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00:00The Highlands and Islands of Scotland is Britain's biggest beat.
00:07I'm injured. There's a car on fire.
00:10I've got three wounded persons.
00:13It is really easy to underestimate the Highlands.
00:16Patrolling 12,000 square miles of mountains, lochs and islands.
00:22We're going to need a launch to be able to go out and get this boy lifted.
00:27And searching for suspects deep in the wilderness.
00:30Police for the dog, anyone housing, show yourself.
00:33The Highland cops must go above and beyond to protect their communities.
00:38We realised it was human remains, so we came back down and phoned the police.
00:42I think in the Highlands, the blue line is very thin.
00:45Tackling traditional rural crimes.
00:47It's absolutely related with shotgun pellet.
00:50It's clear evidence that these birds are being persecuted.
00:53And crimes that plague the nation.
00:56Oh, good effort.
01:00Bags of a white crystalline powder.
01:02If you're getting one person off the street, then it's like you've done your job.
01:07This series goes inside the UK's most distinctive police force.
01:12We are close. We live in close-knit communities.
01:14All right, let's go.
01:15We look out for each other.
01:17To find out what it takes to walk the beach.
01:20There's monkeys, there's parrots.
01:22It's all completely out of our comfort zone.
01:25And keep the peace.
01:26You just threatened to kill it.
01:27You said you were going to strangle it.
01:29In some of the most beautiful and wild places in the UK.
01:33The A9, the main road that connects the Highlands to the rest of Scotland.
01:47For the people who live here, it's a vital artery.
02:02But it also has a darker claim to fame.
02:09The A9 is a dangerous road.
02:12But it is the main route to the north of Scotland.
02:15So we've got everything from the HGVs and the lorries travelling with all the goods up to the shops and the towns.
02:21To a huge volume of tourist traffic as well.
02:29It's so sunny.
02:30I know.
02:31Half eight at night.
02:33You would think it's like one o'clock in the afternoon.
02:35How bright it is.
02:37Tonight, PCs Jamie Embry and Ross Nairn are on patrol near Aviemore.
02:44Go ahead.
02:46When the report comes in of an accident on the A9.
02:50Could you start making me your response to the A9 car bridge?
02:55Call us here through A9 A9.
02:57It will be involved in RTC.
02:58Lots of screaming heard.
03:00Yeah, control for 4-1-Alpha.
03:02As the night shift in, we'll start making our way.
03:04But we're quite a distance away.
03:06This is 2-1-Alpha's making route.
03:09So it's plotting this side of the car bridge junction.
03:16Female is heard screaming and a male is grunting.
03:20Tourist.
03:22Reject.
03:28As the officers make their way to the scene, they receive updates.
03:32November 569.
03:33They receive the ambulance saying the helicopter is en route,
03:37landing 15 to 20 minutes.
03:39They'll need the road closed.
03:43Reports coming in suggest this is a head-on collision between two vehicles.
03:49When we hear of a head-on collision on the A9,
03:53a vehicle travelling at 60 miles an hour northbound,
03:55a vehicle travelling 60 miles an hour potentially southbound,
03:58you know, meeting together.
04:00You know, you're talking about 120 miles an hour impact.
04:03That generally means that we're going to be driving into carnage.
04:07Carnage.
04:18Don't match off.
04:19When we arrived on the scene, there was bodywork of both vehicles strewn across the road.
04:42The pickup truck was still on the road.
04:45The minivan was wedged on top of the barrier.
04:57There are three people trapped inside this minivan, all from one family.
05:06The moment the fire brigade have stabilised the vehicle,
05:08it's kind of perched on quite a steep embankment that drops down quite a distance.
05:12So they've winched up a cable to make sure that that vehicle doesn't go any further off the barrier and down into the embankment.
05:21As the fire brigade make the vehicle safe and the paramedics tend to the family inside,
05:27Jamie and Ross need to start gathering evidence immediately.
05:31We don't know the reason why these vehicles have crashed.
05:35We have to establish that, we have to investigate that.
05:38So, use all witness there, yeah?
05:41Yeah.
05:42Right, let me grab names and details.
05:44Particularly if it's a serious one where there's going to be injuries, potentially life-threatening injuries.
05:48Or did you get straight?
05:49We got straight out, 4909 and Ross.
05:52Yeah.
05:54Just vaguely moved into the next lane and there was no braking before impact.
05:58You can see here, make sure you're on the pavement though, and just don't go past the back of this fire engine, okay?
06:05Just so you don't see anything, alright?
06:06This is one of the worst crashes on the A9 this year.
06:11And there is devastating news about the mother of the family, who was a passenger in the minifan.
06:18So it's a fatal.
06:20One female's passed away, unfortunately.
06:23It's been confirmed, so she's been confirmed life-extinctous now, so...
06:28The woman's husband and adult children are still being treated by paramedics.
06:39The other driver of the pick-up truck, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, is being rushed off to Rigmore Hospital in Inverness.
06:46But there are quite a few people in that other vehicle where the female is now deceased.
06:51I know that they were working on somebody else there as well.
06:53The police see, you know, on a daily basis, things that people wouldn't believe.
07:00We deal with horrific injuries and horrific incidents, which does take its toll.
07:08I get great support from my wife at home, so if I ever need to talk about something, you know, she's there for me.
07:15You know, we obviously are sympathetic towards the rest of the family who were in that vehicle.
07:20But we still have to maintain our composure and try and get on with the job and figure out what exactly went wrong, for their benefit as well, just to make sure that they understand why they've suddenly lost their mother.
07:32Sorry, disease confirmed three life threatening.
07:37Two, two. Two life threatening, one deceased.
07:39One deceased, two life threatening.
07:41Right.
07:42One eyewitness did have a clear view.
07:49He was driving immediately behind the minivan.
07:52One minute was fine, next minute it just veered over to the right.
07:56And, sadly, impacted into the oncoming vehicle.
08:00So it was a pretty nasty head on.
08:01I just told the boys to contact emergency services and then I just approached the first vehicle.
08:08There was no braking before impact.
08:10There was nothing to suggest there was any animals across the road or anything like that.
08:15So, yeah.
08:16Yeah.
08:18But there's still a lot of work to do to find out the exact cause of this crash.
08:24Specialist collision investigators have just arrived on scene.
08:29They will work through the night in search of answers.
08:32But even with thousands of people passing through in the surrounding vast wilderness, it's all too easy to disappear.
09:02And perfect for somewhere to hide.
09:08This evening, Glencoe cop Stephen Cooper and Roddy Sanderman are travelling north to Fort William to meet up with some colleagues.
09:18Together, they plan to search for someone dangerous who doesn't want to be found.
09:24Later on, we'll be attempting to try and apprehend a male who's a high priority wanted person for us at the moment.
09:30But there's a number of things he's been accused of, one of them being a knife point robbery, so he's quite a sort of dangerous individual.
09:37But a lot of road traffic offences as well in the course of his trying to escape.
09:41This male has evaded capture on a number of occasions.
09:48I was searching and came within a few feet of him.
09:51He exploded out from underneath a load of bushes in front of me and gave me the fright of my life, if I'm honest.
09:56Because I wasn't quite sure what was going on. And he ran off, came close, but no luck, unfortunately.
10:02There's a dog unit starting at Inverness at 9 o'clock that will come straight down to Fort William to help us.
10:09I mean, he's never going to outrun a dog, so hopefully that will be the thing that changes the game for us and captures them this time.
10:16Stephen and Rory are part of a seven-strong team being deployed tonight to try to capture this 31-year-old fugitive who has been on the run for around a year.
10:35They've had a tip-off. He might be hiding in a tent in the woods near Loch Eilot, about 30 miles west of Fort William.
10:45He's in those woods. Yeah.
10:48I think that's the lay-by there. Yeah.
10:52So not too far from the road. OK.
10:55And Mark goes along. We give a very brief update on, you know, if we can see the tent or something.
11:00The intel also suggests when the man will be in his tent.
11:06So we received some intelligence that the male's working on a fishing boat and the fishing boat's dropping him off nearby and he's staying overnight and then getting on the fishing boat early the next morning.
11:18And we have sort of times for when he's likely to be at the tent.
11:22So that's where we're going to go and find him. Or try to, anyway.
11:26That means they will need to go into the woods after dark.
11:32Tonight, the team is led by Sergeant Emma Mackay.
11:36He does run. I would rather as we're all there, ready and waiting.
11:40Yeah. So he will like it.
11:42That's been two or three times now he's run away from the police.
11:46I can provide bulk, just not speed.
11:47Also joining the team are dog handler Adam and his German shepherd, Wolf.
11:57If he does run, then just stand still, just stop and we'll get the dog.
12:02He is going to be quite dangerous.
12:04There's certainly intelligence about him carrying weapons and knives, specifically.
12:11And given he's wanted for a knife point robbery as well, that kind of tends to ring true.
12:16Positive that we're going to get him, is what I would say.
12:20Enough resources and some good intel. So hopefully the game's stacked in our favour.
12:25OK, let's go.
12:26I think when someone's evaded capture for so long, you've got that bit between the teeth, I suppose, if you like.
12:34It's just like with any wanted person.
12:36We want to get them.
12:38They're wanted for a reason and primary job of the police, isn't it? To catch the bad guy.
12:42You got a lot of these in the shows, like bad ones like that?
12:57Yeah, all the time. A9's a nightmare. I was in a nightmare.
13:01Investigations are underway into a fatal two-car collision on the A9.
13:07Police have spoken to eyewitnesses. Now, they must secure physical evidence.
13:17I've turned away the cars that are there. Every other car is pretty much turned round anyway.
13:22There is one possible vehicle that has dash cam.
13:28He can't access it just now, but he's going to try.
13:31Have you got details of it?
13:32I've got details of it.
13:33But before dash cam can be examined, it is vital that specialist crash investigators are able to examine the scene in detail.
13:44Once all the emergency crews pack up their gear and leave, the road policing units that are here,
13:49they'll be taking numerous photos, videos, markings, just to establish exactly what's happened.
13:56Leading the team is Sergeant Callum McCauley.
13:58Our people from the police who are usually first at these scenes are our divisional colleagues.
14:05They'll attend initially and we'll come and take things over from there.
14:10We deal with the collision to its end point.
14:13The best opportunity that we have to go and recover evidence from what's happened at the scene is just now.
14:26I'll give that to you just now.
14:29The first task tonight is to build a technical picture of the scene before the road is cleared.
14:36The road is closed for such a long period of time because once we open that road, all the evidence is impacted then.
14:43We'll do the grain marks and then we'll do that vehicle.
14:47Mm-hm.
14:48All right?
14:49Yeah.
14:50All good.
14:52Collision investigators form a conclusion about what's happened, purely worked out from the physical facts,
14:58taken from the vehicles, taken from marks left on the road, what they've found through the detailed examination.
15:04They are carrying out a scan of the scene which will be used as part of a report that will be put to the Procurator Fiscal.
15:13Investigators will also piece together a picture of those involved in the crash to see if any personal factors could have contributed to the collision.
15:22We have enquiry officers who will go and speak with families, witnesses and the people who have been involved in the crash.
15:28One of the investigators, Ben, finds some documents in the minivan.
15:35Yeah, this is the agreement, Sarge.
15:37The minivan is a hire vehicle, picked up earlier that day.
15:41Confirmed home address in the United States.
15:44There's contact numbers on here as well.
15:46The fact that the driver of the minivan is not from the UK could be significant.
15:51Travelling here, for people who have never been to Scotland before, can be confusion because we drive on the left.
15:59So confusion could be something that we would consider, something that we'll look at.
16:05Fatigue contributes to nearly one fifth of Scotland's road traffic deaths.
16:10So police are looking for signs of brake marks on the road.
16:14If there aren't any, that may suggest the driver has fallen asleep at the wheel.
16:18We keep an open mind and we try to get to the bottom of what it is that's happened.
16:23But something that we will consider is, was tiredness a factor? Was a medical condition a factor?
16:30The next step will be to take the remains of each vehicle to a garage and examine them piece by piece.
16:37It's an exhaustive process.
16:39The majority of the work that we do around these crashes is done in the weeks afterwards.
16:46Once all this information has been gathered, the guys here will take it back and they will scrutinise it and analyse it.
16:57We're trying to support the families and make sure they have what they need to get them the answers for what's happened to why their loved ones are no longer with us.
17:09It's nearly midnight in Fort William. In the darkness on the edge of town, police are on the trail of a wanted man.
17:31At the moment there's seven of us and a dog heading out here. Two of us are in sort of all black clothing. The hope is that they can sort of sneak in and get eyes on the campsite and see if he's there.
17:43And then we can all come in and back up along with the dog unit.
17:47It's only intelligence we've got at the moment that he's at this campsite. He's never actually been seen there by police officers.
17:52Our roads police and colleagues have been out and have seen the tents in position, so there clearly is somebody living there. It's just whether he's going to be there tonight.
18:00So we'll go along and see what we can see from the car. As soon as we can see anything, we might as well just get everyone along and we'll just rush them, I think.
18:12Ready. Let's go.
18:15Emma and Roddy will take the lead. As soon as they give the signal, the rest of the team will go in.
18:22In gear, foot on the brake, ready to go.
18:29I think we'd all be lying if we didn't say we were getting an adrenaline rush out of something like this.
18:34We're going to come through no way.
18:44That's a bit of a clear.
18:48I don't think it's that straight.
19:18I think it'll be that worn path.
19:24In the dark, in this dense undergrowth, there are no clear lines of sight.
19:29Police fire the door.
19:31And no signs of anyone running or hiding.
19:36The police are struggling to find anything that might point them towards a fugitive.
19:44But then, deep in the woods, they find something.
19:52Turn over here.
19:57Watch, Bob Dwyer.
19:58So we've found the campsite.
20:03We're just trying to figure out if he's been here or not.
20:06Or if he's in the area.
20:08So, we're not sure at the moment.
20:10The search dog, Wolf, is drawing a blank.
20:20Nothing at all.
20:21I took him down that way to see, but there's no back out of here.
20:27I think there's one way and one way out.
20:29Pretty dense down that way.
20:31Well, I don't think he's here.
20:33I don't think we scared him off.
20:35There's no noise in the woods.
20:38Huh?
20:39No noise whatsoever.
20:40No.
20:42There's clothing.
20:43There's empty alcohol bottles and cans and some empty food tins and things like that.
20:50So, it's quite likely that that's where he's been.
20:54For quite a while.
20:55Who knows how recently, but...
20:56Well, that's it.
20:57We just don't know, do we?
20:58Good effort, guys.
20:59Good effort.
21:01Just relax.
21:02You're all right.
21:03The bad man's not here.
21:05Although there's no one at home, there's enough to suggest that intel is correct on where the man has been hiding.
21:12That's his campsite as described.
21:15Now they know his location, the police hope the net is finally closing on Fort Williams' most elusive resident.
21:23Just getting a grid reference of the tent in case you need to make further attempts,
21:26because I suppose part of the problem was we struggled to find the camp initially.
21:34But we did get there relatively quickly.
21:36I don't think we did disturb him.
21:37But, yeah, if we need to come back again, if we can get a precise grid reference,
21:43then hopefully that means we can just get straight there.
21:46And a few more of us know the way out of the woods now.
21:48So, yeah, hopefully we can try again.
21:50Looks like he tried to booby trap it almost to his barbed wire across the entrance to the campsite,
22:09where his tent's pitched and the efforts he's gone to.
22:13Certainly, which, Ted suggests, he's not looking to be found any time soon.
22:17A bit of disappointment. We've not caught him, but satisfied that we did everything. We're good to catch him.
22:24There's a phrase that's overused to the max that they need to get lucky every day.
22:29We only need to get lucky once. I'm sure you've heard that a million times, but it's very true.
22:33You know you'll get him eventually.
22:34It's very true.
23:04A lot of close-knit community.
23:07You just get left, basically, to your own devices.
23:11We're kind of trusted up here to just get on with it,
23:14and it's only when things go completely pear-shaped that we would then get that input from further up.
23:21Today, Andy and his colleagues are looking for a white van,
23:25which has been reported stolen in Orkney.
23:27The police believe it may be in Wick, one of the biggest towns in Case Ness.
23:34We're going to go and see if we can find this stolen vehicle.
23:38The person that we suspected is a possibility for removing the vehicle
23:44is from a village just north of Wick.
23:49But they have associates in the town.
23:52So I'm just going to go past the area of town
23:56where they've sort of been known to frequent before
24:01and see if the vehicle is there.
24:10So we're looking for a white transit van with a bit of rust.
24:14So there's a white transit, but it's the wrong reg.
24:24Stevie G has found the vehicle
24:42on the other side of town, so we'll just get there
24:45quickly, quickly.
24:54Apparently, the driver says the vehicle was given to him,
25:00but we've just not had a statement saying it was stolen.
25:02You know, the fact that they've got a stolen vehicle
25:04and they're saying that it's really theirs is a bit suspicious.
25:19Let's go see what we've got.
25:20Formanby's been under arrest for suspicion
25:24and suspicion of theft of a motor van, OK?
25:26Yeah.
25:27So you're not obliged to say anything.
25:28Anything you do say, maybe no to them, maybe you've never answered.
25:31OK?
25:33Pass it up to me.
25:34Are you on your own or have you got something away?
25:36No, no.
25:36He's got two dogs in the van.
25:38Oh, OK.
25:38Are the dogs friendly?
25:39No.
25:40Is there a way of getting the dog from the front of the van
25:42into the back?
25:44Or would I have to take him out of the side door?
25:46I'd have to put him in the back.
25:48When did you buy the van?
25:49I didn't buy the van.
25:50It was bought by somebody else.
25:53And how have you come to be driving the van?
25:55Because they've asked me to go out and say I could borrow the vehicle
25:57to drive things a bit short.
25:58Yeah.
25:59Like, I put bikes across here because I don't have a van myself.
26:02Like motorbikes or...?
26:03Yeah, two motorbikes.
26:04So I was delivering them to someone who bought them off me.
26:06Ah, OK.
26:06The man claims he has borrowed this van, not stolen it.
26:13A search of his clothing uncovers something suspicious.
26:16I've got the reason to lie.
26:18What is it?
26:20That's what I'm asking you.
26:21If I knew where I would tell you, it would probably work all day.
26:23Yeah.
26:23I'm genuinely, I'm not being anything but compliant.
26:25I've got the reason to lie.
26:26So it was a beach.
26:27It was a wet pouch of something.
26:29You were on the beach and you found a small white packet
26:31containing a substance and decided to pick it up.
26:33They were at Castletown.
26:34So the one just outside, there was all the...
26:36It's an odd thing to pick up, no?
26:38I don't know where I pick up on my...
26:39I pick up bits of weird rocks.
26:41There's loads of bits of weird plastic.
26:42There's loads of bits of weird wood.
26:43Like, sorry.
26:45What were you going to do with it?
26:46Nothing.
26:47I was like, what is it?
26:48Just a souvenir from Castletown Beach?
26:50I completely forgot to even put it in my pocket.
26:51Genuinely.
26:52We'll need to put it away for testing, okay?
26:54If it comes back in a controlled substance, you'll get reported.
26:57The man then tells the police there may be something else in the van.
27:01You said you think there might be something in the van.
27:03No, I didn't say I think there might be.
27:04There could be something in the van.
27:05My friends, they do what they do.
27:08They smoke weed.
27:09You said there might be cannabis in your backy pouch.
27:11Yeah.
27:11So, would that be yours?
27:14What, my tobacco or my...
27:15But I can avoid the weed, the cannabis that's in the tobacco pouch.
27:18So, whose cannabis is it that's in the backy?
27:20It would probably be mine, I would assume.
27:23Probably be...
27:24It would be mine if there is any.
27:25It would be mine.
27:25Okay, right.
27:27The police decide they now have enough grounds to search the van.
27:31Take it from there.
27:32More officers arrive on the scene.
27:34Sometimes with these things, you just find a little bit,
27:37and people are sort of like, oh, yeah, sorry, mate,
27:39I had it from the weekend or whatever,
27:42and kind of use it as a way to kind of subterfuge,
27:45to make the police go, oh, well, he's handed it over, that's fine,
27:48no need to worry.
27:49Like, here's a wee ticket, slap on the wrist, don't do that again.
27:53But that's absolutely our doorway to say, right, well,
27:56what's in your van?
27:57What's in your pockets?
27:58It may turn out that, who knows,
28:00maybe there's a toolbox in the back that's got more in it.
28:16In Nairn, the two vehicles involved in a fatal crash on the A9
28:21are being examined by Police Scotland's
28:24Specialist Collision Investigation Unit.
28:27So we're taking photographs of relevant damage,
28:40make sure that there's no, or as best we can,
28:43rule out any pre-collision defects on the vehicle,
28:46so checking all the joints and stuff,
28:48making sure everything's connected as it should be,
28:50albeit with crash damage, it can be hard to tell.
28:53And even at the top, he sees it all twisted.
29:03Yeah.
29:03Kind of supports the fact it's been quite a high-speed head-on collision.
29:06The investigators are also looking for clues about the movements of both vehicles
29:13before and immediately after the collision.
29:16So this is the part of the prop shaft.
29:19This is the bit that's been disconnected.
29:21So it was dragging underneath the vehicle,
29:23and that's quite significant because we had two grind marks on the road
29:27that led back to the prop shaft,
29:30which shows its direction of travel after impact,
29:35back to its resulting position.
29:36So it gives us evidence of where the vehicles moved after collision.
29:38So that's quite significant for us.
29:42By matching parts of the car, like this prop shaft,
29:46to marks left on the road,
29:48the police can trace the movement of the vehicles
29:50before and after the collision.
29:53This will help pinpoint exactly where on the road the collision took place
29:58and could suggest one car had left its lane,
30:03causing the head-on crash.
30:04We tie it up to certain marks on the road,
30:08and if we could place a vehicle on the road,
30:10that can tell us where the collision exactly happened,
30:12and sometimes it can prove whether somebody's in the right
30:15or somebody's in the wrong.
30:18It's Sergeant Callum McCauley's job
30:21to put together a theory of what caused this crash.
30:25Collision investigators examine the vehicles in great detail,
30:28they examine the marks on the road in great detail,
30:30and it's pieced together that the Volkswagen multivan was not travelling
30:38in its own lane at the time of the collision,
30:40and that's the responsibility of this collision,
30:43rests with the driver of that vehicle.
30:45And there's one final, crucial piece of evidence.
30:49We have here dashcam footage of the collision.
30:53It gives us a really good opportunity for seeing what's happened.
31:05You can see that the van has crossed the middle of the road
31:07and collided with the oncoming vehicle.
31:11The van was being driven by an American tourist.
31:14When people visit Scotland,
31:16they tend to be trying to cover a lot of the country
31:21in the time that they're here.
31:23And that can sometimes lead to tiredness,
31:26there can be fatigue,
31:27it can be a case that they don't know,
31:30or can get confused or disorientated
31:33about what side of the road they should be travelling on.
31:40The thing that we can prove in this collision
31:42is that the van's been on the wrong side of the road.
31:44And the reason for that,
31:46it's almost immaterial.
31:47It's just that the van has been on the wrong side of the road,
31:49and ultimately that's led to the death of a lady
31:53and a serious injury of her children
31:59and the driver of the oncoming vehicle.
32:06As things stand currently,
32:09the driver of the Volkswagen multivan
32:13has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal
32:16for causing death by dangerous driving
32:18and also for causing serious injury
32:21by dangerous driving as well.
32:25This driver has lost his wife
32:27and has seriously injured his adult children
32:30because of the way that he's driven the vehicle.
32:33The impact that that's going to have on him
32:35and on his family,
32:37that can't be changed.
32:38In Wick, police have stopped a man
32:47they believe is travelling in a stolen van.
32:49He has admitted there may be cannabis in the van,
32:52which allows them to do a more thorough search.
32:56Right, let's open the back first then.
32:59So he's been detained under Section 23
33:02for a search of the van.
33:03Don't go near the back door.
33:04There's two angry dogs in the back.
33:06The dog kind of adds an extra layer to it.
33:11You have to think what we're going to do.
33:13There's a health and safety aspect to it as well.
33:14That dog's barking and it appears to be aggressive.
33:16What happens if it bites me?
33:19If we were sort of close to Timberness,
33:21we'd probably ask for maybe the dog handler
33:23to come and help us.
33:27While the van is being searched,
33:29police test the man for drugs.
33:36You've come up positive for cocaine already.
33:42Waiting for the cannabis now,
33:43it takes eight minutes,
33:44but you're positive for coke.
33:45How?
33:46Because there's obviously cocaine in your system.
33:49Which is over the legal limit.
33:51Yeah.
33:51The drive.
33:52Yeah, where it was.
33:54Do not be on banknotes or something like that.
33:55What the f***?
33:57Like, I'm...
33:58So please don't tell me
33:59you having cocaine in your system,
34:00someone else's fault as well.
34:01No?
34:02No.
34:02No, I'm not saying that at all.
34:07You deal with swipe.
34:09Sorry?
34:09You prove to me
34:10that you've no good cocaine in your system.
34:12Me?
34:12Yeah?
34:13I'd happily take a drug test right now.
34:14Do it.
34:15Let's see.
34:16I want to prove that these aren't f***ing tests.
34:19It's not how it works, though.
34:20We're here to test you.
34:21No.
34:21OK?
34:23There was a certain aroma
34:24of something in the air
34:25when he was talking.
34:27It was just a pile of rubbish, to be honest.
34:29Like,
34:29we kind of all saw through it straight away.
34:32Positive for cannabis, Uncle Ken.
34:34The man has now tested positive
34:36for two controlled substances,
34:39meaning he will be arrested.
34:41But the search of the van has just started
34:44and his troubles are just beginning.
34:47Bladed article.
34:49Where?
34:49It's more of a Stanley knife,
34:51but it's easy access.
34:52Where's the blade?
34:54It's just Stanley knife blades.
34:56Is that a locking one?
34:58It looks like it locks.
35:00The lock knife,
35:01it was within his reach,
35:02which means that
35:04he's therefore in possession of it
35:05and it's an offence
35:07to be in possession of a lock knife
35:08in a public place.
35:09If it had been stored
35:10in a toolbox
35:11in the back of the van,
35:13then that would be OK
35:15because, you know,
35:16people have legitimate reason
35:17to have lock knives
35:18and transport them
35:18about the place.
35:19This is the powerfully so far
35:21that we've found.
35:22So we've got two pipes there,
35:24spoon for melting,
35:26sooting drugs on
35:26and he's already been showing
35:29that he's got drugs
35:31in his system already.
35:32Oh, another knife.
35:34And that was in a jacket pocket?
35:35That was jacket pocket
35:36wedged beside the passenger door.
35:41We'll put you in the van,
35:42we'll get you back to the office,
35:43we'll get you booked into custody,
35:44we'll get you your rights.
35:46We'll have to do
35:46the road traffic procedures
35:47because you're giving us
35:49a positive specimen
35:51at the roadside, OK?
35:53And then once we've done that,
35:54we'll interview you.
35:55Yeah, so I arrest you
35:56in terms of road traffic act 1988,
35:58so I arrest you
35:59for failing drug-backed
36:00cannabis and cocaine,
36:02so you're not obliged
36:02to say anything,
36:03but anything you do say
36:03will be noted
36:04and may be using evidence.
36:06Do you understand that?
36:06Yeah.
36:08Mind your head.
36:15With the man in custody,
36:23the police now need
36:24to negotiate with the dogs.
36:26Come on, there you go.
36:29It's all right.
36:31Have you got another treat?
36:33Yeah.
36:34It's all right,
36:34he's just terrified, that's all.
36:36He's not going for me,
36:37he's just a bit scared.
36:40There you go.
36:41There you go.
36:43Yeah, he likes the treat.
36:46With the dogs happy,
36:48officers can finally
36:49make a thorough search
36:50of the van.
36:58And although nothing else
37:00significant is found,
37:01there is already enough
37:02to charge this man
37:03with drugs and weapons offences.
37:06On the face of it,
37:07he doesn't appear to be
37:08the kind of Pablo Escobar
37:09of Orkney,
37:10but the fact that he has
37:11a little bit of cannabis on him,
37:14that's absolutely our gateway
37:15to make these further inquiries
37:17just to be doubly sure
37:19of what we're dealing with.
37:32North and west of Inverness,
37:34the landscape empties of people.
37:36The hills and mountains here
37:44are amongst the wildest
37:45and most remote parts
37:47of the United Kingdom.
37:51Usually, officers of the police
37:52mountain rescue team,
37:54like Katie Johnson,
37:56would expect to be sent here
37:57to rescue a walker
37:58or climber in distress.
38:01But today, they have a different
38:03and upsetting job to do.
38:07There has been a discovery
38:09of some human remains.
38:11It's really difficult to get to.
38:14So we're there to make sure
38:15everyone gets their stuff there safely
38:16and then recover the remains
38:18out of the area once we're done.
38:22You try not to jump to any conclusions
38:24of why they're there
38:25and who they are,
38:26but definitely raises
38:27just a lot of questions
38:28in your mind
38:28about what's happened.
38:30The body is unidentified.
38:32It's in a remote location
38:34and the remains don't appear
38:35to be linked
38:36to any missing persons report.
38:38The task of the police
38:39is to help identify
38:41this individual
38:42and decide
38:43if they have been
38:44a victim of crime.
38:46So quite a lot of it
38:47is really unexplained.
38:50But what we do know
38:51is that the remains
38:52have been there
38:52for quite a long time.
38:53We have to treat it
38:57like there's potentially
38:58some suspicious circumstances
38:59until we rule it out.
39:01So we are going to preserve
39:02any evidence
39:03that has been left there.
39:07Police are managing
39:08this incident
39:09from a small station
39:10deep in the Western Highlands.
39:17Katie and her team
39:19are briefed
39:19on the body's discovery
39:21by crime scene manager
39:22Kevin Bunn.
39:24About 1,500 hours
39:25on Wednesday
39:26the two local residents
39:27were walking their dogging area
39:28when they became aware
39:29of what they appeared
39:30to be hiking boot
39:31and items of clothing
39:33scattered nearby.
39:35The thing felt
39:35what felt like a bone
39:36inside the leg
39:37and it's been identified
39:39as a femur.
39:40It's possible
39:41the remains have been there
39:42for a prolonged period of time
39:43possibly over a year.
39:45It raises a lot of questions
39:48of why they were there
39:50and who they are.
39:52Yet you always expect
39:53if the remains of somebody
39:55is found
39:56there is information
39:58out there
39:58that someone's looking for them
40:00so it is really unusual
40:02to have somebody found
40:04and not know
40:05any circumstances
40:06surrounding it.
40:07It's supposed to rain
40:09this afternoon
40:09so good chance
40:10we're all getting soaked.
40:11I'll leave it
40:12to your discretion
40:13Mountain Rescue guys
40:14if you think
40:14the weather's closing in
40:15and when you go off the hill
40:16then let me know
40:17and we'll make that decision.
40:19Yeah, four o'clock
40:20I think the weather
40:21is really meant to change
40:22so it'll be good
40:23if we kind of
40:24get towards that time
40:25that we'll just take stock
40:26and see where we are with it.
40:28Any other issues?
40:30Okay.
40:31We'll go for it then.
40:38The biggest challenges today
40:40is the location.
40:41The terrain
40:42is very remote
40:44it's boggy
40:45we're very much open
40:49to the elements
40:50we look to try
40:51and establish
40:52is there any criminality
40:54involved in the first instance
40:55on the face of it
40:56it looks like
40:57it's maybe someone
40:58who's lost in the hillside
40:59but we have to keep
41:00an open mind.
41:04A team of forensic
41:05anthropologists
41:06will accompany Katie
41:08on the mountain
41:09which will be treated
41:10like any other crime scene.
41:13Once we get to the locust
41:14and start the recovery
41:16of the remains
41:16it's a process
41:17that will take them
41:18as long as it takes
41:19it's something that needs
41:21to be done methodical
41:22to make sure
41:22that they capture
41:23everything there
41:25that we need
41:26and it's something
41:27you can't always plan
41:28because you just don't know
41:28what you're going to find
41:29once you start moving things.
41:30Our first and foremost role
41:34is policing
41:34so if it's not
41:36a sightseeing spot
41:37if it's not
41:37a well-known walking spot
41:38why have they
41:39taken themselves there?
41:40So it could be
41:41that they've gotten themselves
41:42in some sort of confusion
41:43if people are suffering
41:45from hypothermia
41:46they can do strange things
41:48that you wouldn't
41:49normally do
41:50and they could
41:51take themselves
41:51into that kind of area.
41:56Out here
41:57it's the end of the road
41:59the only way forward
42:01is on a specialist vehicle
42:03loaned by a local gamekeeper.
42:07I've been on one before
42:08and yeah they're sturdy
42:09but they are not comfy.
42:11See whose breakfast
42:12comes first.
42:15So the area itself
42:16it was pathless
42:17very difficult ground
42:19to walk in
42:20it was on a large estate
42:22that we had to access
42:23via 4x4 trucks
42:26and thereafter
42:27an Argo cat
42:28to assist us
42:28to get to the location.
42:30You can see a road
42:31but that's way off
42:33in the distance
42:33and there are no paths
42:35to get into the area
42:37that we were
42:37so it's not somewhere
42:39you'd expect anyone
42:40to go walking
42:41especially someone
42:42with no equipment
42:44with them.
42:53Four hours after
42:55leaving Inverness
42:56Katie finally reaches
42:58the spot
42:58where the remains lie
42:59and her investigation
43:01can begin.
43:02Yeah that's where
43:09we've gone up
43:10and looked.
43:10They've come here
43:11they've not fallen
43:12after the fact
43:13pretty sure
43:14this is them
43:16because what we're hoping
43:17is maybe a hat
43:18with a lot of moss on it.
43:20If someone hadn't
43:21pointed out initially
43:22and you were walking
43:23at a little bit
43:23of a distance
43:24you wouldn't have
43:25even seen
43:25the remains there.
43:27The moss
43:28has grown over
43:29so it almost
43:30looks as if
43:31it's become
43:31part of the
43:32earth itself
43:34so it had been
43:35there for some
43:36length of time.
43:37If it had been
43:38another couple
43:38of years
43:39that it hadn't
43:39been discovered
43:40it might never
43:40have been discovered
43:41at all.
43:42At the moment
43:44I'd go white male.
43:45So what determined
43:46it was male?
43:47So at the back
43:47of male skulls
43:49there's a really
43:50big bumpy bit
43:51because males
43:52have heavier heads
43:53they have more
43:54muscles that go
43:54back to the neck
43:55so the bone
43:56produces more bone
43:57because it needs
43:57a bigger surface
43:58area for that
43:58muscle to attach.
44:01It's a start
44:02but it's all
44:03the forensics team
44:04can conclude
44:05from these remains
44:06and the clothes
44:08nearby.
44:10As the weather
44:11closes in
44:11the team must
44:13leave the mountain
44:13side for the day.
44:15The body was
44:18in a difficult
44:19position so we
44:20have to get
44:21the remains
44:22out of that
44:23in a respectful
44:24way but also
44:25in a safe way
44:26that we are
44:27taking it uphills
44:28and through an
44:29area with no
44:30pass and everything
44:31like that so
44:31our responsibilities
44:33are both to
44:34make sure that
44:35we're gathering
44:36everything respectfully
44:37but also the
44:38forensic opportunities
44:39are saved.
44:40it's bringing up
44:45more questions
44:46and answers
44:46at the moment
44:47the kind of
44:49the choices
44:50for footwear
44:51and outerwear
44:52is not really
44:54what you generally
44:55see for hill walkers
44:57or anything like that
44:58and they had
44:59a fluorescent vest
45:01on again
45:01which is more
45:03for somebody
45:03that's by the roadway
45:04and in the dark
45:06so it doesn't
45:07kind of really
45:08fit in with that
45:09so again
45:09it just kind of
45:10it leaves us
45:11with more questions
45:12at the moment.
45:12The police will need
45:15to return to this
45:16hillside again
45:17to see if there
45:18are any more
45:19remains or clothing
45:20which could help
45:21solve the mystery
45:22of who this was
45:24and why he died
45:25out here.
45:26I think it's
45:27difficult to
45:27put into words
45:29how each
45:30sudden death
45:31feels to you.
45:33You feel
45:34a sense of sadness
45:35that this person
45:36has died alone
45:38in this remote area.
45:41It's difficult
45:42to not know
45:43who they are
45:44and not be able
45:45to provide a family
45:46with answers
45:47of where their loved one
45:49has come to rest.
45:54It's not something
45:55you want to leave
45:56unknown
45:57so we have to look
45:59at every avenue
46:00we can to try
46:01and identify this person.
46:12in Inverness
46:16PC's Dan Shield
46:18and Jimmy Sutherland
46:19are responding
46:20to a call
46:21from the post office.
46:23We've had a call
46:24from the mail
46:25sorting office
46:26to say
46:27that they've got
46:28a package
46:29that possibly
46:30contains cannabis
46:31and the smell
46:33of it
46:33is the
46:34telltale signs.
46:37We're just going
46:37to go down there
46:38and have a look
46:39and see
46:40if it is cannabis
46:41and take it back
46:42for testing.
46:44Drugs coming
46:44through the post
46:45is on the increase.
46:47It's easier
46:48to distance yourself
46:49when it's coming
46:50through the post
46:50because you're
46:51not in possession
46:52of them
46:52so it's a lot
46:54harder to
46:55find the person
46:56that's actually
46:56sent the items
46:58itself.
47:00Because the mail
47:01is becoming
47:01a more popular
47:02method of drug supply
47:03police across the UK
47:05are sending
47:06sniffer dogs
47:07to sorting offices
47:08on a regular basis.
47:11This morning
47:12a police dog
47:13got a whiff
47:14of two packages.
47:16So
47:17both of the items
47:19are here
47:19it was the police dog
47:21that sniffed them out
47:22in fact
47:22the police dog
47:23actually
47:23tore that one
47:26it was so
47:27convinced
47:28there was something
47:28in it.
47:31The dog
47:31has identified
47:32one of the packages
47:33as containing
47:34some kind
47:36of controlled drug.
47:37We'll just get
47:37them opened up
47:38we'll make sure
47:38that they do
47:39contain drugs
47:39and then we'll
47:40get the packages
47:41seized.
47:45Yeah
47:45it's not really
47:46much of a smell
47:46to be honest.
47:48I don't think
47:48Is that the one
47:49the dog's done?
47:50And that's been
47:51torn open as well
47:52so I think
47:53if it wasn't
47:54for the dog
47:54I think
47:55it's a wee bit
47:56of a smell
47:57but I think
47:58it might be
47:59what we call
48:00cannabis edibles
48:01I see
48:02so it might be
48:03a kind of
48:06a liquid
48:07kind of form
48:07of cannabis
48:08I'm not even
48:14going to open
48:15that here
48:15just in case
48:15so
48:17I won't open
48:19that just now
48:19Ali
48:20just because
48:21I'm just seeing
48:22that there is
48:22quite a lot
48:23of powder
48:24etc
48:25obviously
48:25we don't
48:26know what
48:26that is
48:26I don't
48:26want to
48:26open it
48:27up in
48:27case
48:27it is
48:28anything
48:28of harmful
48:30nature
48:30or anything
48:30like that
48:31at all
48:31so we'll
48:32just seize
48:33that
48:33and we will
48:35do our own
48:36testing on it
48:36back at the
48:37office
48:37just so that
48:37we're not
48:38opening it up
48:38obviously
48:39in here
48:39whilst the
48:42officers can't
48:43say yet
48:44what this
48:45first package
48:45is
48:46there's little
48:47doubt
48:47what's in
48:48the second
48:48package
48:49strong smell
48:51of cannabis
48:51coming from
48:52that one
48:52yeah that one
48:53was more
48:54straightforward
48:54cannabis
48:56is kind of
48:57a sort of
48:58sweet
48:58sickly
48:59sort of
49:00smell
49:00yeah
49:00they've
49:01obviously
49:01you can see
49:02they've wrapped
49:03it up a number
49:03of times
49:04in an effort
49:04to disguise
49:05it but
49:06they've not
49:07done it
49:07very well
49:08then
49:09an unexpected
49:11breakthrough
49:12the gentleman
49:12who says
49:15this is for him
49:15is at the
49:16customer service
49:17point right now
49:17oh is he
49:18yeah
49:18oh that's handy
49:19I was going to say
49:20that's never happened
49:21before
49:21but he's
49:22coming to get
49:23this
49:24oh right
49:24he's obviously
49:26wanting him
49:26and I have you
49:26Dan and Jimmy
49:28will give the bad
49:30news to the
49:31waiting man
49:31not perhaps
49:33the delivery
49:34he was expecting
49:35so we've
49:36obviously been
49:37taken here
49:38or asked to
49:39come here
49:39because they
49:40have seized
49:40a package
49:41which strongly
49:42smells of
49:43cannabis
49:43at this moment
49:44in time
49:44you're under
49:45caution
49:45that you're
49:46not obliged
49:46to say
49:46anything
49:46but anything
49:47you do say
49:47will be noted
49:48and maybe
49:48using evidence
49:48do you understand
49:49that
49:49yeah
49:49what have you
49:50got to say
49:51about that
49:52no comment
49:54okay
49:54no worries
49:55Tom
49:55we'll see
49:56where we're
49:56going to go
49:56from here
49:57just now
49:57okay
49:57obviously
49:59we need to
50:00go back
50:00to the station
50:00we obviously
50:01need to test
50:01it
50:02just to obviously
50:02make sure
50:03that it does
50:04obviously contain
50:04a drug
50:05you can't be ordering
50:06your controlled drugs
50:07through the post
50:07you're eligible
50:08for what we call
50:09a recorded police warning
50:09it was beneficial
50:11just to give him
50:12the recorded police warning
50:13because it just gets
50:14the matter sort of dealt with
50:15accepting the recorded police warning
50:16isn't a admission of guilt
50:17I said it's a warning
50:19okay for you
50:20if he was to
50:22re-offend
50:23or if he was to be
50:24found in possession
50:25of drugs again
50:26then he would not be eligible
50:27to then receive
50:28the recorded police warning
50:29again
50:29the man is sent
50:31on his way
50:32without his post
50:34finding suspicious items
50:36in the post
50:37predominantly drugs
50:39happens about
50:39two or three times
50:41a week
50:41on average
50:42this system
50:44we like to think
50:45proves highly effective
50:46we've both got a record
50:47of it happening
50:48so there is
50:49the proof that
50:50these items
50:51are being
50:52intercepted
50:53it is a banned substance
50:55it's a controlled substance
50:56so if it gets sent
50:58through the Royal Mail
51:00network
51:00and we intercept it
51:01then our job
51:02is to contact the police
51:03and that's what we do
51:04that's one thing
51:06that I would love to change
51:07would be
51:08to have no drugs
51:09within Inverness
51:09I know that's probably
51:11an unrealistic goal
51:12however
51:13fighting the war
51:14against drugs
51:15crime
51:15that's ultimately
51:17what I joined the job for
51:18and that's what I will
51:19keep on doing
51:20and I will carry on doing
51:21I think he would have
51:23seen the police firm
51:24I thought
51:25maybe that's for me
51:27I thought
51:28oh yeah
51:28I'm ordering cannabis
51:30in the mountains
51:38of the North West Highlands
51:40police still have to confirm
51:42the identity of the man
51:43whose remains were found
51:45on a remote hillside
51:46today
51:47Dan Sutherland
51:49who is part of
51:50the mountain rescue team
51:51is heading back
51:52to the location
51:53to continue the investigation
51:55I don't know who they are
51:57but we're coming back
51:58today to undertake
52:00further searches
52:00to see if we can find
52:01further remains
52:02so we've got
52:03victim recovery dogs
52:04with us today
52:05they're trained in
52:06recovery
52:07and sniffing out
52:08of human remains
52:10so
52:11fingers crossed
52:13we can get some good results
52:14with them today
52:15the remains
52:17the remains
52:17couldn't provide
52:18enough DNA
52:18to help identification
52:20police hope
52:23Dan and the dogs unit
52:24might be able
52:25to find more remains
52:26for DNA testing
52:27or any clothing
52:29and effects
52:30that might have been
52:31missed in the original search
52:32this is the first job
52:36I've come across
52:37where it's been
52:37really difficult
52:39to identify a body
52:40majority of bodies
52:42that we find
52:43tend to have
52:45some form of ID
52:45or there is
52:47an outstanding
52:47missing person
52:48where we've got
52:49a very good idea
52:50of potentially
52:50who they could be
52:51but in this case
52:53it's a bit more difficult
52:54we just don't know
52:57anything about him
52:58or the family
52:59and how he's coming to be
53:00and how he's even got here
53:01these boys are going
53:05to have to move
53:05first challenge of a day
53:08go on
53:11go on
53:13go
53:16always worry
53:24with young calves
53:26as well
53:26like cows and calves
53:27never great
53:28that's it
53:30good girl
53:31where the body
53:38is located
53:39it's just quite
53:40a really remote
53:41section of land
53:42very little
53:43mobile phone signal
53:44if any
53:45it's not a place
53:46where generally
53:48the public
53:48would be seen
53:49at all
53:49so it was really
53:50quite surprising
53:51to find out
53:52that someone
53:52had been found there
53:53obviously we don't know
53:55how he died
53:55but
53:56it is sad
53:58that
53:58you can just
53:59lay down
54:00or fall down
54:00on the ground
54:01and they won't
54:01come across you
54:02for years
54:03and years
54:04Dan will be
54:11accompanied
54:11by cadaver dogs
54:13Cooper and Gus
54:14and dog handlers
54:15Adam and Daniel
54:16good
54:19so I think the body
54:27was here
54:28was it
54:28was the body
54:28just here
54:29by the locker
54:30was it
54:30if there are
54:31more human remains
54:32on this hillside
54:33the hope is
54:34the dogs
54:35will find them
54:36today we've got
54:37two different dogs
54:38both trained
54:39to the same standard
54:39one's obviously
54:40a cocker spaniel
54:41he's nice and energetic
54:42he's ready to go
54:43and we've got
54:44a slightly younger
54:45Labrador
54:45well both dogs
54:46are trained
54:47to indicate
54:47on decomposition
54:49by means of barking
54:50come
54:51no come
54:53all right
54:54he's going to go back
54:54fine
54:55before long
54:56it looks like
54:57Cooper has found
54:58something
54:59Cooper
55:02whether there's
55:04the scavenger
55:05that's a burrow
55:06and it's taking
55:07something
55:07is that quite a bit
55:08cool
55:09the dogs
55:12give an indication
55:13it's a hole here
55:15so
55:16just see
55:17if anything's
55:18been taken down
55:19there by any animals
55:20body
55:21the bone
55:22some
55:22what not
55:24it looks like
55:25a burrow
55:26because there's
55:27obvious marks
55:28of burrowing
55:28further in
55:29some sort of
55:30small animal
55:31where the body
55:33was found
55:33obviously
55:33just behind
55:34just over
55:35to our side
55:36here like
55:36so
55:36dogs indicating
55:37here
55:38but the burrow
55:40is too narrow
55:41and deep
55:42for the officers
55:42to see anything
55:43themselves
55:44Cooper's indicated
55:46a sort of burrow
55:47relatively near
55:48to the recovery site
55:49we just can't get
55:50to at the moment
55:51it's impossible
55:52to say what it is
55:52but I suspect
55:53it's a bone
55:54and it's very specific
55:55and very close
55:56to the body
55:57site location
55:58which would indicate
55:59he's definitely right
56:00the team search
56:02for the rest
56:02of the afternoon
56:03but the dogs
56:04don't find
56:05anything else
56:06if there are
56:07more remains
56:08on this hillside
56:09it looks like
56:10they may be
56:11buried forever
56:12I don't think
56:32it was completely
56:33unexpected
56:33it's always going
56:34to be difficult
56:35but I was kind
56:36of hoping
56:37we'd get
56:39at least
56:39a bone or two
56:40maybe that's
56:42just an indication
56:43of how long
56:43the body's been there
56:44there will be
56:48no more
56:48searching
56:49on this hill
56:50but the investigation
56:51into this man's
56:53identity
56:53and clues
56:55about his fate
56:56will go on
56:57they're going
56:59to have to start
57:00doing a lot more
57:01digging through
57:02historical records
57:03missing people
57:04from not just
57:06within Scotland
57:06across all
57:08the UK forces
57:08and potentially
57:10international as well
57:12some people
57:13just don't get traced
57:14they don't get found
57:15and when they are
57:18found like this
57:18then they don't
57:20necessarily all
57:21can be identified
57:21they don't get
57:45Next time, please deal with a crash on Skye's main road.
58:08We need to deal with a casualty further away that way, please.
58:12Just in case the car explodes.
58:13In Inverness, officers race to catch a fleeing suspect, and on the Isle of Skye, a major
58:25drug operation is rumbled.
58:26I'm going around room to room, and there's cannabis plants everywhere.
58:43So I'm going around room to room, and there's no need to be a crash on Skye's main road.
58:55So I'm going around room to room, and there's no need to be a crash on Skye's main road.
59:00I'm going around room to room, and there's no need to be a crash on Skye's main road.
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