Line Of Duty Analysis

Line Of Duty is a police drama that aired on BBC Two about a sergeant that doesn’t agree with police cover ups and joins an anti-corruption team.

It’s quite clear that a lot of research went into this show and it is evident by the Guardian’s interview with the director Jed Mercurio. For example in the show it has references to child sexual abuse and how the police can have relationships with perpetrators, such as Jimmy Saville. “Showing this particular individual is pertinent because it raises a very particular question about the relationship between police and Savile. The fact is that Jimmy Savile bragged of his close relationships with officers.” (Jed Mercurio, The Guardian, 2016). By using research like this and references to real life cases, it helps to make the show more believable as people would be familiar with the concepts that the writers create for the show. Furthermore, Mercurio stated that he “would threaten junior officers with his close relationship with their bosses in order to get them to back off if they were asking uncomfortable questions.” This helps the show as they can take details like this to make sure that the show is realistic as possible and in a way help the audience to become aware of the police corruption.

However, there are some unbelievable aspects of the show, when an officer is shot they seem to get bandaged up and then straight back into the field. However, Kate London, a former officer now writer for the guardian said that she ‘spoke to deputy chief constable Simon Chesterman, national lead for armed policing, who said: “An officer, even when not suspected of criminal activity, would remain suspended from firearms duties for the duration of the investigation.”‘. This would make sense, the officer would need time to heal and kept out of the field for fear that he or she may either get injured again or corrupt an investigation. Although, as the whole show it about corruption, it would seem perfect, wouldn’t it?

Benji Wilson. (2016). Jed Mercurio: Lies have been the making of Line of Duty.Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/04/27/jed-mercurio-line-of-duty-interview/. Last accessed 25/2/18.

Kate London. (2016). Line of Duty: why I think accuracy in police drama is so important.Available: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/02/line-of-duty-bbc-police-kate-london. Last accessed 25/2/18.