A three part documentary featuring officers from the Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Sexual Offences Unit (SSOU) and Major Investigation Team (MIT) will appear on screens this weekend.
Filmed over two years, the three-part series, called ‘The Detectives’ follows specialist officers in GMP’s dedicated sexual offences unit, closely following the tough work they undertake every day. The first episode will air at 9pm this Sunday (17 May 2015) on BBC2, with the remaining episodes airing the following two nights on the same channel.
The film will follow the SSOU and MIT as they investigate a number of cases with offences varying from rape, serious sexual assaults and child sexual exploitation (CSE).
The series is the first of its kind and features one high-profile historic sexual abuse case that is spread across all three films, starting with the investigation in episode one, the interrogation in episode two, and finishing with the trial in episode three.
Documentary makers were granted unprecedented access to the SSOU and viewers will be able to see first-hand the reporting process for sexual assaults, how investigations are progressed and the support that is available to victims.
Detective Superintendent Jon Chadwick from GMP’s Public Protection Division said: “Being a victim of sexual assault is an extremely traumatic experience and our priority is protecting these people and getting justice for them.
“I hope this documentary will show how hard officers work to safeguard victims throughout the process and increase the confidence of those who have suffered to speak out, and get the help and support they deserve.
“Victims of rape and sexual assault need a very specific type of support from the police and our partner agencies. These crimes can be life changing, which is one of the reasons why this specialist unit was set up – our officers are experts in their field and deliver a continuous service for as long as victims need it. Working alongside partner agencies we work hard to ensure the long term health and safety of survivors.
“The investigations that are followed on the show can be very distressing at times. That is the nature of rape and sexual assault. I hope this film encourages a wider exploration of the societal impact of these horrific crimes. If one victim comes forward as a direct result of seeing this documentary then I will consider it a big success.”
