CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF 24 HOURS IN POLICE CUSTODY

24 Hours in Police Custody

 

This weekend I chose to watch some episodes of 24 hours in police custody as it’s a very popular show and crime and sport documentaries are defiantly my favourite. 

 

The episode I am going to focus on is series 12 episode two. The episode followed a feud over a peri peri chicken shop, but it was discovered underneath this that it was to do with drugs and the dealing of drugs around Luton. The episode started showing footage of a fight in which two families fought, two people had to be taken to hospital because of hot oil being thrown and knife wounds. Straight away it abides to the codes and conventions of documentary by showing real life footage. Showing footage like this makes you as an audience feel a part of the case as you are seeing what the police had so straight away makes you interested into what the police are going to do next.

 

Another code and convention that the episode followed was interviews. In a crime documentary especially, interviews are key. They give a professional’s point of view of the situation and how they would handle it. Interviews are a great way to put across vital information which this did in this case.

 

There is also a voiceover which also abides to the codes and conventions.  This helps you as an audience to keep up to date on what’s going on and helps introduce people and key situations as the episode goes on. 

 

The thing I loved most about this documentary was that you got to see all the archived footage and interviews which made everything seem so real and like you were involved in the case. It also educates you on the types of things the police go through and what they must do to try and catch people. For example, I didn’t realise before watching the episodes that those being interviewed will just say ‘no comment’ and not give anything to do with their crime away and refuse to cooperate and there’s not a lot the police can really do as you can’t make someone talk. So, I have already I learned something from just a few episodes.