Pan Up
The BBC’s Line of Duty has thrown a spotlight on the little-known activity of the British Transport Police’s anti-corruption unit, AC-25 (Kilburn Village)
DC Steve Armlock eases into Superintendent Ted Hastings’ office. The glass door closes silently behind him.
HASTINGS: What you got fella? I see the beard’s coming on.
ARMLOCK: Needed it to go undercover in community railways – have to carry a bike helmet everywhere too.
HASTINGS: Community railways? Somebody nicking the plant pots? Growing something dodgy? I thought you were looking at disappearing cash?
ARMLOCK: I am sir, give me some credit, everyone knows that while they are of great social value, community railways make money disappear, no corruption there.
HASTINGS: Could be just what they want you to think.
ARMLOCK: No sir, it’s the big stuff. I was looking at some old photos and it set me thinking; back in the ’60s there were hundreds of depots, thousands of steam locos and diesels which were nearly as unreliable as Crossrail units are today.
HASTINGS (looks wistfully through the venetian blind, one of the shards of light catches a moistened eye): So there was son, so there was. My…
