, we're the people you have to talk to.
OK.
Here we go again.
I was on the door of the club and had to bounce a geezer who was giving trouble.
- David Mace.
- So I was told.
The next morning Mace is found dead in an alley round the corner from the club.
I'm nicked.
The cops make up porkies about what I said and I go down for manslaughter.
we're going to have to go into a lot more detail than that, Mr Carswell.
How about "It's a fair cop, you've got me bang to rights"? So what's the game, then, Maureen? No excuses.
I'm just a nosy cow.
That's why I joined.
I was wanting to talk to you about Saturday, what the form was, you know.
- You'd have been notified.
- Yeah.
I remembered I'd said I might go to my mum's Saturday - But I wasn't here.
- No.
I thought I might be able to tell from the CORI, so I came in to look.
You should have waited, Maureen.
Yeah, I was out of order barging in.
I'm sorry.
Still, no harm done, eh? It won't happen again.
That's what they all say.
The thing is, do we believe you? well, you have to please yourself.
Hang about, sauce box.
I'm telling you something.
Round here we don't do things like this.
we have a little bit of respect.
I said I'm sorry.
Round here, naughty girls get a right spanking.
well, so I'd heard, Sergeant.
Maybe some other time, huh? So you were arrested here the morning after the killing? well, not in this room.
Upstairs.
I was in bed, asleep.
I mean, I worked nights, didn't I? And it was the detectives who gave evidence who arrested you? All this has been in the papers, for Christ's sake.
The papers don't have to get it right.
were you cautioned? - I suppose so.
- You suppose so? I was half-awake.
They're shaking me saying, "Get up, you're nicked.
" It was pretty clear what was going on.
I do know my rights.
You've had them read to you quite frequently, I believe.
Yeah, I've been done before.
That saved you the bother of looking for who done the killing.
Let's get back to the point, Mr Carswell, if we may.
You were aware of your right to remain silent? Yeah.
That's why the case was bollocks.
I said nothing at the nick till I'd seen a brief.
No comment, that's what I told 'em.
It was on tape.
But the evidence of your admission was from when you were being brought in.
Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
If I knew enough to stay shtoom at the station, why would I be silly enough to cough in the back of a panda? So when the arresting officers gave evidence that you told them, "I slung him out and he started trying to get handy, "I whacked him, I never meant to kill him," that didn't happen in the car? Of course not.
It wasn't true.
I've got enough sense not to say if it was true.
what vehicle were you taken to the station in? - A police car.
- what, CID? Unmarked saloon? No, a panda car.
A little Metro.
That's what I thought you said.
why would the CID turn up to nick you in a panda? That's not how they turned up.
They come in an Astra.
But the big end went, they got to my place and dumped it.
So there was uniform around as well? Yeah, they turned it into a circus for the neighbours.
So the CID used the panda when their car packed in? - who was driving? - The tart whose car it was.
- Tart? - The policewoman.
The policewoman was driving when these alleged admissions were made? - Sure.
- No wPC made a witness statement.
- Your brief didn't call her.
- we weren't bothered with her.
It was a fit-up.
why have one more police witness gilding the lily? She's one of yours.
what's she gonna say? - Gotcha.
- Oh, you sod! - I thought you were gonna ring.
- I didn't get the chance.
Sue's gone to see her sister.
She's gonna be late home.
- Time I got out of this bloody uniform.
- I'll help you.
You'll mind your manners.
First you'll hear about my day's aggravations at work and then you can tell me about yours.
I've heard it.
You told me it last week.
Chris.
- Christie.
Nectar.
Sutcliffe.
- Call me Marian.
Thomas.
Gilzean.
Keele.
- My section's all on board, sir.
- All present, guv.
Right, let's get moving, then.
- Keep it tidy.
- Righto.
Move your Aris, Farris.
Button yourself up.
I thought you could get me all the information in the Met on this.
we can, but we don't store it all.
The electronic brain would burst.
I'm not up to speed on all this gear, you know.
- Here we are.
- what? - Is it good news or bad news? - You've had a bit of luck.
we were monitoring communications traffic in the area that morning.
There was a flap on.
You can tell me who was assigned to the Carswell arrest? Hang about.
Because there was already a flap on, units had to be assigned from the neighbouring division.
I can tell you where they all came from but not who they all were.
Oh.
Still, it's a start, innit, eh? - You got a pen, have you? - It's all right, I'll do you a printout.
They're miles away.
You can't see what's happening.
- Shows we're not confrontational.
- I don't agree with that.
we should front 'em up and show 'em who's in charge of the streets.
- Those were the days.
- Oh, hello, Chris.
You awake there? - He's the expert on public order.
- Is that so? Oh, yeah.
He won a medal in the miners' strike.
- Bollocks.
- Straight up, skip.
He got it for battering a Yorkshire pudding.
This lot live in a world of their own.
Thank Christ.
Is there a story here apart from all the bullshit? - Yeah.
- Look, it wasn't about hitting someone.
This geezer wanted to go back to work but they reckoned he was a scab so they demonstrated outside his house.
It looked like it was gonna get naughty so I gave it some verbal.
It cooled down, I got a commendation.
It's the way he tells them.
- I've got a story about the miners' strike.
- Haven't we all, Terry? Tony Clark.
Hello, Harry.
Any joy? Uh-huh.
Oh.
That's interesting.
Yeah.
So she could belong to a different nick from the CID who made the arrest? Yeah.
what neighbouring division would that be? Golf Lima? we'll just have to see if we can put a name to her.
No.
No.
You won't be able to get into their vehicle logs till Monday.
Not without making too many waves.
All right.
Yeah, have a good weekend, Harry.
See you.
Bye-bye.
Is all this Scotch for drinking or are you laying some of it down? This picket says to the policewoman, "Your horse is foaming at the mouth.
" - She says - Tango One from Control, receiving? "If you'd spent two hours between my legs, you'd be foaming at the mouth.
" - Shut it! - Go ahead, sir.
Eight to ten youths, IC1s, 2s and 3s, have decamped in your direction.
They're suspects in a robbery.
Understood? Right, off your butts.
Let's get moving.
Form a cordon from here off to the right.
- Same thing off to the left.
- OK, guv.
Spread out to the left along the edge of the park as far as you can.
Eight to ten youths, IC1, 2 and 3s.
They might steam through together or they might have split up.
On you go.
Skip, you take the outside, I'll take the inside.
At least it's a nice breath of air, skip.
Skip, over there! Oi, you two, come here! Tango 1 from 215, entering the woodland in pursuit of two IC1 male suspects.
Tango units from 215, are you receiving? Are you receiving? - Can you swim? - No.
- Me neither.
- Better find a bridge, then.
Tango units from 215, are you receiving? Tango units from 215, urgent assistance.
Urgent assistance.
wake up, you tossers.
- Stop! Police! - Agh! Ugh! Ugh! - Back! - Ugh! - Come on, there's more of 'em.
- Piss off! You bastard! where the were you two? Did you shout? You must have picked up one of the dodgy Stornos.
- I heard it.
- They'll work.
But they're weak.
Signal breaks up if you're badly positioned.
You were well ahead of us, skip.
You can't watch your back if you're offside.
Yeah.
well, she done the business on her own.
This body's down to the skip.
You've had a very distinguished career in the Metropolitan Police, Mr Dunning.
Now you're being considered for an important post in a provincial force.
So what new tricks do you hope to teach us unsophisticated yokels? Hm.
well, I feel confident I'm ready for high command, sir, but I wouldn't be coming here to teach.
I'd be learning how that command can be exercised in an environment every bit as challenging as the metropolitan area.
Vehicle logs.
when they fill up the filing cabinets, we bring 'em in here.
They gradually work their way to the back and eventually, in the fullness of time, they get shredded.
- I wish you good fortune.
- Thank you.
Postmortems.
Suicide.
Arson.
Indecent exposure.
Rape.
I'm having those bastards, guv.
Don't make it personal.
No? what can you prove? It's not a runner on what we've got, but they're not the only people who can set things up.
So now can we try it my way? OK, Harry, we're out of the office.
what you got? The car from Golf Lima sent to the Carswell arrest.
Booked out to wPC 375 Jennifer Dean.
- It's what the records say? - Yeah.
Eventually they're shredded.
- when are you telling me this? - Tomorrow morning.
Cheers, Harry.
what kind of a stroke were you trying to pull? who says I was trying to pull a stroke? You didn't own up to being a witness and, worse, you never told me.
There are things you want to know and things you don't want to hear about.
Listen, you're gonna have to level with me.
Tell me what happened with Carswell, why, how, who was involved And just who would I be talking to, Tony? My lover or my investigation officer? - Don't be silly.
- I'm not being silly, Tony.
I'm being a bit smart.
I'm saying nothing.
want to give me the caution? I don't know what's got into you.
You did.
And you taught me a lot in the process.
Comes as no surprise.
Thanks for slipping me the word.
I'll be seeing you, then.
Look after yourself.
Bye.
Right.
I have to ask you to take me off the Carswell investigation.
How come? we've turned up the name of wPC Dean in the course of the investigation.
The extent of her involvement isn't known, but as you know we were closely associated at Mulberry Street.
when did this come to light? Naylor turned it up yesterday, informed me this morning, so I came to tell you straightaway.
well, this is unfortunate, but I'm glad you came straight to me with it.
I take it you're no longer in contact with Dean? No, sir.
That one's ancient history.
Right.
I'll have to find another team to take over the Carswell investigation.
- You'll have to bring them up to speed.
- Yes, sir.
I'm sorry this has gone pear-shaped, especially since it's so high-profile.
Don't worry too much about the politics.
It was Mr Dunning who turbo-charged the Carswell investigation.
with him out of the way, it'll have to go back to its place in the queue.
what's become of Mr Dunning? He's been made deputy chief constable of the turnip tops.
- Oh, I see.
- Keep quiet about it.
It's not official yet.
what have you got on to keep you out of mischief? For a start there's some unfinished business at Amberley Road.
- I'm really glad we did this, Mo.
- Yeah.
I can't stop long.
I remember when you were my tutor constable.
You were always on about us having a night on the town.
- I must have had more stamina then.
- we never got round to it, did we? I always had some fella on a string.
Lot of good that did me.
Make yourself at home.
I'll get the coffee on.
I remember you couldn't wait to get in the Crime Squad.
You always had CID in your sights.
Yeah, well, that's another thing that didn't do me a lot of good.
- Your guv'nor can tell you about that.
- My guv'nor at Amberley Road? No, your real guv'nor.
- Tony Clark.
Speaking of whom - I don't think we should, Jen.
Have I got the black spot or something? I was good enough to keep his feet warm but I can't talk about him now? - It's not sensible.
- Yeah, well.
That's men for you.
- who needs 'em? You tell me.
- we're all different, I guess.
Yeah, but you've got the bottle to go your own way.
Some of us can't do that.
we need to be led.
Sounds like your kettle's boiling.
want something to liven your coffee up? No, no.
I'm driving.
You can stop over.
It's up to you.
You're dead right there, kid.
It is up to me.
Quite apart from the fact that, like I said, I don't have the stamina I used to, I've got a broken rib, so I'm spending the night in my own bed.
But mates are still mates, aren't they, even in your job? I don't think I know what that means.
I didn't blow you out at Amberley Road, did I? when I sussed the situation I was watching your back.
I'd always trust you to think on your feet, Jen.
well, if I had a load of grief waiting for me you wouldn't let me walk straight into it, would you? Not without warning.
- Not if we were mates.
- Not another word.
Or I will have to report this conversation.
All of it.
I don't mind being called a dyke.
what worries me is that you seem to think I'm a stupid dyke.
- Your man Dunning.
- what about him? It says here he's been made deputy chief constable.
Yeah, that's right.
I thought he was tipped for the top in the Met.
It's all part of the process.
Being one of the top brass in the sticks is part of his grooming for commissioner.
It says he made a speech.
He looks forward to when all sectors of society can approach a policeman with any problem, just as they used to when they wanted to know the time.
Cynical sod.
You know where that comes from? If you want to know the time, ask a policeman.
Music hall song.
# Every member of the force has a watch and chain, of course # Know why they all had a watch and chain? Used to nick 'em off the drunks in the street.
It's true.
Not a lot of people know that.
Isn't it time you were going to work? Yeah, I suppose so.
I'll be late tonight.
Oh, yeah? I wondered what the old flannel was for.
working.
Scout's honour.
Hello.
Is that Amberley Road police station? I thought I should ring you rather than well, it's this man.
I think he's drunk.
Someone ought to see to him for his own sake.
He shouldn't be wandering the streets.
Thanks ever so much.
- He's done this before.
- He's a natural.
who's that? Farris and Hawker.
- what's the matter? - Nothing.
I thought you said everyone on this relief was at it one way or another.
That's how it looks to me, more or less.
Don't say we've wasted Harry on the straight one.
Oi.
Are you gonna get up under your own steam or what? Piss off.
Leave me alone.
Right.
That is it.
- was that it? - I couldn't see.
Maybe.
- Right.
- Ugh! - Sure you saw cash being transferred? - For Christ's sake! Knock it off! Ugh! All right, all right, let go! Let go, will you? I don't need to spell out the position to you, Chris.
As far as the robbery goes, we got everything we need this evening.
It's a question of what you want to say to us.
- Get it off your chest.
- No comment.
we've been looking at a string of other arrests for drunkenness or D and D at your nick.
A lot of reports of missing cash.
Could be a long list of other offences on your plate.
No comment.
If I showed you the list, you might want to say a lot of them weren't down to you.
we know Amberley Road's a bit casual about arrest details.
You swap bodies around like football cards.
we've got evidence for that.
You tried to give Sergeant Connell your prisoner at Broom Park.
I am not standing up for everything at Amberley Road.
Everything? All those drunks.
I am not clearing up everything you can't prove.
That's not everything at Amberley Road, is it, Chris? There's the property from burglaries that gets mumped.
Brown envelopes.
People with their hands out for keeping things quiet? You tell me.
You worked your nut off in the miners' strike, didn't you? - Yes.
It's all on the record.
- Yeah.
Like all of us you felt the chill when the overtime stopped coming in.
Then you had that stonking great mortgage to take care of.
Interest rates didn't do anybody any favours, did they, Chris? See, I know how you feel.
You come across some tosspot with a wad of money in his pocket.
All the same to him if he pisses it away, but you need it.
So you do it once, it works.
Becomes a habit.
That's how it happened, right, Chris? Look when you pick these slags off the street, they have a tendency to piss on you, puke on you and sometimes, yes, they die on you, and it's your fault.
we are cut down to the bone at home.
we haven't been on a decent holiday in - what? - Five years.
The kid wants what next door gets, can't have it.
Even if I sold the house, I'd still end up owing money.
So, I lift maybe I dunno, 30, 40, 50 quid off a drunk.
I'm not living it up on that, you know.
All it does is put off the hassle for a couple of days.
Those arseholes in the street have pissed their dignity away.
I'm fighting for mine.
That's the difference.
we can understand that, Chris.
what you've been doing is giving in to temptation when it comes along.
But it's this other stuff at Amberley Road, you know, the backhanders, the mumping, that's another thing altogether, innit? No, no.
I've never been into all that.
Never.
- That's what I mean.
- I'm not saying my hands are clean.
Look, they are way out of order.
who are they, then, Chris? Oh, shit.
Godley Godley, Gilzean, Richards.
There's others but they're not so deep into it.
Give us what you can.
All the details that you can.
Take your time, Chris.
There's no rush.
we're all coppers here, so let's try and do a professional job, eh?