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forensicated · 24 days ago

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05x36 - Communications

Derek enters CAD in a good mood. It's a much better mood than everyone else! He's only too happy to ask how everything is going and tells them all to keep up the good work.

Tom: : "What on earth was all that about?" June: "Did he just-" Tom: "Smile and say good morning(!?)" June: "Something's wrong I don't like it!" Tony: "He smiled!!!" June: "Exactly, it's like a vampire sniffing blood!"

It all feels a bit mean because Derek is routinely seen as one of the team members who has their backs against Brownlow, etc. He's also seen as the one who knows everyone's names and problems/ambitions, etc. They also moan about the notices he's been putting up with June explaining to Ken that they essentially say they're not talking to each other enough. "Can't be aimed at Reg Hollis!" Tom pouts, adding that Derek should shut his 'always open' door lest he get a chill. Ken points out that he [Derek] attended a stress counselling course the week before at Bramshill.

Derek tells Charles that the course he attended was big on communication and senior officers being accessible. Because of this, he has made an effort to get around and see everyone. The next step is response. "And if I don't get one, there's going to be trouble!"

Claire and Taffy attend the Woodvale Estate and talk to the parents of a missing child. They're going to start the house-to-house calls and promise to update the parents as soon as they hear anything.

Christine enters Derek's office. She tells him she's not entirely sure she understands his posters. He explains that they need to start being more open and discussing the problems that their colleagues might be facing, including problems at home. Christine is amused that that appears to be the total sum of the week-long course he attended. Derek asks Christine if there are any problems she can think of with the team at the moment. She can't and reminds him that not everyone wants to talk about their problems. "They must, it's important! We need honesty around here!" He's drawn up a rota and wants to speak to everyone.

One of the Pickard Twins (I think it's the one that played David in 2.4 Children with Gary Olsen/Dave Litten) answers the door to Taffy and simply says 'Not today, ta' before he closes it. "Charming..." Taffy tuts, knocking again. Claire is having a more communicative time at least as the residents stop to listen. Claire's questions an elderly woman who recognises the missing girl as Ingrid. Claire corrects her on the name and the elderly woman says she saw the girl playing by the bins on Friday. She was speaking to a black man who gave her sweets and she followed him into a car. The woman's son comes to the door and tells Claire that his mother has dementia and was in her care home on Friday - he'd only picked her up that morning. Claire apologises and moves on.

Tom finds the rota for people to see Derek and laughs as he tells Ken - who appears to be reading a comic! 💗 - that Mr Conway wants to see him. Ken isn't happy and puts his head in his hands. Tony mocks him before Tom tells him he's next on the list!

Reg complains to June that everyone is in a bad mood and that he blames Derek for it. Derek magically appears behind Reg whilst he's bad-mouthing him. Reg tries to cover quickly when he finally catches on and claims he's talking about the enormous amount of interest that his notices have created. Derek says it hasn't translated into actual visits yet, not even from Reg, who quickly makes his excuses and leaves. Derek asks June if she wants to have a chat and June responds that it's exactly what she'd like to do.

Taffy and Claire have finally meet in the middle after their house-to-house enquiries. Taffy declares it was useless; they either weren't in or didn't want to help. He decries the lack of community, even for a missing child. Claire points out she's 13, probably off with a boyfriend, and will return in a day or two. "You're just as bad as everyone else. Nobody cares! We're looking for a missing child and nobody gives a damn!"

Derek reassures June that anything she says is confidential. She asks him what he thinks her chances of promotion are. [Note: June passes her Sergeant exams in 12x111 so a while yet...] "Oh... right... Sergeant..." Derek tells her that he doesn't consider her mentally tough enough. June says she is and that people always tell her she's good Sergeant material. Derek says that a good Sergeant should be able to sort out any problem without it reaching his ear. He asks her how well she handles problems, including her own and brings up the death of her father and how it was brought into work. She claims she talked to Sergeant Cryer about it, but Derek points out she didn't. Bob found out and approached her about it. "That's why he's a Sergeant, and a good one." June insists she faced up to it in her own way and Derek tells her he's not criticising. June gets upset and storms out, cutting off Derek trying to tell her to apply if she really wants to be a Sergeant!

Reg doesn't see why he should tell Conway about his private life. "You don't want to tell him about that hunky bloke you live with then?" Ken grins.

It seems out of character for Reg to be complaining about talking to a senior officer about anything! Normally he'd kill for the ear of those upstairs! He claims he's going to talk to the Federation about it because it's an invasion of privacy. Tom claims it's a waste of time - in the old days, people would talk to their Sergeants about problems - he thinks they should tell him! Ken just turns around tactfully!

A car alarm is now going off in the car park of the flats, and a man is threatening to damage the car if it's not stopped. He's gathered an audience who are loving it! The man works nights and was woken by the alarm. He doesn't know who the owner is, but if it isn't stopped in 30 seconds, he's going to break in and stop it.

Reg backs away from Derek who has cornered Tom to ask him to encourage people to come up to see him for a chat. Tom is enthralled.

He asks him if he knows where Reg is...

Taffy asks the angry man not to damage the car. The man counts down from 30, and as he reaches 1, Taffy shouts at him to stop and that he'll run the registration through the PNC. The man agrees to wait whilst he does so, but he winds the crowd up by swinging the hammer around. Tom treats it as a joke, but runs the check.

Ken and Bob wind Reg up by talking about him running away from Conway. Bob suggests he might be guilty about something. Reg admits he's dodging Conway because he doesn't want to talk to him. Ken tells him it's better to get on with it - he was asked if he had any worries, said no, and Derek let him go. "But what if you were worried?"

The crowd are encouraging the angry man whilst Claire and Taffy wait for the answer from Tom. Finally, the owner of the car makes himself known and despite threatening the angry man with violence if he touches his car, he refuses to turn the alarm off because of said angry man! Taffy warns him he'll nick him if he doesn't. The man doesn't care as no one threatens him. It becomes clear why the man is so upset - and why there's a crowd - it goes off frequently and the man leaves it going because people protest about it to him and he refuses to be told what to do (!). What a prince! He runs off into the house. Just hammer it, mate! (ahem!)

Ken is sent back to the CAD room because Reg isn't talking. Reg is sure Mr Conway knows, and that's why he's chasing him. Bob asks again, and Reg confesses that he put the proceeds of the Body Scanner Appeal on a 'hot tip' at Newmarket [Horse racing]. Bob tells him that it's a serious disciplinary matter and asks how much he has lost. Reg says nothing - the race was abandoned. Bob says he still has to tell Derek about it and he will be kicked out if he does it again.

Reg is concerned when Derek approaches him 'about the scanner appeal'. He quietly says he was going to come and see him. Derek hands over a tenner, saying it wouldn't do to leave him out of the donations!

With the car owner refusing to turn the alarm off, the man flips and smashes the car up. The owner comes running and is held by back crowd members and Taffy, leaving Claire to tackle Angry!Man and his hammer! Taffy asks where the keys are and the man tells hm he's flushed them down the toilet. The van appears and the man with the hammer and car owner are put in the back of it. This will end well, I'm sure. The alarm is still going until Taffy finally pulls a wire out of the bottom. A man approaches him and tells him that the missing girl was seen in the market on one of the fruit stalls. The two men are led into Custody, still going for each other. Taffy finally gets it out of him why he didn't stop the alarm. No one said please. Men!

Taffy is asked to go up to see Derek so he has to pass on the message about the missing girl to Tom. Tom sends June down to the market to check it out. Derek asks Taffy if he has a problem and soon regrets it. Taffy tells him that he isn't happy at Sun Hill and he's tried not to let it affect work, but it isn't easy. His wife doesn't like London, and she's nagging him to move back home to Wales and the Welsh community. Derek suggests he has a barbecue as a way of meeting the neighbours! Derek shoots to his feet and tells him to reconsider. Taffy tells him he can't as their house is now on the market. Derek is regretting his plan to talk about problems, now he has an actual problem....! Derek tells him to reconsider and angrily shouts 'COME IN!' when there's a knock at the door. Unfortunately for him, it's Brownlow who seems to be in a good mood! He tells Taffy that the missing girl has been found. Derek warns Taffy to think hard before he does anything else.

"How's it all going?" "As well as can be expected, sir."

Taffy goes to speak to the young girl and asks her how she is. Her parents say she won't tell them either why she ran away. Taffy deduces that it's likely to do with the attacks on her flat. The parents look shifty as they hadn't complained about them [They are Sri-Lankan] and Taffy tells them he'd guessed and for them not to be afraid to approach the police.

The episode ends with Derek storming into CAD and removing and screwing up his posters about Communication much to the laughter of Tom. "Normal service has been resumed!"

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