This police drama follows the activities in and around Sun Hill, a police station located in the fictional East London borough of Canley. The focus is not just the gritty reality of police work, however; the lives and loves of the officers who staff the precinct get equal play.
There's friction at Sun Hill when Cryer is more concerned than Webb about a missing girl. Cryer begins to uncover the truth, but will he get a result in time?
McAllister and Riley make their mark on Sun Hill, but don't do it entirely by the book.
DC Riley becomes hot under the collar when his brother's latest scam gets a little too close to a major CID investigation.
Worrell's involvement with a case doesn't make for a perfect marriage, and Quinnan is under pressure to sort out things at home.
Russian prostitutes, a gang of squaddies and his own previous mistakes lead Smith into hot water.
The team at Sun Hill are on edge when Smith volunteers to protect two homosexual witnesses. Will he jeopardise the case?
McAllister's bulldozer approach gets her into trouble with Ackland over a sensitive case.
The long-running crime drama following the work of the officers at Sun Hill police station
A hot dog war breaks out in Sun Hill, leaving DC Riley concerned about his wayward brother Joe.
DS McAllister approaches DI Cullen with some hot information about a plan to intimidate witnesses in a high-profile court case.
A political scandal develops as CID races against time to catch a serial killer preying on gay men.
DC Mickey Webb investigates attacks on van drivers returning from France with loads of alcohol, but Tom Chandler is intent on putting Kate Spears in control of the operation.
Boyden puts two and two together when Dave and Polly arrive together at a charity ball, even though Hagen assures him they are just good friends.
It's decision time for Quinnan when Jenny announces she's leaving, but the past is catching up with him - and his future with Page seems in doubt.
The strain of his complicated love life finally takes its toll on PC Dave Quinnan, whose conduct becomes increasingly erratic, leading to a tense confrontation..
DS Beech's legacy comes back to haunt Sun Hill as Meadows discovers he is not the only one in the station to have skeletons in the cupboard.
Meadows is so determined to nail Stubbs that he makes a professional error in sending Spears out on a dangerous undercover operation to entrap him.
Carver draws on his own experience as an alcoholic to help a friend in need, but McAllister's meddling threatens to undo his good work.
Clarke makes the most of being teamed up with Glaze, until a sudden shift in the tide of events makes her realise enthusiasm is no substitute for experience.
Smithy's tendency to speak before he thinks lands him in trouble yet again and threatens the success of his application to join the armed unit.
Klein's relationship with his colleagues reaches rock bottom, while Smithy vows to clear himself of inciting a fatal shooting.
Smith is interviewed for the Met's armed division and sees a way out of Sun Hill, but new boss Tom Chandler continues his relentless sweep of the old guard.
Cryer enlists Nick Klein's help to stop Chandler putting an end to his career, while Smithy tackles an assault course.
Klein despairs when his wealthy cousin is suspected of being involved in a burglary.
Dale Smith, now a member of the Met's armed unit, is summoned back to help deal with a tense situation at a school, where Cryer is being held hostage.
A big shake-up is on the cards when the new sergeant starts work at Sun Hill, while rumours about his sexuality begin to spread like wildfire.
Lennox is seconded to the Serious Crime Group, where he is reunited with former colleague Liz Rawton.
Boyden and Hagen come to blows when they are put together on an outdoor pursuits weekend.
Stamp's first date through an agency turns out to be a burglary suspect, and things get worse when he is reprimanded for ignoring orders after rescuing Hayward.
Sergeant Cryer feels bitter at having to retire from the force, but manages to liven up his leaving party by inviting a mystery guest.
Hagen is assigned to work with Boyd on a kidnapping investigation, but causes a terrible accident and loses her police driving licence.
McAllister's former snout turns up at Sun Hill to offer his services, helping her come up with a likely suspect in a drugs case CID are investigating.
Former Brookside and Liverpool 1 star Paul Usher joins the cast as PC Des Taviner.
Taviner makes waves in the rape investigation by questioning whether CID's chief suspect is the real culprit.
Glaze vouches for the good character of an old friend accused of a racist attack, and as events unfold, it becomes clear that sexual jealousy lies at the heart of the matter.
Boyden is intrigued by a 10-year-old boy's efforts to get arrested, and a woman from his past turns up to investigate a blackmail case, which upsets Vicky Hagen.
PC Quinnan's first day back at Sun Hill proves anything but smooth when he manages to lose a dead body.
DS Singh mixes business with pleasure and ends up involved in a car-crime racket, while DC Webb gets in over his head with an underage informant.
Singh gets too close for comfort to crime boss Jenny Salter and his secret identity is jeopardised by Webb's increasingly unreliable informant.
A couple caught shoplifting give DI Cullen a lead in his personal mission to put a crack cocaine dealer behind bars.
With the section house closing, Reg Hollis is looking for a new home and a more 'regal' position. Meanwhile, he uncovers a plot to rob a jeweller's shop.
As Reg falls under deeper suspicion in relation to an elderly woman's death, his royal protection application falls by the wayside.
Chandler faces problems with the press when a crazed gunman sets his sights on Sun Hill.
Chandler takes charge of the stake-out, and Meadows has to think quickly when McAllister's life is endangered.
Carver falsifies the result of a breathalyser test on a judge following an accident. The other motorist involved registers a complaint which starts rumours of a cover-up.
The graffiti war spirals into more sinister territory.
Money troubles weigh heavy on PC Clarke, so she charms Boyden into granting her more overtime - but exhaustion causes her to lose track of a key witness.
PC Clarke tries to hold down her moonlighting job in telesales while helping DC Glaze uncover an extortion racket - but ends up falling asleep while the suspects make a getaway.
Roz Clarke learns she has failed her training exam and her debts return to haunt her, putting her career in the force in doubt.
Clarke's financial problems get her down, and although she briefly cheers up at the sight of Taviner being punched by a suspect, it does nothing to ease her long-term worries.
PC Hayward is asked to give a talk on drug awareness to a class of nine-year-olds at a local school, but finds it stirs up painful memories of his sister's death.
Hayward becomes convinced that an undercover Drugs Squad officer has been dealing narcotics on the side and sets out to expose him.
PC Hayward tries to get involved in DC Raven's surveillance and drug bust operations, but nothing prepares him for discovering his superior's unorthodox methods.
Spears has a lot on her plate dealing with complaints about Sun Hill's CCTV cameras - and a man in a balaclava starts shooting at the devices.
An elderly Korean War veteran dies in mysterious circumstances, shortly after being warned by Carver not to take the law into his own hands.
Webb is assigned to infiltrate a gang of football hooligans known as the Britannia, and befriends one of its leader's cronies.
Webb immerses himself in his role as a football thug, but McAllister's cover starts to slip.
Webb begins to take his undercover role as a football hooligan a little too seriously, raising a few eyebrows among his colleagues.
Having had his cover blown, Webb begins to fear for his safety in the knowledge that the gang's crazed leader is still on the loose.
Renegade cop Don Beech finds Sydney is closer to Sun Hill than he imagined when an old colleague with a score to settle comes looking for him.
Cass Rickman's loyalty to the job is severely tested when her criminal ex-lover returns to Sun Hill.
Rickman faces a difficult choice, torn between her duties as a police officer and desire to run away with ex-lover Leroy - who claims he has gone straight.
The police resort to desperate measures to apprehend the killer of an undercover officer, and Cass Rickman is convinced her ex-lover Leroy is innocent.
An all-girl gang runs rings round the Sun Hill crew, causing embarrassment for Chandler and stealing wedding presents right under the noses of Hollis and Taviner.
Kate Spears becomes unpopular when she tries to seduce superintendent Tom Chandler during a boat party and invites him to help her investigate a spate of burglaries.
Boyden's wayward daughter Amy returns, bringing trouble in her wake as she joins forces with a notorious moneylender and ends up behind bars for shoplifting.
New. Boyden tracks down his missing daughter Amy and is horrified to learn that she has become addicted to drugs - and worse, is dealing crack cocaine to feed her habit.
New. Boyden risks everything to save his wayward daughter from the clutches of moneylender Ashley Mullen, while CID plan a covert operation to arrest her on drugs charges.
New. Boyden meets an old acquaintance who informs him an illegal bare-knuckle fight is being organised, but the sergeant faces dealing with his neglected girlfriend.
New. Boyden faces an uncertain future at Sun Hill when he is criticised for carrying out a heavy-handed raid.
New. A girls' night out leads to a fatal mistake for ostracised officer Hagen
New. A group of elderly residents become targets for criminals.
New. Meadows brokers a deal to allow an old criminal foe back into the country to see his dying sister.
New. Lennox is assigned to work with the Arts and Antiques Squad, and begins to doubt his judgement when he falls for the beautiful victim of an art fraudster.
Danny Glaze goes undercover at a top-security prison to befriend a convicted bank robber - but gets caught up in an escape bid.
DC Kate Spears finds she has bitten off more than she can chew on an undercover assignment to catch the killer of DS McAllister's lover.
A prize holiday for the Sun Hill quiz team turns into a nightmare for Spears, while Liz Rawton goes on the trail of a serial rapist.
Spears escapes DS Cork's clutches - only to find herself assigned to work with him to catch the serial rapist in Sun Hill.
Spears enlists the help of an old friend to dig up some dirt as her suspicions about Cork intensify, and new evidence surrounding Terri's death comes to light.
CID's search for the rapist intensifies, prompting Spears, Clarke and Page to pose as prostitutes, hoping to attract the attacker.
Spears keeps her eye on Cork and events prove her theory to be correct, but nobody anticipates the full horror of the rape case.
As Cork's life hangs in the balance, the murderer is unmasked - but capturing him proves far from easy.
Polly Page investigates the mysterious disappearance of a woman who later turns out to be the bigamous wife of two violent ex-convicts.
Corrupt copper Taviner leads a new recruit astray, while tension mounts as Singh and Riley try to resolve a feud between neighbours.
Stamp and Knowles have a difference of opinion over a father denied access to his children - an argument that boils over during an incident involving a damaged car.
Special Constable Knowles becomes concerned about his nieces' safety when a registered sex offender is seen hanging around their school.