Traffic Cops: New series of popular show to feature North Yorkshire Police Roads Policing Unit

Members of North Yorkshire Police will star in the show, which is now in its twelfth series, from January 2. Traffic Sergeants Richard Harrison and Julian Pearson will feature heavily on the show, alongside PC Michael Rowan. The show returns to North Yorkshire after three years away, and includes all the usual exciting chases and cases which the traffic cops come across on their daily shifts.

With the A1 running right through the middle of the county, North Yorkshire is a hotspot for criminals travelling across the north of the country.

Traffic Sergeant Pearson said highlighted the variety of work they carry out in an average week. He said: “Variety of work, ability to tackle and detect travelling criminality. Tackle exploitation, whether trafficking migrants/people smugglers or Organised Crime Gangs using vulnerable people for profit.

"Policing is about being able to speak to people, be grounded and have some life experience first. If you cannot speak to people on all levels then policing may prove difficult.”

The 53-year-old said people can expect the “honest face of policing” from him in the series, and said although he is in his fifties, he still has the motivation and commitment to keep people safe.

PC Meehan added: “You can expect to see what its like working as a Traffic Cop in a large, rural county from searching for and dealing with criminals and intoxicated drivers to dealing with crashes, as well as a large spill of carrots on a major motorway junction. These are the varied incidents a North Yorkshire cop can be asked to deal with in their typical working day.”

He said having the cameras follow him was “intense but a lot of fun”.

The series is once again presented by Jamie Theakston.

Producer and director Simon Meehan added: “It’s been fantastic to return to North Yorkshire, being able to work with some fresh and familiar faces has been a real privilege. The officers enthusiasm for their job and the filming has been really great to see and capture.

“There has been change since we last filmed in North Yorkshire, particularly, for the Traffic Cops. When we last filmed in the county, austerity had really bitten and Roads Policing was hit very hard, there were less Traffic Cops and it was thank less task for them on such minimal resources.

"Recently, North Yorkshire have been able to re-prioritise roads policing and officer numbers are massively on the increase. North Yorkshire is the midst of big recruitment drive encouraging diversity and young officers towards road policing which is very much a dual role nowadays, very pro-active and reactive in terms of crime fighting, but at the same time the officers are very passionate about road safety and making some of Britain’s most dangerous roads as safer place for us all to use.”

Traffic Cops, starts Monday, January 2 2023 at 8pm on Channel 5.