Can We Trust The Police?

9:00pm Monday 25 June on BBC THREE

As Britain’s police forces face increasing criticism over their tactics and the perception that they are out of touch with the communities they are meant to protect, Londoner and Bafta’s rising star Adam Deacon investigates if we can trust the police, in this one-hour documentary for BBC Three.

Growing up in Hackney in London, Adam (Anuvahood, Kidulthood, Adulthood) admits he is wary of the police, having seen racism and excessive force at first hand. His closest friend David shares disturbing footage of being beaten and tasered in a case of mistaken identity, while Adam also meets a mum who says police incompetence led to her daughter’s death at the hands of her stalker ex-boyfriend and a football-loving family hospitalised after being attacked by police dogs. All feel let down by the police and say they will never be able to trust them again.

But keen to understand how it became ‘them and us’ and if the experiences of inner-city life are repeated nationwide, Adam joins officers on the beat. From the armed police squad forced to make split-second decisions to those policing the FA Cup Semi-Final; from late night patrols in a seaside town to young cadets in training, Adam asks what can be done to regain our trust in the police.

Produced by Special Edition Films for BBC Current Affairs.

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