The Bill: A furious DCI Jack Meadows finds DC Ken Drummond asleep at his desk, and also hauls DS's Debbie McAllister and Phil Hunter over the coals for failing to meet their crime targets. Deeply in debt to Hunter, Drummond is moonlighting as a security guard for Mortis Security - a private security firm which has taken over "looking after" the Coal Lane Estate. As Mortis boss Alan Trent moves into the ward office previously occupied by PC Des Taviner, DCI Meadows and Supt. Adam Okaro begin to suspect that Trent's company is causing many of the crimes they claim to prevent, as well as racially harassing black residents. PC Cathy Bradford turns a blind eye to Trent's methods. When DS Hunter discovers Drummond's second job, he threatens to spill the beans, which could cost Ken his job. DS McAllister and DC Juliet Becker are paired when a young mother, Lindsey Holland, and her son are run off the road. McAllister is irritated when Becker's enthusiasm and fresh ideas in the investigation conflict with hers, and when the woman's father is found badly beaten, it looks to have obviously been Holland's ex, but Becker suspects there's more to the case than first appears. PC Polly Page moves in with the ailing Dr Owen Preston, and a scheming PC Cathy Bradford can't resist the temptation to meddle with Polly's happiness, one of Cathy's previous lies is exposed when DS McAllister questions her about her pregnancy.

Starring:

Alex Walkinshaw, Andrew Lancel, Chris Simmons, Eric Richard, Graham Cole, Mark Wingett, Roberta Taylor, Simon Rouse, Trudie Goodwin

Genre:

Drama, Crime