Inside the Force: 24/7

Cleveland has the highest rate of violent crimes in the country, and in Force Control, Despatcher Leanne gets a call about a shop that has allegedly been robbed by someone with a knife and gun. The suspect is tracked down to a nearby estate and Sergeants Steven Bolsover and Chris Phelan arrive to provide back-up to the armed response unit who close in on the suspect. As the neighbourhood watches on, a male is detained and booked into custody at Middlesbrough nick. But with such a big police presence, lively crowds start gathering creating another problem for the police.

The next call comes in from an off-duty police officer who spots a man walking the streets, brandishing knives in broad daylight. Officers draw their tasers and manage to restrain the man who is found to be carrying three knives, a balaclava and what looks like a home-made detonating device.

Towards the end of a night shift, in the early morning, PCs Katie Welfrod and Tash Nicholls are despatched to a fight. There's been a dispute over an alleged £40 debt. Paramedics are told that a meat-cleaver or mini machete has been used and the victim has sustained serious facial injuries. The suspect is taken into custody where Sergeant Phil has seen it all too often: "People can be ruthless and we are seeing more and more weapons involved in fights."

In Force Control, a 999 call comes in from a woman whose windows have been shot at with a shotgun while she was in bed sleeping. The suspects have driven off on a quad bike wearing balaclavas. PC Adam Woodland secures the scene and the incident is handed over to the Major Crime Team. "You'll find certain weapons are shared out among that criminal group… We've even seen that people will hire out weapons as a business."

Officers respond when a 999 call comes into force control about a mass brawl in a town centre pub, with the fight spilling out onto the street, leading to multiple arrests. A woman who has been drinking and has injured her ankle allegedly assaults an officer - leading to her arrest.

The number of assaults on police officers in Cleveland has almost doubled in the last five years, and as Middlesbrough officers prepare for another busy shift, an urgent call comes in.

A man is walking around a housing estate allegedly brandishing a nine-inch serrated sword. As the police are called, the man barricades himself in his home and is apparently naked. Armed officers arrive at the scene and coax him off the roof of his house and into the waiting custody van. Collecting the machete as evidence, PC Jamie Roberts comments "We all wear stab vests for a reason."

A few miles away in Stockton, officers call for urgent back-up. A man is suspected of holding a woman at knife point and three officers have knife injuries. The situation is ongoing with one officer shouting "Drop the knife! We need more taser units! Taser has been used but it's not worked". Back-up arrives and the suspect is restrained, but three officers are injured, one with potentially life changing injuries. The incident leaves Middlesbrough's resources stretched.

PCs Adam Woodland and Tash Nicholls are called to back-up a lone officer struggling to detain a male reportedly armed with a machete and suspected of stealing a moped. The suspect is sprayed and arrested before being taken to custody.

On another shift PC Woodland is assaulted after being called to the town centre to deal with an intoxicated male, who is making threats to door staff and members of the public. It's one of nearly 60 assaults on Cleveland police officers every month.

In this episode Middlesbrough Police Station's officers face the daily stark reality of drug abuse in the town, which has one of the highest drug related death rates in Europe.

PCs Tash Nicholls and Nancie Mitten are called to an on-going domestic where a man is having a drug-induced psychotic episode after taking £400 worth of cocaine. Back-up arrives as the officers struggle to restrain the man, and three officers are left injured, with one female officer receiving a black eye.

On the ground floor in custody, Sergeant Dave Barker attempts to book in a man arrested on suspicion of drink driving. When the suspect was detained he assaulted officers by spitting at them so is put in a spit-hood to protect police. In custody it takes five officers to handle the man who growls and tells Dave he has taken over one hundred Valium pills.

Across town, PC Jordan Raper is out on patrol with a rookie officer. They stop and search a suspected drug dealer who, they believe, has thrown a bag over a fence containing Class A drugs, an extendable baton, pepper spray, ammonia acid, and large quantities of cash. Dealing with drugs on the streets is a common occurrence for Jordan, "The drug problem in Middlesbrough is massive and there's also the violence that comes with it." Back at the station the suspect is handed over to detectives for questioning.

A recent spate of thefts and robberies are attributed to the drug epidemic in Middlesbrough, and PC Mark Insull is tasked with bringing in a man suspected of stealing from a Royal Mail van. Mark knows the suspect well. As they watch CCTV of the theft the man concedes, "It looks an awful lot like me", but adds, "when I've taken those tablets I wake up the next day and don't know what I've done… those tablets are the curse of this town." Just one week later, officers are called to the man's address, a sudden death has been reported and it's drug related.