MILLIONS of TV viewers will tonight get a taste of day-to-day life on the beat with Cumbria Police after Channel 5 producers filmed officers at work for a new fly-on-the-wall documentary.

Makers of the hit series Police Interceptors spent five months with the force’s roads policing, tactical support and dogs units.

What they caught on camera will be shown when the ten-episode series returns to screens at 8pm.

Demonstrating how officers deal with serious road accidents, drug dealing, drink-drivers and car thefts, Channel 5 said it hoped it would be the ‘most exciting series yet’.

Although no filming locations have been revealed, a cameraman spotted with police on Finkle Street, Kendal, on December 8, was understood to be shooting footage for the show.

Cumbria Police chief inspector Kevin Greenhow, who oversees the three units, said he hoped the programme would have a positive effect on the audience.

He said: “Our aim for filming with Police Interceptors was to be involved in a show which engages a varied audience, and in particular targets a younger audience.

“It is a sad fact that a large percentage of collisions on our county’s roads involve younger drivers and by highlighting the incidents we attend and covering some of the preventative work that we do, we hope that we may just prevent some collisions from occurring by making young drivers think about their driving and the risks involved.

“We also wanted to show how officers with a variety of specialist skills contribute to general policing activity by supporting other officers and teams to make Cumbria the safe place that it is.

“In this time of increasing scrutiny and need for efficiency, it is important that the public know that the role of teams such as these is making a difference.

“We would like to thank our partner agencies for their help and patience while the filming was taking place.”

Series producer James Coldwell added: “It has been a privilege to work alongside this dedicated and hard working police force.

“While making the series we have witnessed these brave men and women working in truly challenging situations as they strive to protect the people of Cumbria.

“We have seen the police effectively tackle a wide variety of crimes and criminals including drugs dealers, drink-drivers and car thieves.

“We also witnessed the important work that the units carry out when they attend life-threatening road traffic collisions.

“With the backdrop of the breath-taking national park and the equally colourful characters that live in this county, we’re hoping that this is going to be the most exciting series yet.”

*The new series of Police Interceptors starts tonight (Monday, January 28) at 8pm on Channel 5.