THE POLICE were among the first groups to be caught out by a “fly-on-the-wall” documentary, when Roger Graef pointed his cameras at them in 1982. But, as Police Under Pressure (23 June) showed, they have learned their lesson since then. Here, the officers of South Yorkshire Police were on their best behaviour: the senior ranks the model of liberal sensitivity; the foot soldiers patient, concerned and only mildly disgruntled. “It does my head in,” complained one policewoman, after unsuccessfully asking an obnoxious youth to “please go home”. Graef’s Police established the fly-on-the-wall formula: no commentary, no nudging background music. Police Under Pressure had both, with a voice-over so concerned about funding cuts that it somewhat resembled a
26 June 2014, The Tablet
Police Under Pressure
Television
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login