Police Interceptors

Interceptor team

The series features the following police officers from Essex Police, South Yorkshire Police, Derbyshire Constabulary, Cumbria Constabulary, Lincolnshire Police, Durham Constabulary and Cleveland Police involved in high-speed car chases following car thieves in stolen vehicles, speeding and drunken drivers. They use the latest high-speed police cars to follow and hunt down boy racers presenting a danger to the public. The Interceptors also use the latest number-plate reading technology (ANPR) to detect drivers without car insurance, often resulting in an argument with the driver and the disclosure of other crimes. The chases are often interspersed with light-hearted incidents involving the team's food breaks, harmless drunks and practical jokes in the incident room. The show often identifies officers by humorous nicknames and on-screen graphics feature data on their years in service, likes and dislikes. Most incidents are tracked down by uniform officers from the Interceptor team but plain clothes and undercover police have also featured in the series.

Series

Series 1 began on 9 May 2008 on Channel 5 (as Five) and ran for six weeks with an additional compilation episode. Series 2 began at 8pm on 10 October 2008 on Channel 5 and ran for twelve weeks with two additional compilation episodes. Series 3 began on 7 June 2010 on Five for 15 episodes. Series 4 began on 13 June 2011 on Channel 5 for 18 episodes as they followed South Yorkshire’s Road Crime Unit. Series 5, consisting of 10 episodes, began on 28 January 2013, and followed the Cumbria Constabulary. Series 6, 7 and 8 all consists of 10 episodes and followed the work of Lincolnshire Police's Road policing, and special operations units. Series 9. 10 and 11 are based around the work of the collaborative Durham Constabulary and Cleveland Police's Specialist Operations Units. The current series (Series 12) follows the work of the Cheshire Police Roads Policing Unit.

Series 1 (2008)

Essex

Series 2 (2008–09)

Essex

Series 3 (2010)

Essex

Series 4 (2011–12)

South Yorkshire (2011)

Derbyshire (2012)

Series 5 (2013)

Cumbria

Series 6 (2014)

Lincolnshire

Series 7 (2014)

Lincolnshire

Series 8 (2015)

Lincolnshire

Series 9 (2015)

Durham and Cleveland

Series 10 (2016)

Durham and Cleveland (Section Incomplete). An update to this section is in progress

Series 11 (2016)

Durham and Cleveland Episode information coming soon

Series 12 (2017)

Cheshire Episode information coming soon

Ultimate Police Interceptors

On 8 August 2011, a new show started entitled Ultimate Police Interceptors, a compilation of the best bits from episodes of the previous series.

Compilation shows

The Essex series included Best of Police Interceptors showing highlights of the chases and incidents from the previous programmes. At the end of series 4, Ultimate Police Interceptors contained highlights from previous shows with updates on the fate of the criminals since the series' first airing.

Police Interceptors: Special Edition

A spin-off to series 2, Police Interceptors: Special Edition, was presented by Natalie Pinkham and Chris Barnes on Fiver (now 5*) in 2011. This was a follow-up show to the main edition featuring highlights from the chases, interviews with members of the Essex team and the presenters participating in "hands-on" reconstructions and police training exercises. The series received negative publicity when one presenter, pretending to be a thief stealing a Vauxhall Ambulance Van, was pursued by officers in two patrol cars for around an hour. The police were accused of wasting time and putting lives at risk, although the officers claimed it was part of a training exercise. The show's producer argued that "...It gave" insight into the real work that police do...." Presenters also took part in incident simulations, like driving a car while a stinger is deployed to puncture the car's tyres.