Police Interceptors

Cringing and embarrassing. Okay there is the odd rare decent chase in between police talking to 'criminals' who's tax might have expired. As for the punishment given out, if any, is nothing short of pathetic and probably encourages people to break these little laws as you will most likely get away with it! Is there really no real crime happening in Essex that can be used for television?

This show used to be pretty good but the latest season is dire. Where's the car chases, and we don't need the 'upbeat' music. Watch traffic cops, much better.

This has entertaining police chases and can be a relaxing banal way of spending an evening. However, more recently I have began to realise the well-meaning but inherent prejudice in many of those being covered. For example, why does the old white man who refuses to have the right paperwork get a knowing ticking off while the Eastern European father of three gets a fine and several month ban? Don't get me wrong, lots of British people get punished, but this type of unconscious bias becomes increasingly apparent as I watch these predominantly white male police chasers travel the country.

You might think this is all about cops racing around in a menagerie of hot Japanese rally cars. If you're looking for high octane, high pitch commentary over endlessly repeated 60 second clips forget it. This is good, measured documentary making.

The fly-on-the-wall style follows the exploits of an Essex traffic cop team, this show mixes that feel-good detail on how the police go about their business with allowing characters to come through. Segments vary from following full operations from start to finish to those random moments where the police demonstrate the better side of judgement. Everything from routine traffic stops to drugs-busts to changing helicopter engines(!)

Over the top of this is Chris Fox's measured commentary. And unlike quite a few other shows he seems to know when to let the on-screen action speak for itself.

I watch this show sometimes, mainly when there is nothing else on. I have to be honest I find it depressing. I've read comments here about bad policing, racism (of course) and wastes of tax payers money but the truth is people do not accept authority anymore. Our police force is under funded, under-staffed and has had its teeth pulled for fear of offending anyone. Don't get me wrong I would never support police officers who over step the mark or fit people up but Christ on a bike if I had to go into work everyday and take the shizz that they get thrown at them while they try to parent other peoples kids, attend to the mentally ill and the addicted and then solve the multitude of crimes that include everything from minor traffic offences to gangland murder and then at the end of the day see the people they deal with often let off with a slap on the wrist because trying to convict is too costly and there is no where to put them! Honestly I'd kill myself! The police are not responsible for the way society is, that is where we come into it.