New policing documentary gets behind scenes of Police Service of
Northern Ireland
At
midnight on 3 November 2001, the Royal Ulster Constabulary ceased
to exist after almost 80 years.
A
new six-part documentary series charts the effects of the change
on the rank and file police officers in the new Police Service of
Northern Ireland (PSNI) and reveals the changes that take place
over a six month period.
South
City Beat, which starts on BBC ONE Northern Ireland on Monday
20 May, begins with the last day of the RUC. The series gets exclusive
access behind the scenes of the PSNI in South Belfast and observes
the officers in three local stations in the city as they carry out
their policing duties and sees how they adopt their new identity.
The exclusive access to the officers also means the viewers will
get to see the human side of those featured.
During
the series officers - some with more than 20 years' service - speak
about their experiences, concerns and anxieties and the role of
religion in the service.
The
series, made for BBC Northern Ireland by Stirling Productions, follows
the police officers as they go about their daily policing tasks
in the South Belfast area - dealing with shoplifters, drug-busts,
bomb alerts and car theft - in "peacetime".
Anne
Stirling, of Stirling Productions and executive producer of South
City Beat, said: "This
is the first time anyone has got this type of access to the police
officers in Northern Ireland. Our cameras get to follow the officers
as they carry out their daily policing duties and the series starts
with the day the RUC cease to exist and the adoption of the new
identify at midnight.
"The
series looks at the 'normal' policing duties that are carried out
by the officers in three local Belfast stations - Lisburn Road,
Donegall Pass and Musgrave Street. It'll be the first time viewers
will hear the rank and file officers speak about how they have had
to adapt to the changes brought in in 2001 - their doubts and their
worries but also what they look forward to and their expectations."
The
six-part South City Beat series starts on BBC ONE Northern Ireland
on Monday 20 May at 10.35pm.
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