SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Yeah, roger.All units stand by.Yeah, for subject one is out, out, out,held outside the news agent.He's putting his umbrella back up.And it's a reset back west.Yeah, relaying, relaying, out, out, out, west, west, west,over to the north pavement.

OFFICER: It's a little bit like paying Pluto or something,I suppose.We're trying to catch him, and he doesn't knowwe're watching him, hopefully.Crossing.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Subject's justapproaching Castle Square.The copper is on the corner.

OFFICER: Here he comes.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Stand by.Stand by.Yeah, we got a transaction takingplace-- female, beige jumper, dark trousers,running towards a red vehicle.[MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR: Brighton and Hove has the highest number of heroinrelated deaths in Britain.In just 12 months, the city's coroner's officerecorded 43 drug deaths.Over 3/4 of these were heroin induced.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Yes.There's the red Cavalier.Here she comes.Look.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 2: You'll see why we can detain her.He's too close to the car.

NARRATOR: Street dealing has become a common methodof selling heroin.Deals are quick-- and on Brighton's busy streets--difficult to detect.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: He's not even under the camera yet.But this is 90% full of vans, lorries, and all sorts.It's a very intermittent view, isn't it?

OFFICER: (WHISPERING) Fuck yeah.You see how difficult our job is?What's so frustrating is it's so bloody obviouswhat they're doing.And yet, evidentially--

MAN: Big day tomorrow then.

OFFICER: Yeah.

NARRATOR: After days of low key surveillance,the Crime and Drug Unit will deploy the entire teamto track down a street dealer.

OFFICER: I think, the flavor yesterday--we know what we're up against today.The deal's are really quick-- split second stuff.There's no point being in surveillance modeat that point.You've got to actually almost be in confrontation stage,moving straight up.Agreed?

OFFICER: Yeah.

OFFICER: We will take off two punters,and then we will regroup for a third strike, actuallyon the target itself.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Yeah, big man to Charlie.Yeah, subject is east bound-- Churchill Square,passing JD Sports.

OFFICER: What we need to do, is weneed to see this person dealing drug,and then we take lead the dealer out.Very simple, it might sound.But it is simple.It's just that you need quite a lot of people to do that.

OFFICER: So we just hold down here a minute.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: What are you doing, Gary?

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 2: He's come back in rush, straightup Churchill Square.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Looks as now Charlie-- subject is westbound across the front of ChurchillSquare with a newspaper.From office-- stand by, stand by.Yeah.We got an exchange, an exchange at Churchill Square--male white, wearing a black woolly hat.[VOICES OVER POLICE RADIO]The punter has got a large black hold-all and he's off, off.

OFFICER: Here we go.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 2: We've lost sight of him.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Yeah, officer has lost sight-- lostsight of the punter.Yeah, from office-- who's got eyeball on the punter?

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 2: Seward Road.Bryan's Head.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Hey, roger.Bryan's got the last.

OFFICER: Yes, yes, with him in two minutes.

OFFICER: It's all right.Don't worry.All right.Just sit there.

WOMAN: Here.Please [INAUDIBLE].It came out of your cab. [INAUDIBLE]

OFFICER: OK.During the evidence gathering stage,the biggest problem is he becomesalerted to his targeting.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: We're goingto go back with the subject.

OFFICER: That's operationally my biggest concern--and that's why the low key arrest away from the target.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Stand by, stand by.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 2: There he is.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: All units.Subject one is in, in, in, to the hotel-- in to the hotel.We've got control.

NARRATOR: Outside dealers often use Brighton's networkof hotels as cover.To avoid suspicion, they move frequently,taking advantage of the city's high number of visitors.

OFFICER: The west of here.

NARRATOR: In a square adjacent to the hotel,Sergeant Bannister positions his team for the final swoop.

OFFICER: Office-- constab-- go.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Yeah, roger, roger.All units from office.In the next couple of minutes, start.Move up to strike position now.We're going to take him out next on the exits.

OFFICER: Reasonable force to be used, but quick and effective.Target is very small.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Yeah stand by, stand by.Subject one is out, out, out, and east.Over to you, Stu.He's waving his arm at somebody to the east.Yeah, from the office.He's lost his sight.He last seen going east out of the hotel.Stub, you got him?

OFFICER: Yeah.Stand by, Charlie, stand by, Charlie.He's west, west, west, south side, left, left,Preston Street, left, left, Preston Street.Linda.

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Yeah, all units stand by.[INTERPOSING VOICES]Office has got the eyeball.He's on the seafront in the middle of the road,just passing the statue at the bottom of Regency Square.[VOICES FROM POLICE RADIO]

OFFICER: We're going to go west of him.Yeah.Everyone's aware.I've got the whole team here, mate.We're going to have to go off the Hove.We will get close enough to do the strike, all right?

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Subject is down in the lower.He's down on the lower--

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 2: [INAUDIBLE]

SURVEILLANCE OFFICER 1: Yeah.All units, all units, move up slowly.Move up.They're going in.Yeah, stand by, stand by.Stub and Gary walking towards the target.Yeah, go, go, go!Move in, move in now.

OFFICER: Have we cleared the mouth?Give it to me.

MAN: No.

OFFICER: What's your name?Now look.Put him down.Stand him there.Stand him still.Stand him still.

MAN: It's not a problem.OK.Right.It's not a problem.Thank you.[ELECTRONIC RINGING SOUND][COUGHING]

OFFICER: We went the sexy bit.We've taken the player out of the scene.Yeah, and this is where the hard work starts.

NARRATOR: But no drugs have been found.Without a seizure, the operation will fail.

OFFICER: It's very easy to be motivated against a drugdealer.They hold no responsibility for the factthat the drugs that they are dealing are killing people.And not only are they killing people,if they don't kill people, then theyare drastically affecting people's quality of life.

OFFICER [continued]: [GATES SLAM SHUT][SOUND OF WHISTLING]

NARRATOR: In the station's custody block,heroin accounts were a steady flow of prisoners.Addicts in desperate need of their daily fixturn to crime-- in most cases, shoplifting.[DOOR SLAMS SHUT]

OFFICER: Store detective has-- this afternoonhas seen this gent go to a display of Clinique products.And then after looking around, he'splaced in his side-- I think it'shis left side of his jacket-- you have shocking feetto surprise us in here.

DETAINEE: Yeah, I have eczema on my toes.

OFFICER: Have you?Oh, blimey.I think you might need to see-- have you seen his feet?He might need to see the doctor, actually.It looks a bit more serious than eczema.

FEMALE OFFICER: Have you been to the doctor?

OFFICER: Take your other one off for me, Sean.Because I've got to search your socks and your shoes anyway.Oh, yeah.That's not looking good, is it?Do your feet get really cold or anything?Have you-- that might be chilblains on it.It might be chilblains or something.Have you got any body piercings so apartfrom your earring here?

SEAN: No.

OFFICER: Got any jewelry at all?

SEAN: No.

OFFICER: No?

NARRATOR: Sean has been a heroin user for five years.He has a total of 16 shoplifting convictions,and he's been homeless for the past five months.

OFFICER: OK, Sean.Have a seat, then, that's fine.

SEAN: OK.

NARRATOR: In an attempt to reduce the cycle of offending,users are given the opportunity to see a drug worker.

OFFICER: Got a plea, yeah.

DRUG WORKER: Are you going to take me down, please?Thanks.

MAN: Is she in--

OFFICER: She's in F2.[LAUGHTER]

FEMALE OFFICER: I like my shoes, thank you.

NARRATOR: A scheme, pioneered in Brighton,allows drug workers to visit prisoners unsupervised to offeradvice and information.

DRUG WORKER: Can I come in?I don't know if you've seen us before.I'm from Get It While You Can.So you said you did want to have a chat.And you know I'm here to listen to youand see if I can help in any way, really.So I take it you are using something at the moment.You're using heroin.And how long have you been using heroin for?

HALEY: Two years.

DRUG WORKER: And how much are you using in a day?

HALEY: About [INAUDIBLE] between me and my boyfriend.

DRUG WORKER: You say you want to stop.I know loads people of people who've done it.

HALEY: Yeah, I know.But it's harder, because my mum's on it.My dad's on it.My boyfriend's on it.I'm on it.So everywhere I go, there's people on it.It's all around me.

NARRATOR: The drugs team may be forcedto release their prisoner unless they uncover evidencein his hotel room.[ELECTRONIC RINGING SOUND]

OFFICER: Tremendously difficult task-- intensely manpowerorientated-- a tremendous amount of planning.We've got to now turn that into a tangible evidencethat we can take before court.

OFFICER: Well, he's been selling a few cars.

MAN: What have you got in the hold?

OFFICER: Heroin-- and several thousand pound in a roll,nine-- seven wraps [INAUDIBLE].

OFFICER: 6,035 pounds.

OFFICER: Yeah.

OFFICER: He's a small street dealer.But when you consider those 6,000 pounds.How small is small, really?He's dishing out misery 10, 12 times a day.

MAN: It looks like he's making begin a busy bunny.

OFFICER: No, he's probably won the lottery or something.[SOUND OF SEAGULLS]

OFFICER: We stopped the flow for a little while.It makes a difference.It'll stop it for a short while, but obviously, there'sothers out there that we'll clearly spot.

HALEY: I gave it up in prison, right?

DRUG WORKER: You did give up.

HALEY: I don't want it like in prison.It was horrible.But then, even if I'm clean, then it'sjust so easy to get back on it.

DRUG WORKER: Yeah, but that's putting--that's looking too far down, down the line.I wouldn't worry about that at the minute,that if when I get clean, or if I get clean,I might get back on it again.Let's look at the trying to get you clean first.We will try and help you.

HALEY: Yeah.

DRUG WORKER: All right.Take care, Haley.I'm going have to shut the door behind me when I go.

HALEY: Can you get some blankets for me?

DRUG WORKER: Ah, yeah I'll ask them to bring some blankets.Are you're feeling cold?

HALEY: Yeah.

DRUG WORKER: OK.Your pupils look quite big as well.All right.Take care.Please come and see one of us-- if not in Brighton,in one or the other.And I'll call it in in the morning.Take care.I'm going to have to shut this.A lot of people have nobody who actually listens to them.

DRUG WORKER [continued]: They're in a situation here in the police stationwhere the police have a job to do.And I believe the police do a good job.But they haven't necessarily got the time to sit and listen.And I find with a lot of people who misuse drugs,they're often crying out for help.They'll be a lot of underlying stuffthat nobody really wants to hear.

OFFICER: All right, Sean.Take a seat, mate.Just to remind you, there's a microphone on the wall, so,just speak up.So, OK.You say, yeah, fine.You've stolen the box from the store.

SEAN: Yeah.

OFFICER: But you say you didn't take the productsthat she said you did.

SEAN: No, I didn't take them no, yeah.

OFFICER: Sonia.Patience.

OFFICER: You need to be in room 4, Simon.I'll get some tape.

OFFICER: Just in over here.

HALEY: Thank you, Thalia.

OFFICER: So she then says that shesaw the short-haired man-- that's you-- pass somethingto the other man.

SEAN: No, that's impossible.No way.

OFFICER: So you can't think of a reasonwhy she's that mistaken--

SEAN: No.

OFFICER: --that many times?[SCOFFS]

SEAN: No.

OFFICER: OK.Taking any medication?What medication are you taking, Sean?

SEAN: No.Nothing.

OFFICER: At the moment?

SEAN: Nothing.

OFFICER: No?

SEAN: No.

OFFICER: All right.So have you drunk anything?

SEAN: No.I don't drink.

OFFICER: Take anything?So was your head clear at the time?

SEAN: Yeah.

OFFICER: You knew what you were doing.

SEAN: Yeah.

OFFICER: OK.

OFFICER: All right, Haley.I want you to listen to what this officer has to say to you.

OFFICER: Now you were charged at the toll Mondaythe 27th of November 2000, at Wynsum,in the county of Sussex.You did steal five watches at the value of 155 pounds,belonging to Marks and Spencer of Wynsum.

OFFICER: Haley, what's going to happen nowis you're going to have your fingerprints taken.You're going to have your photograph taken [INAUDIBLE].Once all the fingerprints and that have been done,all will come back.Tomorrow we'll give you bail.

OFFICER: Sit down there for a minute.I'll just [INAUDIBLE]

HALEY: Stop making me laugh![LAUGHTER]

OFFICER: Why not?It's better when you have a laugh.[LAUGHTER][VOCALIZING]

HALEY: [INAUDIBLE]

OFFICER: Keep it down up here.[BEEP][BEEPING SOUND]

HALEY: [INAUDIBLE] guilty.

OFFICER: [INAUDIBLE]

OFFICER: [INAUDIBLE] guilty.

HALEY: Shoplifting.

OFFICER: Oh, shoplifting.[LAUGHTER]You are bundles of fun, you are.Do you know that?

HALEY: What?I'm telling you the truth.

OFFICER: Oh, I know you were.I just after laughing with you.I'm being nice to you.

HALEY: I know you are, officer.

OFFICER: No, I've given you bail.And do you know why I've given you bail?

HALEY: Why?

OFFICER: Because you're going to turn up for that doctor'sappointment tomorrow.That's the only reason you've got bail.

HALEY: Is it?

OFFICER: Yeah.Because if you get in to that drugs appointment--you're going to turn up?

HALEY: Yeah, I am.

OFFICER: How are you get into Brighton?

HALEY: My boyfriend.[INTERPOSING VOICES]

OFFICER: How are you going to get offthe gear if your boyfriend's on the gear?

HALEY: I know.Everyone's [INAUDIBLE]

OFFICER: Yeah.Then don't lie to me.Or do you think I'm an idiot?

HALEY: I think you're a bit of an idiot, really.[LAUGHTER]

OFFICER: You're good fun, you are.You think I'm a bit of an idiot for giving you bail.But if you breach your bail again,that'd be the third time you breached a bail.

HALEY: [INAUDIBLE]

OFFICER: Oh.

FEMALE OFFICER: Loads of luck.

OFFICER: [INAUDIBLE]

DRUG WORKER: Sometimes people aren't ready.Perhaps, this isn't her time.Or perhaps she isn't able to do it at this point.I always hope that she can, and our hopeis that our seeing them may just give them that little bit morethat they might need.

HALEY: It went through.

OFFICER: It's been a pleasure.It's an illness.The addiction Is an illness-- a constant cycle.They go inside, the drugs are still available.And they come back out to commit more crime.I don't know.It sounds cynical, but there has got to be, I think,a way of breaking the cycle.But I'm not a great believer.It think it's got to come from them.

OFFICER: This is a very typical time scale.In any one day, we're having-- peakingof 60 to 80 people turning up.

NARRATOR: Stuart's team have identified a housein a residential street that's dealing drugs.Heroin and crack are often moved into Brighton on regular runs.The drugs are then sold from drop off points in the city.

OFFICER: Straightforward-- knock on the window,and then move up the steps.You'll see them lean over and tap on the window.And within 10 seconds, they're in.They've got sufficient to knock out 15, 20 punters.And they'll just keep them away.And then they'll just get another.

MAN: Bring the next lot in.

OFFICER: The next lot in.So now we got the cue.

MAN: Lunchtime rush, as they say.

OFFICER: Yeah.Well, just before this-- what-- it's now what?1:30.There would have been a drop.And from that point onwards, it's [INAUDIBLE] because--

MAN: Open for business.

OFFICER: --within 10, 15 minutes it goes mad.[INAUDIBLE]

OFFICER: [INAUDIBLE][BANGING]

OFFICER: Clear!Now wait, please.Stand up.Hands together.

OFFICER: Upstairs.They're still upstairs.

OFFICER: What's your name, mate?

OFFICER: Police!Police!

OFFICER: Right.You don't have to say anything.But it may harm your defense if you're not answering questions.Here me out.Under caution-- are there any drugs in herethat you know about?

MAN: Not that I know of.

OFFICER: Right.[CHATTER]

OFFICER: It's not just people going there and buyingthe drugs and leaving.They're using in the area, they're jacking up in the area.And that's in a residential road with families.So that's how it all snowballs and got really bad.[VOICE OVER POLICE RADIO]

OFFICER: It's only a very small amount.

OFFICER: You can obviously see it in there, really.It looks empty, actually.

OFFICER: No.[CHATTER]Small rock of crack/cocaine.

OFFICER [continued]: [VOICES OVER POLICE RADIO]We don't lose all the time.That's it.We've already found two lots of stuff.So we won't be going back to the nick on our own.[SIRENS]

OFFICER [continued]: [INTERCOM RINGING]

MAN: [INAUDIBLE] action day program.

SEAN: Hi.My name is Sean, mate.

MAN: All right, Sean, come up.

SEAN: The nurses and all them in hospitalsaid that I might lose my feet and toesand stuff if I didn't sort it out and do something about it.That was quite a part of it.And the criminal bit, the thieving and stuff,I have to stop somewhere and get help somewhere.

NARRATOR: Since being convicted of shoplifting,Sean's begun a withdrawal programand attends regular drug meetings.

MAN: Basically, he wants to get himself outof the cycle of offending in prison that he's been involvedin for the recent past.

SEAN: I didn't think I'd come here at all, did I?

MAN: No.

SEAN: All the other times it's been prison.The last four years it's always been in prison.

MAN: How long was that-- were you in that cycle shopliftingto score and--

SEAN: See, in the beginning, it was all right,because we had the money.And then as your habit gets bigger,and your craving gets bigger, you buy more.And you ain't got the money for it.So I had to go out and steal even worse for it,like shoplifting and earning 100 pound a day.I would just shoplift 24 hours a day.It was crazy-- with all the dreams and nightmares of seeing

SEAN [continued]: it and then all that come back.But if I had the gear, it'd block it all out.It really did.It really did.

NARRATOR: Two months after the police raid, drug dealinghas continued in the house.The owners have decided to evict the occupants and sell up.[SIRENS][CHATTER]

STAN: I'm the son of the owner.The only access is downstairs.

OFFICER: The only reason we in herelawfully is because we're assisting the bailiffs.We're not under Misuse of Drugs Act Warrantor anything like that.So we're just here to prevent and bridge the peace.

WOMAN: OK.

STAN: I'm just here.What we need to do is to clear off that.And we'll get the washing machine out.I think it's probably worth salvaging.

NARRATOR: Stan Hooper's parents lived in the house for 39 yearsuntil the drug dealing forced them to leave.Stan has returned to collect their possessions.

STAN: I haven't been in.Police told me not to come in.It's dangerous.But this is my dad's list of thingsthat he remembers being in the house that we didn't get outbefore they took over.And they've actually sold things such as the wheelchair--his magic books-- because he's a fanatical magician.

STAN [continued]: They've all been sold.It's horrendous.

MAN: So when did you first start?

SEAN: Taking gear?

MAN: Yeah.

SEAN: Five years ago now.There's a death in my family.And it's on Christmas Day.My daughter was stillborn.But it took her five or six days before she was born.She was dead in my girlfriend's stomach.

SEAN [continued]: And my brother offered me a few blow backs and stuff.It had only been a week or so.I was finding myself going out and buying it.You know what I mean?I think I've changed quite a bit in the last couple of months.

SEAN [continued]: Yeah.Because I don't go out shoplifting no more.I don't associate with half the peopleI used to associate with.I don't crave the drugs no more.I think I'm doing pretty well.

STAN: So I did put locks on the door.We put everything of dad's in here.Put this-- within a few days they'd smash the padlocks off.I think it's gone.Yeah, it's just a sense of hopelessness, really.Where do you start?

SEAN: See you later.

MAN: Good night.Certainly, for the people who in the past have wanted treatmentand haven't been able to get it, there is an improvement.Sean has been able to access support and services previouslydenied him or that previously he's not been aware of.

OFFICER: Let's forget about the serious now and get out and dothe biz, yeah?OK.Thanks.

OFFICER: Certainly, I'd like to seeus performing better and tacklingthe people that are making the moneyafter the selling of drugs.I certainly would like to see that improved.I would say that we've had some cracking successes,but I've also described the fact that it is a continuingprocess.

OFFICER: That's it.It's all locked up.Now nobody can get in.

OFFICER: Two from around the corner.

OFFICER: I think it's affected crime figures for everythingin the area from damage, thefts, assaults, everything.And the neighbors have just about had enough of it.And they're well pleased to see the back it.So are we.[MUSIC PLAYING]