CHRISTOPHER STEVENS review: With the blues-and-twos blaring, this is police work at its most real

Police Interceptors (Channel 5) 

Rating: Four out of five stars  

Telly's obsession with 'true ' misses one salient fact. Serial killers, kidnapped heiresses and cold case murders do not make up the majority of a working day for the average copper.

Most police on patrol are more likely to be dealing with motoring offences and petty drugs crime, with bursts of excitement punctuating the longueurs of law enforcement.

We rarely see that on screen, though. Most camera crews want to be solving homicides with the detectives in CID. 's Police Interceptors is the exception: it asks nothing more than the chance to ride in a cop car with the blues-and-twos blaring — and it feels all the more real for that.

Now on its 25th season, Police Interceptors has been running since 2008, and for the past couple of years has been filming with the Northamptonshire force. The format is straight-forward — we follow a succession of police missions, usually involving a chase, sometimes leading to an arrest. That's it.

Unlike documentaries featuring the emergency services, such as Ambulance, there are no confessional heart-to-hearts or outpourings of emotion, no video collages set to maudlin piano music.

Despite the cliche that a policeman's lot is not a happy one, most of the officers clearly enjoy their work. Driver Scott, trained in high-speed pursuits, had only one complaint: he wanted to swap his unmarked BMW for a Lamborghini Aventador and the regional crime budget wouldn't stretch to that.

The Fast Show's John Thomson supplies a jaunty narration, adding to the sense that Northants' finest go about their duties with a spring in their step, at least until aggro sets in.

Officers Rachel and Chris called in assistance as they gave chase to a speeding Volvo. The driver ignored their lights, and barged past another unmarked car, before stopping in a residential street. It turned out he was on his way home in a hurry.

Arrested for dangerous driving, he refused to submit to a drugs test and claimed he was only speeding because he thought his life was in danger: 'Thought you were someone else chasing me.'

'Did the blue lights not give it away?' Rachel asked.

Any good humour vanished when the suspect lashed out. He ended up pinned to the ground by four officers, and didn't take it well: 'You smashed my face to the floor for no reason, bro. I promise you now, take the cuffs off and I'll fight you now.'

Even in the cells, he was still whinging and claiming to be the victim: 'Your job is to protect me.' So it was satisfying to hear that he got a three-and-a-half year driving ban and 18-and-a-half months in jail.

Other members of the public were much better behaved, if a little frisky. One lady of mature years wanted a selfie with three officers. 'I don't know which one I like the best,' she giggled.