RPU: Road Policing Unit

Burglary and the theft of cars and vans is a perennial problem for the UK PD. PC Andy Swift is on the lookout for a high-value car that has been taken from a dealership after being driven on a test drive.

For the UK PD, enforcing the law requires tact and diplomacy but also the ability to act decisively with controlled force when the occasion demands. The officers deal with hostile drivers who refuse to cooperate.

The UK PD risk life and limb to stop dangerous and drunk drivers and to get unroadworthy cars off the Derbyshire roads.

When the rewards run into thousands or tens of thousands of pounds, some criminals are prepared to take great risks and also to endanger the lives of UK PD.

The UK PD utilize around 11,000 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to continually monitor vehicles on Britain's roads and track down dangerous offenders, illegal cars, vans and lorries.

Being involved in a serious road traffic accident can change - or end - lives in seconds. While it is a rare event for most of us, for the UK PD, the aftermath of bad crashes is something they have to deal with regularly.

As part of Project Edward - a week-long nationwide crackdown on illegal drivers, the UK PD set up check-sites across the county.

Many of the crimes investigated by the UK PD's Specialist Road Crime Unit are related to the trade in or the abuse of illegal drugs.

The UK PD deal with danger on the county's motorways and fast roads.

Derbyshire has some of the country's most beautiful roads which act as a magnet for many motorcycle enthusiasts. But for the UK PD, policing these roads and the bikers who use them, can be a difficult and challenging business.