List of The Bill characters (E–L)

PC Francis "Taffy" Edwards was known as the 'thin streak of Welsh misery'. A quiet country boy who hailed from a poor farming family near Bangor, he sometimes struggled to adapt to city life. Edwards was extremely lazy, often thinking up ingenious ways to avoid having to do serious work – but he had an infectious charm and was popular amongst the relief. He would also wade in with the team when needed. Edwards is probably best remembered for when he got hopelessly drunk on his stag night and ended up stripped naked and abandoned in the street by his mates from Sun Hill – much to the annoyance of Mary, his Welsh bride-to-be. After brushes with pigs, chickens and assorted oddballs, he asked for a transfer back to Wales. His final day convinced him he had made the right decision: Brownlow did not seem to know who he was and Conway thought he had already left. In the end he decided to give his own leaving party a miss and headed home alone. He returned for Ken Melvin's funeral later that year.

PCSO Colin Fairfax arrived at Sun Hill along with another PCSO, Laura Bryant. Throughout his short time at Sun Hill, he showed to be a bigot and frequently had run ins with PC Leela Kapoor. His time at Sun Hill came to an end when after he spat in PC Kapoor's face whilst in the canteen and subsequently left the station. DC Ken Drummond was tasked with bringing him back into the station and found him drinking in a local pub. DC Drummond tried his best to persuade Fairfax to return but when he refused, DC Drummond went to arrest him. Fairfax retaliated by knocking DC Drummond unconscious and handcuffing him in a petrol-doused van and drove towards Sun Hill police station. Fairfax dived out of the van before it careered into the front of the police station; with Sgt. Smith and SRO Marilyn Chambers working inside. The following explosion and fire killed two officers and a few days later; Fairfax was charged with the murders of DC Ken Drummond, PC Andrea Dunbar and SRO Marilyn Chambers.

PC Will Fletcher grew up in Hemel Hempstead with his parents and sister. He was inspired to join the police by a friend of his father's, who was an Area Car driver in the police force and often told him about his work. Like most others at Sun Hill, he did his training at Hendon. It is not clear where he served his probationary period or indeed how long he has been in the force, but he previously served at Hemel Hempstead and he was later transferred to Sun Hill. He is a fan of cars and motorcycles—on his first day he drove to work without his hands on the wheel as he tried to read a map—in his spare time, he enjoys boxing. When he was injured, he was unable to compete in a boxing tournament with PC Dan Casper, which was something Inspector Gina Gold set up. However, he stood in his friend's corner for every match and tried to convince Casper to tell Gold about his steroid abuse. He later began a relationship with PC Honey Harman, but they split up after he refused to go on holiday with her in Tenerife. Harman was later shot and killed after being held captive by drug barons. Fletcher was devastated initially, having been one of the first on the scene when Harman's body was discovered, but later came to terms with her death. He became close friends with Casper, and the two were frequently seen paired on the beat together until Dan resigned. Since then he was paired with PC Roger Valentine, PC Benjamin Gayle and PC Tony Stamp among others. He showed strong feelings for colleague PC Emma Keane and was violently opposed to her marriage to lawyer Matt Hinckley. Despite being beaten up on Keane's wedding day after she revealed to Hinckley that she slept with Will and being able to prove that Hinckley was behind the attack, he turned up at the wedding to wish them well. Later, Fletcher helped Keane to uncover the truth about Hinckley's old girlfriend—who supposedly died a few years earlier—and found that she was actually alive and was only just recovering from a nervous break down after having a miscarriage. Fletcher transferred to CID in August 2008, after his police work impressed DI Manson. He was the first uniformed officer to transfer to CID since DC Gary Best. In July 2009, Fletcher made the move from Trainee DC to a fully-fledged DC. Fletcher left Sun Hill in January 2010, when he transferred to another station as a Sergeant.

WPC Suzanne Ford was described as 'the ideal WPC'. She considered becoming a nurse before eventually joining the Metropolitan Police and saw her policing role as essentially one of serving the community rather than catching crooks. She was a natural police officer – 'one of the boys' who always seemed to get sent out on raids – but above all a caring woman. She also had a special ability – sign language, as she had a profoundly deaf sister. She used this skill on one occasion when questioning a deaf suspect. Ford left Sun Hill in 1992.

CPS Lawyer Jonathan Fox was the station's resident CPS Lawyer and whilst at Sun Hill he embarked upon a relationship with Inspector Gina Gold. Jonathan eventually realised that he would always play second fiddle to Gina's commitment to the job and left Sun Hill soon after.

Police Constable later Detective Sergeant Rosie Fox immediately became the subject of unwanted attention from PC Eddie Santini when she first arrived at Sun Hill. She had been assigned to an undercover investigation with Santini, culminating in him nearly raping her in the locker room. Subsequently, Santini spread lies about her around the station and conducted a campaign of bullying, forcing her to request a transfer away from Sun Hill. Later promoted to Detective Sergeant, Rosie returned to Sun Hill to investigate the murder of Santini's ex-girlfriend Jessica Orton. She suspected Santini himself of the crime and eventually linked him to it when he was found in possession of the keys to Orton's house. She arrests him for murder. Rosie returned again for Santini's manslaughter trial, but was murdered in her hotel room before she could testify against him as part of the elimination of key witnesses by a major crime lord awaiting trial.

PC Robin Frank was a steady, reliable type, known for his commitment and integrity. From Bethnal Green in the East End, he was easy going, with a naturally friendly manner and ready smile. He was the son of a schoolteacher and worked in office jobs before joining the Met. Married to Angela, a nurse, Frank was a trained area car driver. Members of the public found him thoughtful and straightforward in his dealings, and the relief knew that he always could be depended on – even if he complained about the more mundane aspects of the job. He suffered the trauma of being shot by a robber who had taken a woman hostage in a block of flats in 1985. Recuperating, Frank spent much of his time at the CAD desk and working as the station's crime prevention officer. He left Sun Hill in 1989.

Inspector Christine Frazer served at Sun Hill for a year and a half, replacing Inspector Kite. She was the station's first senior female officer, and one of the very few high-ranking females in the Metropolitan Police at the time. Throughout her posting at Sun Hill, this caused much friction between the force, particularly with the young male PCs whom she often rubbed the wrong way, and eventually she unwittingly created a foe in Chief Inspector Derek Conway, whose initial respect and support for her waned considerably towards the end of her tenure.

Elsewhere in the station, she was held in high regard, particularly by Sergeants Alec Peters and Tom Penny, who also found her very attractive. Bob Cryer warmed to her eventually but occasionally found cause to criticise her performance, given her tendency to lean towards "modern" methods of policing, rather than Cryer's own tried and tested traditional means. She shared past history with DI Frank Burnside, who tried to rekindle romance when he was posted to Sun Hill (she was not interested), and was a target for DS Ted Roach's affections. Frazer refused a relationship but conceded to have a drink with Roach – gossip later turned this into a full-blown affair and Conway warned Roach to break it off or face immediate transfer. While initially having recommended him for promotion to D.I. in place of Burnside, wearing down a stubborn Conway, her working relationship with Roach suffered and on several subsequent occasions she came down heavily on him for poor choices in his work.

She was also perhaps the only officer at Sun Hill to have known of Burnside's true history in the force – most believed him bent over the years – before ousting his undercover involvement in Operation Countryman to gossiping Sergeants Cryer, Penny and Peters, thus explaining his apparent crooked ways. Burnside was particularly ungrateful afterwards.

In late 1989, Frazer became the first female inspector to take the Met's riot training course, and during the ensuing mayhem "froze" as her team came under heavy attack, exposing them to serious danger. She quickly overcame her fear and successfully completed the course, but couldn't stop the training supervisor from reporting her bungle to Chief Superintendent Brownlow. This, along with continued pressure on her to perform above and beyond to prove herself in the rank as a woman, culminated in a bad appraisal from Conway which ultimately Brownlow agreed with during a heated meeting, and he refused to recommend her for promotion. Instead he suggested she continue at Sun Hill for another year in her present rank. Frazer reluctantly refuses, instead taking extended leave to write a thesis about discrimination in the force, specifically sexism. She does not return to Sun Hill following this period and presumably resigns from the Met during her leave.

During her first year on the show, Frazer was written as a "main character" and frequently top-billed in the credits (after Sgt. Cryer), with multiple storylines afforded to her. Her appearances were less involved through much of mid-late 1989 as the cast changed around her, however she was given considerably more screen time before her departure in early 1990.

WPC Delia French was once in charge of the station typing pool, before leaving to take a clerical job in the city. She returned to Sun Hill in 1990 as a probationary WPC. Delia was a feisty addition to the ranks of Sun Hill – she had no qualms in berating members of CID for the poor quality of interview transcripts, and also was a bit of a gossip – taking great interest in the business affairs of every officer in the station. She could be tough when she wanted to, and was by no means a push-over. Delia also had a razor sharp wit and was not afraid to use it. But her infectious enthusiasm soon broke down barriers and made her friends in the station. Delia went undercover for Burnside on one occasion when a woman who collapsed at an airport was found carrying drugs in her stomach. She took the woman's place and successfully led CID to the dealer. She left Sun Hill shortly after the operation.

DI Roy Galloway was proud of himself when he became one of the youngest inspectors in the Metropolitan Police. An impulsive man, he was a thief taker in the classic mould, always seeming to be playing a game of good old fashioned cops and robbers. Nobody is above suspicion for Galloway. Even when fencing information from one of his snouts, he always takes what they say with a grain of salt. Although he sometimes shows a wisdom of years beyond his own age, Galloway was also every bit as fiery as his red-coloured hair suggests. When frustrated, he would not hesitate to take those frustrations out on colleagues. This placed him in many tricky situations with his immediate subordinate, DS Ted Roach, who wanted Galloway's job. At one point, June Ackland considers resigning after Galloway blames her for his own troubles. Only the timely intervention of Sergeant Bob Cryer stops the situation from escalating out of control. He is married, with one daughter. The pressures of his job lead to him spending less and less time with them, however. Eventually he goes through a bitter divorce, which he takes hard. Characteristically, this only leads to him throwing himself even further into his work. Over time, he mellows to the point where he is even willing to step in defence of Cryer after he accidentally runs into a pensioner in a car during a wet, night-time call out. The two men share a strong long-time bond, but rarely has Galloway been so proactive in helping his uniform colleagues. After three years in Sun Hill, Galloway decides to leave. The exact reasons for his departure are kept vague and confidential, but it comes as a shock to some and a relief to others.

PC George Garfield joined the Met at nineteen because it was steady employment and he'd not had much luck with other jobs he'd tried since leaving school. But he didn't much like the leafy suburb of Teddington, to which he was sent – too dull – and used his excess energy in the boxing ring. He reached ABA quarter finals standard. After repeated requests for a posting to a busier manor, he was transferred to Sun Hill early in 1989. He got on with most of the people there. Tony Stamp was a good friend. He had run-ins with the likes of Steve Loxton, who could be a bit aggressive if rubbed up the wrong way. Unlike them, Garfield could control his temper, although occasionally he could be something of a bull in a china shop, charging in wildly before he had properly thought out the repercussions of his actions. He could also bear a grudge with the best of them. But as the relief's Federation rep. George was a steady, reliable type, known for his loyalty and integrity. He took pride in his work and his best quality was his commitment to colleagues. He tried hard to never let anybody down, by acting as a trouble shooter for the team – and served well in the role as he always had his colleague's best interests at heart. But, like so many others, he had been taken under the wing of Bob Cryer more than once. He had money troubles before the night of the party for his twenty-fifth birthday, but they got worse after it. He'd hired a room only to have Quinnan and Jim Carver wreck it by fighting over a girl. Garfield had to pay for the repairs, which meant he had to return his flash XR3 convertible car that he'd just started buying on installments, against the advice of his bank manager. Lending the key of his section-house room to Loxton – who was spotted nipping up the stairs with a nurse, against the rules – was another black mark against his name. But his colleagues were on his side when Matthew Boyden let him down – nipping off to see one of his women friends and leaving him to be beaten up by the villain they were supposed to be trailing. Garfield was knocked down and concussed. There were bets on if and when Garfield might get his own back. They were safe bets. Boyden learned about Garfield's right hook – the hard way. Over the years, young women seemed to be immune to the Garfield charm. There was some chance he was getting something together with a WPC whom he invited for a pizza, then there was that journalist from the Sun Hill Chronicle. In the end, George's love life proved to be the end for his stint at Sun Hill. A rather messy love triangle involving himself, Dave Quinnan and a nurse, Jenny Delaney, ensured George was not at Sun Hill station for much longer. He left the force on a voyage of self-discovery, briefly returning a couple of months later to settle his differences with Dave at his wedding.

PC Benjamin Gayle arrived at Sun Hill in September 2007. On his first day in the job, he was cornered in a woodland by three gang members – but fought them all off, even giving one of them a broken collar bone. Ben was known for often having an uneven temper. He once broke a man's nose because he didn't like the way that the man treated his son. This almost lost him his job as a result. Ben later had a professional relationship with Sally, but their relationship ended when Sally got drunk and smashed her car into the side of a parked vehicle. Callum Stone managed to cover for the pair, but the incident resulted in Will Fletcher's transfer to CID, much to his happiness.

PC Arun Ghir arrived at Sun Hill in June 2008, alongside fellow probationer Millie Brown and transfer Leon Taylor. Arun had a troubled past, and on the day of joining the police force, his father was attacked by racist thugs after he politely asked them to get away from his car. Arun saw this as his chance to put things right, though things didn't always go to plan, given his fiery temper and high enthusiasm.

Arun was committed and dedicated to the job, wanting to put right any wrongs for everybody, however small they may be – adamant that he helped to make the streets safer. He did have a tendency to think a bit too highly and took himself too seriously at times, frequently speaking before thinking through what the consequences could be, but still managed to come across as sincere, with a certain amount of naive charm. As dedicated as he was, his maverick streak meant he can be unpredictable and not always straight down the line – it all depends what the end result was. Arun was suspended from duty by Dale Smith after attempting to help an illegal immigrant escape detection with her son. After some time away from the job, Arun decided that he was not cut out for a job in the police and resigned.

Sergeant Craig Gilmore is recruited to replace his predecessor, Bob Cryer. In many ways he is the exact opposite. Whereas Cryer is modest, experienced and respected, Gilmore has been fast-tracked to promotion, has been a sergeant for less than a year and is considered by his colleagues to be arrogant. He is the first openly gay sergeant in the show's history. He left Sun Hill after receiving a severe beating and having a relationship with PC Luke Ashton, a closeted gay man, who was married to PC Kerry Young at the time.

DC Danny Glaze, a local Londoner, is a streetwise detective with a good sense of humour. He comes to Sun Hill after meeting Liz Rawton in a training course and was persuaded to join her in CID. His Afro hairstyle made his presence distinctive. Glaze passed his Sergeants exams and was Acting DS for a short time before becoming a DC again. Glaze later gets caught up in the scandal surrounding Des Taviner, when he finds out that Des planted evidence in accused murderer Jeff Simpson's residence. He reluctantly covers for him because he knew Simpson was guilty, but later his conscience begins getting the better of him. Simpson claims he was set up and former Sun Hill officer Detective Inspector Sally Johnson investigates the case. Glaze eventually reveals the truth, but to avoid prosecution, he keeps £20,000, which he came across during a robbery case, and flees to South Africa and he is never seen or heard from again.

Inspector Gina Gold arrived at Sun Hill in June 2002, shortly after the events of the fire. Gina already knew Superintendent Okaro at the time, because they were old flames in the 80s. When Okaro left due to promotion to Borough Commander, he and Gina still remained very good friends. Gina was known for her 'iron fist' – mainly due to the fact she loved boxing in her spare time, which led PC Emma Keane wrongfully to make a bullying allegation against her. Consequently, she left on leave, but soon returned. Gina worked closely with Sergeant Dale Smith, who was one of her closest friends at the station and was one of the only ones who she told about having cancer. From her arrival, she soon earned the respect of the relief but still didn't fear mincing her words. One of her first big actions during her time at Sun Hill occurred in December 2002. Whilst out one evening at linedancing, Gina ran into a fight between two boys; one of the lads was Tommy Renolds. When she took Tommy home she realised that she used to be friends with his mum Beverly at school and her older cousin Marilyn. It transpired that Marilyn had contributed to Gina's brother being convicted of murder. He committed suicide in prison and Gina blamed Marilyn for his death. It ended in a dramatic show-down where Marilyn ended up being shot dead, not before having a dig at Gina's infertility.

On Gina's departure, she and Smith shared an emotional moment when, after saying that she would be missed, he said, "Goodnight, Ma'am". Gina replied tearfully, "Goodnight, Sergeant", before looking tearfully around her office.

PC Beth Green arrives at Sun Hill in May 2007, and on her first day on the beat, she is paired with PC Emma Keane. As they investigate a break-in at a house, Green's nerves get the better of her. As a suspect is being restrained with CS spray, she sprays not only the suspect in the eyes but also Keane. Green reveals that on a previous occasion she had accidentally sprayed herself by spraying a CS can backwards. She is more successful later on in using her CS spray, this time to stop a fleeing suspect. Although Green gets on well with some of her colleagues, particularly PC Dan Casper, who is impressed by her attention to detail and her memory, there are still a few who have doubts about their latest recruit. Keane draws attention to her girlish appearance and nicknames her 'Little Miss Daisy Chain'. PC Will Fletcher is irritated that Green is attracted to him. In one instance, she is hit on the head with a bottle by an escaped convict and knocked out. She is also hit with a rake, knocking her unconscious, and left tied up in a hospital cupboard by escaped murderer Larry Franks. In another instance, she is almost sprayed in the face with acid. Green later goes undercover to aid Terry Perkins's investigation of a notorious loan shark. Green's cover is Terry's drug addicted daughter seeking money to pay back her dealer. Green later reveals to PC Tony Stamp that she has applied for a job in witness protection. Before she can say anything else the two officers spot a woman called Molly Anderson standing on the edge of a bridge. As Green tries to talk her down, Mel and Nate Roberts arrive. When Anderson jumps into the water, Roberts dives in after her. After a stressful day Green heads back to the station and finds a letter from witness protection. She is accepted for Witness Protection and leaves at the end of the day.

DS Alistair Greig joined Sun Hill CID after a stint in the Vice Squad. He was a member of the Metropolitan Police band, playing the clarinet and was initially of a breezy disposition. A few months of working for Burnside knocked this early chirpiness out of him and though he became outwardly stoical, Alistair retained a sharp, dry sense of humour. An intellectual and prone to being a little aloof, Greig was generally recognised and respected as a hardworking and dedicated detective, but remained peripheral to the CID "family". There was a sense that he preferred to keep even those colleagues with whom he was on good terms at arm's length. He certainly had little time for the frivolous, the self-serving and the outright rule breakers – that went for both fellow officers and criminals. Greig was put in charge of implementing the Met's anti-burglary initiative, Bumblebee, at Sun Hill, leading a team which included Dave Quinnan and Suzi Croft. Unlike most of CID, Greig offered Suzi thoughtful guidance, particularly through the early part of her career and there were occasional hints that Alistair was quite protective of Croft. Despite appearances, Greig was ambitious and it rankled that he was passed over for DI on more than one occasion. He considered a move away from Sun Hill after DCI Meadows chose Deakin to replace Sally Johnson. However, Meadows dissuaded him from doing so, giving his assurance that Greig was a valued officer and was next in line. In hindsight, perhaps Greig should have followed his initial instincts. Like Jim Carver, he found himself a victim of the controversial tenure policy in place at the time. He appealed but was unsuccessful. A plea by Meadows to Brownlow also failed. Rather than take what he saw as a pointless, and humiliating option to go back into uniform, Greig transferred to another station.

WPC Vicky Hagen arrived at Sun Hill under a cloud, having been labelled a "grass" by a mate of PC Jarvis for reporting a colleague who had assaulted a prisoner. She transferred from a station in Essex because of the affair and was keen to get a fresh start at the station. It was there where she qualified as an area car driver. She was tough, straightforward and took no nonsense. Vicky made it very clear that being Sun Hill's first female area car driver did not overawe her. Sex was simply not an issue – she'd work and fit in equally happily with men or women. Since she was attractive, feminine and above all funny – and quite able to drink the boys under the table – she eventually fitted in despite earlier reservations, although her abrasive approach occasionally alienated colleagues. Vicky could often make strong judgements on other people though, particularly women – not because she felt threatened – but because she wanted them to behave like she did. A thinly disguised man-eater, Hagen fell for the dubious charms of Eddie Santini before moving on to Matt Boyden. When it became clear that Boyden put his troubled daughter before her, Hagen finally demonstrated signs of vulnerability. On the rebound, she picked up a guy for a one-night stand, only for him to commit suicide in the bath. This was the final straw for Vicky, who decided in the circumstances to leave the Met and request a transfer to one of the county forces.

DI Harry Haines was forcibly transferred to Sun Hill from the Drugs Squad after Burnside's abrupt departure. Built like a prop forward, as befitted a former member of the Divisional rugby team, his easy manner and ironic sense of humour could not disguise the fact that he was a cunning operator and as hard as iron. The move back to divisional CID angered Haines, and the team knew that it wouldn't be long before he tried to get back on the Squad. Indeed, after just three months, interference from Meadows over the discovery of an LSD factory made him choose to leave Sun Hill and return there. He was later seconded to the station in January 1995 to help Meadows track down a consignment of lethal heroin.

PC Lewis Hardy started at Sun Hill with fellow PC Emma Keane, who had a privileged upbringing. Lewis was a working class black lad who had spent most of his teenage life on the streets with a small gang in Hackney. Lewis was arrested numerous times, finally, for a drug offence of which he was innocent. He was taken under the wing of one of the officers who supported and inspired him to join the Metropolitan Police Force. Lewis was smart with sharp wit who was encouraged by his teachers to go to University. After realising the amount of debt he would get into, he decided to apply to Hendon with the support of the officer from his local station. Lewis may not have always seen eye to eye with some of the older members of the relief, but his personality always shone through. It was difficult to hold a grudge against him. He left Sun Hill after a harrowing but successful undercover operation infiltrating the Sken Man Massive gang of which his cousin, Dominic was a member. Whilst in hospital after being shot he was offered a transfer to Operation Trident which he quickly snapped up.

PC Sam Harker served at Sun Hill for five years. A no-nonsense officer, he transferred to Sun Hill from Heathrow police because he wanted to broaden his experience with a spell at an East End nick. Harker relished his job. He always knew what he would do with his life, coming from a long line of policemen – his father was a police officer in Liverpool, as was his elder brother. As far as he was concerned, it beat working for a living! He was easy going, with a naturally friendly manner and a ready smile and was not easily fazed. Members of the public found him thoughtful and straightforward in his dealings, and locally he became a popular and respected uniform beat bobby. He also had the sense to leave the troubles of policing at work with his uniform at the end of the shift, and found it easy to relax with his mates and a beer. Tragically, Sam died in hospital after being critically injured in an explosion at Sun Hill after race riots got out of hand. He was the officer who witnessed Des Taviner throwing the petrol bomb that caused the fire, however he died before he could tell anyone.

PC Honey Harman was born and raised in Ilford, Essex. She always excelled in sport at school but did rather poorly in academic studies. As a young adult, she worked as a fitness instructor and personal trainer. She eventually became bored with working in gyms and decided that she wanted to help people and also to work in a physically demanding job, so she joined the police. Honey was kind-hearted and always wanted to see the best in people; she also believed strongly in first impressions. Although she may not have been the most academically gifted officer the station has seen, her instinct and physical ability never let her down. A vegetarian who declared her body to be a temple, Honey was physically fearless and never doubted her own abilities. She was willing to put herself in dangerous situations because she knew that she was capable of, at least physically, dealing with anything. Her judo skills came in more than handy when she got herself into sticky situations whilst chasing suspects. Paperwork was another story – she hated it with a passion and would do anything to avoid the mounting pile on her desk. Having no awareness of her own attractiveness, Honey was perhaps initially unintentionally inappropriate with some of the men on the relief. Her love life was never plain sailing; Honey split from her footballer fiancé Fletch after she discovered he was cheating on her. In April 2005, she married Scott Burnett, who unknown to her, had murdered his wife Karen, whose case was under investigation. Scott took Honey to an isolated seaside cottage in Kent. In conversation, it slips out that he killed his wife. He removes the battery from his phone so the police can't track him down but Honey secretly puts it back in. Discovering this, he realised that she betrayed him and the police would be there soon. He stormed out and disappeared beneath the waves. Honey rushed after him and managed to resuscitate him but he was facing a life in jail without the woman he loved—he wished she had not bothered. Scott later hanged himself in prison. Following her kidnapping by a Colombian drugs gang, Honey attempted to arrest drugs dealer Kristen Shaw, 'for kidnapping a police officer and accessory to murder'. In the ensuing struggle, a gun was accidentally let off, fatally wounding Honey. After Honey died, a shocked Kristen said to her bent policeman boyfriend, Zain Nadir, "I...I didn't mean to – she's dead, and it's all my fault, but she was trying to take you away from me..."

PC Donna Harris was one of the most pleasant, straightforward young women to have worked at Sun Hill. Born in Yorkshire, she left her family and friends and came to London to join the Met when she was twenty-one. She wanted to do a worthwhile job. She also wanted to make a clean break from sad memories; her husband had been killed in a car crash there. She married again six years later, this time to a man many years older with a daughter from his first marriage. It was the security she wanted, and in the next year she transferred to Sun Hill to become Collator, hoping the regular hours would mean she'd have more time with her family. It did, and the family grew: she gave birth to their son, now a toddler. Because she had a happy home life and knew she was efficient at her job, Donna didn't have to take flak from her male colleagues. Any 'Be a good girl and...' routines earned quick put-downs. In 1994, she became the analyst for the burglary initiative, Bumblebee. She started it up at Sun Hill, and the work entailed her visiting other police stations. Donna left Sun Hill in 1996, her job as collator becoming redundant with the rise of computerised policing.

CSE Lorna Hart joined Sun Hill as a crime scene examiner in May 2007. She began a close relationship with DS Stuart Turner and worked on the case of murdered model Cindy Statham. After her photographer, Rachel Inns, kidnapped and held DC Jo Masters for discovering she was the murderer, she threatened to shoot her, CO19 stormed the factory and Jo talked her out of it. After the ordeal, Lorna decided to leave Sun Hill in November 2007, and she was subsequently replaced by CSE Eddie Olosunje.

PC Malcolm Haynes was the second of the first Black police officers to serve at Sun Hill, following the Met's big drive to recruit officers from ethnic minorities in the early eighties. He was born and raised in the Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove area of West London and had pounded the beats in some of the more volatile of the Met's Divisions, including a posting at Brixton during the Summer of '81. Haynes was street-smart and energetic; this combined with his enthusiastic nature made him a highly-effective officer. He also had a dark sense of humour. Frazer told Haynes that he had the potential to go for sergeant but he wondered whether it would simply be an empty gesture as part of the Met's black recruitment drive. He was shocked by the death of his erstwhile partner, Pete Ramsey, and decided to leave Sun Hill shortly after this.

PC Ben Hayward, was fast thinking, well educated and confident – sometimes too confident. One of life's easy achievers, he gained a cluster of GCSEs at school, and scored top grades in four 'A' Levels without really trying. University places were offered, but Ben took a gap year – which turned into two – and immersed himself in a zesty lifestyle of music and clubbing. Ben was unusual at Sun Hill in having a liberal, middle-class background. He breezed through training at Hendon, excelling in academic and behavioural studies – but he was also put on Section 15 for attitude. Undoubtedly bright, his downside was that he showed little interest in the more mundane aspects of police work – and this was sometimes perceived as laziness. Whilst he was certainly intelligent, Ben could sometimes display an amazing lack of common sense. Always ready to argue a point, he often had frequent run-ins on insubordination and discipline. He had a zero tolerance attitude towards drugs of any kind, following his sister's death from taking ecstasy. Some viewed his anti-drugs opinions as 'obsessive' and his colleagues sometimes became annoyed with Ben's general 'boy-scout' approach to policing, but any comments were tinged with affection. Tragically, Ben was one of the casualties of the Sun Hill fire when race riots got out of hand.

Superintendent John Heaton arrived at Sun Hill in June 2006, having previously been a Detective Chief Inspector. He is very much a 'hands-on' officer, leading several raids. From his arrival, it is revealed that he is married to Rhiannon Heaton, and that they have an adopted child, Charlie. In 2006, Heaton he had an affair with DAC Georgia Hobbs, but ended the relationship when he found out that DAC Hobbs had pushed to get Sun Hill closed as she had promised the land to a developer. After taping a conversation where she admitted her role to Heaton, he turned both her and the evidence over to the Directorate of Professional Standards. Heaton also had an affair with Mickey Webb's girlfriend Mia Perry during this time. In 2007, John's old enemy and former colleague in the police, Ray Moore, a gangster and club owner, arrives in Sun Hill from Manchester. Knowing how ruthless Moore can be, Heaton sends Rhiannon and Charlie to Bristol for safety. In 2009, John reaches the toughest point of his career when he discovers that a man he sent down for murder 20 years ago was innocent, and that he let a serial killer go undetected. While Sun Hill's finest struggle to keep faith in the boss that they thought was invincible, John must rebuild his confidence – and his reputation. He is determined to right the wrongs, win back the respect of his colleagues and ensure that justice is finally served. John Heaton was DC Grace Dasari's DCI at her previous job, and knew PC Diane Noble previously, through her ex-husband. In July 2009, Heaton announced that he was leaving Sun Hill to join a people trafficking unit. When Heaton left, he took Inspector Weston, DS Turner and DC Walker with him to his new station. As a result, DCI Meadows was promoted to Superintendent, Sergeant Smith to Inspector, DC Moss to DS, and Trainee DC Fletcher to a fully fledged DC.

PC Yvonne Hemmingway serves at Sun Hill for three years. Yvonne is a skilled area car driver and serves as Acting Sergeant twice; once while June Ackland is on her honeymoon and the other time when Sergeant Dale Smith is wrongly imprisoned for murder. Yvonne's career almost comes to an end when she faces criminal charges due to the death of a young man she was trying to arrest after she struck him with her ASP. An inquiry is held, and she is acquitted of all charges when it is ruled she acted in self-defence. Yvonne was also connected to Shirley Moss, in lots of bad ways but lots of good as well. Yvonne risks contracting HIV from delivering Shirley's baby after rescuing Shirley from a suicide attempt. Yvonne later leaves Sun Hill to become a Sergeant at another station working with young offenders.[1]

DC Scott Henderson is DCI Burnside's right-hand man on his investigation team at crime OCCU, who first appears shortly after Burnside's return in 1998. Henderson did not appear in any of the non-Burnside episodes, and only made five appearances in the show over the period of five months from December 1998 to April 1999. Despite Burnside appearing in the show until early 2000, Henderson was not seen again.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Matt Hinckley was a semi-regular character featured in the show between 2006 and 2007, played by Mark Dexter. The character first appeared in "The Green Eyed Monster" (Episode #410) and made his last appearance in "Day of Reckoning".

Hinckley is introduced as the long-term boyfriend and fiancée of PC Emma Keane, as well as the station's new regular duty solicitor, in "The Green Eyed Monster" (Episode 410). Emma informs her colleagues that she and Matt have been dating for two years prior to his appointment at Sun Hill. Shortly after accepting his new post, Emma breaks off their relationship after she drunkenly snogs Will Fletcher. Unaware of her betrayal, Matt tries to make it up to her and presents her with a bouquet of flowers. However, Matt catches Emma giving Lewis Hardy a peck on the cheek and suspects that they have been having an affair. When Matt confronts Lewis, Will steps in and claims that it was him whom Emma kissed, unaware that Matt wasn't aware of the incident between them. Matt attempts to punch Will but misses, but Will retaliates with a punch in the face. Matt subsequently brings charges against Will for assault, but subsequently drops them after believing that Emma will get back together with him.

Some months later, he and Emma have reconciled their relationship and have agreed to marry. However, the night before the wedding, Emma opens up to Matt, and tells him that she had another brief affair with Will during their engagement. Matt gets his friends to beat up Will, but the next day, Will gives Matt a second well-deserved punch. When questioned, the pair both agree to drop the charges made against each other. Matt later attempts to murder Emma, after she threatens to leave him, when she discovers that his ex-girlfriend is alive, after he told her she was dead. Emma turns to alcohol and begins drinking. After a short fight, she hits him over the head with the bottle. Emma is arrested but later she is proved innocent and Matt is arrested for the attempted murder of his wife. Matt is subsequently sentenced after made his last appearance in "Day of Reckoning".

DAC Georgia Hobbs was at the height of her career. She had worked her way up through the ranks, and now, was attempting to turn her old dumping ground, Sun Hill, into the best police station for miles. However, she found herself with a mountain of problems after an old friend, Brian Stevens, a property developer, tries to blackmail her when she falsified the figures for her penthouse apartment, and he blackmails her into rigging a vote to close Sun Hill, and when she has an affair with Heaton, he discovers this conspiracy, he meets with her, tapes their conversation and sells her out to the DPS, telling a suspicious June Ackland "When it comes to Sun Hill, there's nothing I won't do."

PC Reg Hollis is officially introduced at Sun Hill in October 1984, and is gradually perceived as a loner: the comical oddball of the relief who spends most of his time carrying out light duties such as serving as the station's collator and Federation representative. Reg, however, tires of being behind a desk and requests to be assigned on foot patrols. He proves to be a capable officer: on one of his early outings from the station he charges into a hostage situation and disarms a potentially dangerous gunman.[2] Reg reveals he was repeatedly bullied and taunted at schools by pupils and teachers, culminating in his throwing a chair at a teacher. He was consequently placed in a 'sin bin'.[3] An unlikely friendship-buddy pairing with Des Taviner changes him, and gives him more social confidence.[2] Upon Des's arrival at Sun Hill, Des and Reg are paired up in the area car, which sees the beginning of a friendship that provides some of the character's most memorable moments. It is truly a turning point when Reg, who was always so uptight, accompanies Des when he skips work to take a trip in the area car across the UK, attempting to convince Reg to propose to his Asian girlfriend. Des is well known for referring to Reg as "Reggie babe" in his Scouse accent, being the only person to call him this. After it is discovered Des is responsible for The Sun Hill Fire (2002), which killed many of the officers, he goes on the run for a short while, and at one point he contacts Reg to apologise for everything. Reg responds by telling him he is a coward, and saying it is the families of those he killed he should apologise to. Minutes later, armed police have Des surrounded, and Reg arrests him. Later on that afternoon, Des is beaten to death in his cell by a manic depressive, ending his relationship with Reg on bad terms. Shortly after Des's death, Reg receives a video tape Des made immediately prior to going on the run. It's Des's last attempt to apologise to Reg for dragging him into the mess. Reg, as he finishes his drink, forgives Des's memory. In 2003, Reg began a relationship with Marilyn Chambers, Sun Hill's front desk officer at the time. After dating for a few months, Reg plans to propose to her at the railway station he had taken her to on their first date, where Reg discovered she was actually interested in his hobby of trainspotting. While Reg is waiting at the railway station for Marilyn to arrive she is killed in The Sun Hill Fire (2005).[2] Reg is deeply upset by her death, and he finds her replacement very hard to swallow while he is grieving. Reg's position was later threatened by Superintendent John Heaton. Tony Stamp urges him to change his approach to policing. Reg, however, refuses to compromise on his principles and says, "if Superintendent Heaton's idea of running an efficient nick is to get rid of anyone over 30, I'm not sure I want to work for him". Heaton started to realise how much respect and loyalty Reg receives from his colleagues. Following June Ackland's departure, Reg considers tendering his resignation; however, Tony is able to convince him not to. Reg resigned from the force following Emma Keane's death in the terrorist bombs in Sun Hill in May 2008.

DC Kerry Holmes, originally from Yorkshire, arrived at Sun Hill a fully-fledged DC, looking to investigate crime on her own, no longer under someone else's supervision. She was bright, intelligent, and highly motivated – making her an effective detective, particularly as she didn't take no for an answer. Many of the younger male CID officers thought that she was a bit of a swot, earning her the nickname of 'Sherlock', but she was too confident to ever really let the jibes get to her and wasn't slow in coming up with a quick riposte. Kerry also possessed a mischievous streak, asking questions of her senior officers that others wouldn't dare to and then playing the innocent. Rawton was someone who Kerry felt she could go to for information about Sun Hill and the two usually got on fine. But she could also annoy Rawton at times by choosing to ignore her advice on investigation matters and handling colleagues. Where Rawton never allowed her gender to be an issue, Kerry occasionally played the coquette, using her good looks and pleasant manner to charm men in and out of the department; on occasion, this led to friction between the two. She was however a breath of fresh air to the stuffy and very male Sun Hill CID. After the suspension of Sun Hill's CID following Don Beech's corruption, Kerry decided to leave the station, infuriated by CIB's investigation into her conduct.

WPC Michelle Hughes first arrived at the station in 1993 as a probationer, but served at Sun Hill for over three years. She appeared credited in 22 episodes over the course of three years, but was a non-prominent character despite having speaking roles in all of the episodes in which she appeared. Notably, her first name was never credited, despite being mentioned by both Sgt.'s Boyden and Steele. and she was credited as WPC Hughes in all of her appearances.

DS Phil Hunter arrived at Sun Hill in July 2002, shortly after the events of the Sun Hill Fire. He then embarked on an affair with DS Debbie McAllister, and became a father to Madison and Alfie, both by different mothers. When Phil's wife, Cindy, found out about his antics, and his secret children, she forced him into paying for IVF treatment so they could have a baby. They were not successful. Phil later developed a rivalry with DS Stuart Turner, both for results at work and for Sam Nixon's affections. During his time at Sun Hill, Phil travelled to Romania with fellow DS Sam Nixon, where they began a secret relationship, sleeping together in a backstreet B&B and getting shot at in a drive-by shooting. He also clashed with his younger brother, PC Steve Hunter, who was posted at Sun Hill. Phil left Sun Hill in October 2007.

PC Steve Hunter arrives at Sun Hill Police Station as a probationer, much to the disdain of his brother DS Phil Hunter, who is mortified at the thought of his eager younger sibling being around the place all of the time. In fact, any chance he gets, Phil tries to get Steve transferred out of the station. Steve is naïve and likeable, yet slightly awkward and a dreamer. He clearly idolises his brother, but when he realises that he can't meet Phil's high expectations of him, he decides to transfer to Derby. During his time at Sun Hill, he becomes enravelled in PC Gabriel Kent's crimes, after he suspects him of killing the Sun Hill sniper.

CSP Rachel Inns arrives at Sun Hill in June 2007, and on her first day, is tasked with working on the murder of supermodel Cindy Statham, who she went to school with. During her time, she befriends crime scene examiner Lorna Hart, in an attempt to disguise her real intentions. It is later discovered by DC Jo Masters that Rachel killed Cindy because she was the one who encouraged Cindy to become a model but was never acknowledged for it. Before Masters can arrest her, Inns kidnaps Masters and attempts to kill her, but is arrested by CO19 before she can succeed. Rachel departed Sun Hill in August 2007, and Lorna Hart decides to leave soon after the events, believing that she took her eye off the ball.

PC Mike Jarvis arrived at Sun Hill from Barton Street in February 1993, after four years in the force, to find his new colleagues were wary. They were waiting to see how close to Inspector Cato, also from Barton Street, he turned out to be. They didn't have to wait long. Jarvis put as much distance between himself and his unpopular boss as he could. It became clear that he did not approve of some of the older man's methods. It also became clear, as the months went by, that he was unimpressed by some of his colleagues, too. He found Loxton's approach sometimes unprofessional; he seemed not to trust Matthew Boyden; but he got on well with Dave Quinnan and George Garfield. He looked down, in both senses of the words, on some of the women. But there may have been a spark of something for Polly Page although she didn't know it. Jarvis could be bad-tempered, but he was a valuable member of the team – he was used to fitting in quickly. He did this through a consciously positive outlook on life, which could be undermined by exasperation and flashes of temper. Despite this, he had a well-meaning, good-natured attitude to the job, which could make him seem rather earnest. Popular with his colleagues, he was sometimes irritated that they weren't as straight as he was. A trained Area car driver, Jarvis developed into a reliable and conscientious officer during his time at the station. And good in the police rugby team, too. And long legs could be useful when the only way on to one tower-block balcony is from another tower-block balcony. With Jarvis it was 'Just step this way'. Jarvis went on attachment to the Diplomatic Protection Group for several weeks in 1998, before transferring there permanently later that year. He clashed immediately with new PC Vicky Hagen upon his departure, as she had 'blown the whistle' on a friend of his who had assaulted a prisoner at their station in Essex. When it was revealed that the prisoner was a 14-year-old boy, Jarvis changed his stance and parted on good terms with his colleague.

PC Amber Johannsen was feisty - but she was neither gutsy nor focused. She was born into a lower-class family but had her sights on the high life; she was looking for a provider. In the meantime, being a police officer offered a stable income, good holidays and – best of all – an opportunity to take advantage of her role in society – oh; and there was a great uniform too. She decided to join the police after briefly dating a police officer. Amber's roots were very modest; her father was a taxi driver and her mum a beauty therapist. Beneath the happy smile, Amber was manipulative and self-obsessed. She liked to get what she wanted and didn't care who she hurt in the process. In many ways, the designer labels she wore showed her determination to get a better life for herself – and get as far as possible from her working-class background. Until she achieved her goal in society, Amber amused herself by toying with the likes of Steve Hunter. The two things that excited her most were shopping and sex and she was practically addicted to both. She was beautiful and knew it, taking every opportunity to flirt and break hearts – with both men and women. Amber wanted the finer things in life and everyone at the station knew that as soon as she found a man to fund it, she'd ditch her uniform quicker than she could manage to read a criminal their rights. This attitude certainly didn't endear her to her colleagues, some of whom made no secret of their dislike for her. Inspector Gold eventually tired of her questionable commitment to the job and prompted her resignation from the force.

DI Sally Johnson believed she was God's gift to policing, and she may have turned out to be just that if her interpretation of means-to-an-end had tallied with the Met's. You could never have accused her of lacking in self-belief. Having risen through the ranks at an alarming pace to become a DS at Stafford Row, she was ready to tackle whatever another promotion and Sun Hill could throw at her by way of racist, sexist remarks. If she couldn't deal with it, she wouldn't have got where she was. Johnson had always been aware that her colour and education were an advantage within the force, and that they had led to her promotion in the climate of positive discrimination rather than on her real ability to do the job. This didn't mean that she was incompetent, but like a lot of the fast track promotions, she lacked a lot of basic ground experience. She put in the hours and got her hands dirty, but always found it difficult to accept that she was in charge now, and not one of the lads. And if there was an inner core of loneliness beneath the ambitious exterior, she took care to keep it hidden. Johnson grew up in London, and it was soon clear to her West Indian family that she had brains. They were somewhat surprised when after university she chose to use them in the police force, but she rose through the ranks very quickly and loved going to work, loved being in control of others and, above all, loved catching thieves. Johnson charged along the corridors with her subordinates trying to keep up. Her easy manner won her friends and took the starch out of some of the senior officers. But on occasions her know-it-all air could be irritating. The word 'delegate' was not in her vocabulary – she enjoyed the work on the streets and in the interview room too much for that. She may not have shown great wisdom in the detectives she had chosen to favour – making Pearce her pet at the start was perhaps a mistake, and she'd been clumsy in her treatment of Ackland, whose years of experience she undervalued. Johnson's unshakeable faith in her own abilities irritated a number of more experienced officers at the station and her confidence took a long overdue knock when she was subjected to a private prosecution for manslaughter following the raid of a crack dealer's house. Up till then she had been completely comfortable with her power. From then on she had moments of doubt. As her methods came under increasing scrutiny, it was clear that her days at Sun Hill were numbered – and when she was offered a desk job attachment monitoring overtime, she realised she had no choice but to take it. Johnson eventually left the Met. to become a private investigator. She returned to Sun Hill in 2003 to investigate claims of a fit up in the Simpson murder case.

DC Brandon Kane came from a small Asian Leicester family. He was not a practising Hindu and although his parents were, they were fairly liberal about his decision to leave his faith at home. Only his vegetarianism gave away any sign of a religious background. Brandon grew up in a happy atmosphere with his older sister Mira whom he adored, eventually following in her footsteps by training to be an accountant where he met his ex-wife, Tanya, with whom he had 2 children. When their marriage began to crumble, he took time to consider his options in life. After the divorce he decided to give up his job to go into the police service. It was not exactly a 'calling' for Brandon – it just seemed a natural step to take. Somewhat to his surprise he was good at the profession, and began to enjoy the lifestyle it brought him. Kane spent three years as a PC at another station, and had been noticed early on by the CID officers where he was based as a bright, meticulous officer, with the potential to be a very good detective. This coupled with a twinkle in the eye and a sense of humour as dry as the Sahara desert, made him a very popular. Brandon hated to be idle – he always wanted to be up and off doing something; and when he was forced to remain in one place he seemed restless. When he made mistakes in the station and out on a case they tended to stem from his impulsive nature that occasionally made him speak before thinking and act before determining the consequences. After a spell in Sun Hill's Community Safety Unit as a TDC, Brandon transferred to CID as a full-fledged DC following his completion of the trainee investigator course. Brandon was a very friendly man, however there were those who he did not get on with, particularly DS Debbie McAllister, whose guts he absolutely hated. This stemmed from when Tanya died, and Debbie pounced on Brandon as prime suspect in her tragic fall. Brandon almost came close to hitting Debbie and argued with her violently, telling her that "we both know you're hanging on in CID by your fingertips" and accused her of trying to score brownie points with DCI Jack Meadows. He told her she was disgusting and that she made him sick. However, Debbie fought back, saying as Tanya's ex-husband he had no rights and she had every right to gain access to Tanya. However, she knew she'd lost the battle. Brandon's final days at Sun Hill were spent in turmoil. After being taken hostage by PC Cathy Bradford he realised the people he wanted to protect most were his children. True to his genuine good nature, Brandon left the force to be with them.

PC Leela Kapoor had been in the Metropolitan Police for seven years before coming to Sun Hill. She may have been spiky and defensive, but she was also warm with a wicked sense of humour. She served her probation at Barton Street, and prior to joining Sun Hill, saw two of her colleagues assaulting a witness. Leela being Leela, at the forefront of justice and wanting to do the right thing, reported her peers. Life subsequently became rather difficult for her as she was seen as a grass, so she opted for a transfer to another nick. Leela was second generation British Hindu; at home she spoke Hindi but also had Punjabi and Urdu under her belt. Although Leela's home life was happy, she was exposed to the bigotry of society at an early age. Whilst she was fairly protected from racism by her family and circle of friends, her personal circumstances meant she experienced prejudice of a different kind, when her uncle, a high-profile businessman, was accused of embezzlement. Leela's family had to fight a long, public, legal battle to clear her uncle's and the family's name. The Police's handling of the case, and some officer's ignorance when dealing with her family, all contributed to Leela's decision to become a police officer. Leela was not for wearing her ethnicity on her forehead – she just got on with it and celebrated the fact that she was different. One thing she couldn't stand, however, was being used as a token ethnic officer in the PC initiatives being pedalled by management. Leela was never one to take the easy option, out to prove she could do whatever she put her mind to. She was uncompromising and had a strong moral code, but could at times be quite guarded. If you were fortunate enough or cared enough to get to know the real Leela, you found a warm, caring, and sensitive woman. However, Leela was a tough nut to crack and she had a tendency to withdraw into herself if she felt vulnerable. For this, people perceived her to be difficult and cold, unless they were prepared to dig a little deeper. Leela left Sun Hill after receiving an offer to transfer to the Foreign Office. Little did she know that the position had been orchestrated by Sgt. Stone, who had tired of Leela playing everything by the book in her position as station's Fed Rep, and wanted shot of her.

PC Debbie Keane joined Sun Hill from Hendon along with classmate Nick Slater but soon emerged as the more promising of the two. She had tried a number of different jobs, including Leisure Centre Assistant and Outward Bound Instructor, but until becoming a police officer, nothing had really satisfied her. Debbie was attractive, fit, vivacious and not a complainer. She met any challenge with vigour and enthusiasm. Not afraid to assert herself physically, she could also hold her own in a scrap. Debbie's cheery manner could be infectious and she was definitely somebody you'd want on your side. Her attitude marked her out as a natural leader, but needing to be tempered by experience. Confident and ambitious, Debbie was encouraged by her senior officers to try for her sergeant's exams – she'd certainly found her niche in the Met. She left Sun Hill after accepting a transfer to Stafford Row to become the new Sergeant!

PC Emma Keane was the last ever regular character to be killed off before the axe of the series.

From a middle-class background, she is the daughter of DCI Frank Keane from the Department of Professional Standards, but is determined to prove that she earned her position in the police force on merit rather than nepotism. Emma came across as smart and fun-loving. After graduating from University, Emma trained at Hendon for five weeks before being posted to Sun Hill, and completed her training there, recently graduating from her probationary period. After being involved in an incident where a fellow policeman was killed, Emma was convinced that Inspector Gina Gold was bullying her. She made a false complaint but it was not until they worked together on a rape case that she realised Gina was not really bullying her and withdrawed the complaint. Unfortunately, she goes to see the superintendent and he tells her his hands are tied on the matter but the complaint was later withdrawn. While dating CPS solicitor Matt Hinckley, Emma had a one-night stand with Will Fletcher, Emma later agreed to marry Matt out of guilt for cheating on him. However, the night before her wedding, she opened up to Matt and told him about the brief affair. Matt got his friends to beat up Will but during the course of the next day Will punched Matt and they agree not to press charges against each other. Emma and Matt get married and both go back at work after their honeymoon. Shortly after the wedding, Matt reveals that he wants to start a family with Emma fairly soon but she does not feel ready. Later, when Emma finds out that Matt lied to her about his ex-girlfriend being dead, she confronts him with evidence that she is still alive. The two have an argument and Matt attempts to strangle her. She hit him on the head with a Vodka bottle, which is just within reach. Matt later claimed that Emma tried to kill him but was arrested, following an investigation into the incident. After the incident, Emma grew closer to Will. Emma was killed when she attempted to evacuate a building she suspected was threatened by a terrorist attack. In the absence of her sergeant, Callum Stone, Emma was forced to attempt the evacuation alone, until a bomb went off with Emma inside. When Stone arrived, he attempted frantically to revive the PC, but to no avail. Stone is racked with guilt at Emma's death, and that he may have been able to do something about it, had he been where he should have. He later took his frustration out on Sergeant Smith, and the two sergeants are pulled apart by a furious Inspector Gold.

DCI Frank Keane was a semi-regular character introduced into the cast in 2006, played by Lorcan Cranitch.[4] Keane first appeared in the episode "Sequence of Events - Part 1" (04/01/2006), and made his final appearance in the episode "A Bad Call - Part 2" (22/03/2006).

Keane was a DCI working for the DPS. He is first introduced in the episode "Sequence of Events - Part 1" as an officer assigned to investigate an allegation of corruption against Jack Meadows. He is paired with Neil Manson, who at the time, was on a temporary transfer to MIT. Although initially suspicious of Meadows' activities, Keane admired Manson's faith in his old boss and allowed him to carry out a private investigation to prove his innocence.

Keane is later re-introduced in the episode "Framed" (25/01/2006), as the officer investigating the murder of Louise Larson, wrongfully committed by Dale Smith. At this point, he is revealed to be the father of Emma Keane. Keane initially fails to believe Smithy's version of events and subsequently and wrongfully charges him with murder. He also throws Zain Nadir off the case after he tries to interfere with a witness in order to secure Smithy's release. When Meadows obtains evidence to prove that Carl Caplan was paid off as a false witness, he asks Keane to assist with the case to keep MIT off his back.

Keane makes his final appearance in the episode "A Bad Call - Part 2", where he is called in by Adam Okaro to investigate the cause of the nightclub disaster which left Roger Valentine with serious injuries. Keane initially blames Leela Kapoor's lack of supervision for the incident, but is later convinced by his daughter that she was fully capable of handling the situation on her own. Keane concludes that there was no fault from any of the officers involved, and coupled with his new taste for detective work after assisting Meadows with the Caplan investigation, Keane decides to make a transfer back to divisional CID.

Sergeant Jane Kendall served as Chief Inspector Conway's right-hand lady in the Community Liaison Office. Born into an RAF family, Jane joined the police force at 17 and had been a sergeant for four years when she transferred to Sun Hill. She was a tirelessly committed officer and completely dedicated to her job. She saw her policing role as essentially one of serving the community rather than catching crooks. Caring and compassionate, her generous heart was easily touched by a hard-luck story, which sometimes led to other officers accusing her of being too soft on criminals. But her instinctive perception and sympathy meant she could communicate easily with people from all walks of life. An active sportswoman, she was not afraid to be disliked and pull rank in order to get the best performance from those around her. Conway came to rely on her intuition and the two shared a good working relationship, based on mutual respect. After a nine-month stint in the CLO, she left later that year.

Area Commander Lisa Kennedy joined Sun Hill in early 2010, becoming the first on-screen Commander since Adam Okaro left in 2006. She had replaced Okaro some time before the summer of 2009 when Jack Meadows was promoted to Superintendent, as she told Meadows at one point that she did not approve his application for promotion, despite him succeeding in his bid. She was first brought in to investigate a claim of police brutality against Sergeant Callum Stone, who was seen on video assaulting someone whilst trying to give medical aid to a bleeding female during a disturbance outside a nightclub. She offered Superintendent Jack Meadows any procedural support during the investigation into Sergeant Stone's actions. When Stone was suspended, morale in uniform dropped dramatically as they believed Sergeant Stone was "shafted". Kennedy provided support when Nate Roberts and Ben Gayle were shot at on patrol, but came down hard on Meadows for not sending the pair home in the aftermath, as Roberts lashed out at Inspector Dale Smith for his handling of a suspect's arrest. Kennedy was also on hand to assist Meadows in dealing with the press after the shooting murder of a teenager, before dealing with procedures to end Stone's suspension. Kennedy's final act at Sun Hill saw her spearhead crowd control with Meadows for a football derby, however accusations of kettling were publicly made by media, and things were only made worse by the death of a fan. When it was revealed that her son Mark was involved in covering up for his friends, the prime suspects, he was arrested and charged with perverting the course of justice. In the light of the scandal, Kennedy left Sun Hill after informing media of the situation.

PC Gabriel Kent (legal name David Stuart Kent) was one of the most coldest and deranged police officers ever to work at Sun Hill. On the outside, David appeared to be a respectable police officer, but he was just as quick to exploit trust as he was to gain it. Before joining the Metropolitan Police, Gabriel spent sixteen years in the Royal Navy. He was not highly regarded by other sailors and was thought of as a bully with a short temper. He later joined the Met to get revenge on Sgt June Ackland for one reason and one reason only; June had given birth to a boy and put the baby up for adoption. Gabriel's parents adopted June's son and gave him all the praise, making their own son extremely bitter and jealous. Gabriel arrived at Sun Hill under his brother's ID to seek revenge on June, but the mode of his insanity grew and grew as he demolished people and his colleagues when he committed crimes of fraud, perjury, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, rape, murder and conspiracy to murder. Throughout his time at Sun Hill, Gabriel evolved from a bullying bigot into a serial killer.

Gabriel first appeared as a stranger who frightened away a mugger from off-duty Sergeant June Ackland before he joined Sun Hill. When he arrived at Sun Hill, he brought a mature aged attitude to the force; he was keen to do good and enforce the law. In the beginning he worked mostly by the book, but soon the power went to his head. His first victim was PC Ruby Buxton who resigned from the force when Kent bullied her into lying on the stand at a court appearance. Inspector Gina Gold was immediately aware of his actions and kept a watchful eye over him after the incident. So greatly annoyed at his superior was Kent that he turned to blackmail when he discovered that she had been caught over the legal alcohol limit and used this to force her hand. After enacting actions of a mental proportion he turned to the physical side of things when involved in the marriage of DC Jim Carver to Marie Graham. Called out to a disturbance at their home, Gabriel took control of the situation by hitting Jim over the head with a vodka bottle. Both Jim and Marie subsequently ended up in hospital with confusion reigning on what had actually occurred. However, Marie reported seeing Gabriel hit Jim with the bottle. But the clever Gabriel was able to clear his name of her allegation, although Gina was not at all convinced by his side of the story. Gabriel then moved on to June by playing on her insecurities and then seducing her. The two began a relationship, which they kept to themselves. However, Gina had done some digging into Gabriel's background and discovered his birth certificate, showing that his birth name was Robert Ackland – the son June had given up for adoption, but DC Carver later found the birth certificate and showed it to June. Shocked and betrayed that she had committed incest, June confronted Gabriel and he admitted that he was her son. However, he then repented and revealed to June that her real son was in fact his adoptive brother after she told him that his son's birth had been the result of a rape when June was only a teenager and that their relationship was all part of his revenge plan. Shocked and furious, June threatened to tell the whole relief the truth, but Kent convinced her to remain quiet by giving her the chance to meet her real son. PC Kent's secret was again kept behind closed doors.

For sometime, Gabriel had been obsessed with his colleague PC Kerry Young. When Kerry slept with Sergeant Dale Smith, who was secretly in love with her, after a heavy drinking session, Gabriel twisted the situation out of his hatred for the Sergeant by cruelly tricking Kerry into accusing Smithy of date-rape, persuading her to make an official allegation and then spread the news around the whole relief. Kerry, however, withdrew the accusation after realising that Smithy was incapable of rape. After the failure of the rape allegation against Smithy, Gabriel developed a sick interest in Kerry and tried to get close to her. He even kissed her while on duty, but Kerry pushed him away as she was seeing PC Cameron Tait at the time. Gabriel convinced himself that she was deliberately 'leading him on' and making him think that they could have had a relationship, and when Kerry agreed to marry Cameron, Gabriel wrongfully accused her of 'pushing him too far' and 'winding him up' and took out all his anger and jealousy on her by violently raping her. Shocked and traumatised by the vicious attack, Kerry confided in Cameron but Gabriel taunted that Kerry slept with him willingly and was just the girl who cried rape when she was unfaithful, for he knew that no one would believe her after her previous cry of rape. Kerry was distraught when Cameron didn't believe her and ended their relationship. Knowing she couldn't report him, Gabriel mentally taunted Kerry and played sick mind games with her, before later admitting to Cameron that he did indeed rape her. Cameron convinced Kerry to report the rape, but Gabriel bullied & blackmailed her for neglecting her duty during an armed robbery at a bank, and threatened to end her career if she reported the rape. He then played his last sick game with Kerry by deliberately goading Cameron into assaulting him in the station canteen. Cameron's career was put on the line after his attack on Gabriel and he left Sun Hill the next day and returned to Australia. Kerry went completely off the rails when she couldn't tell the truth, but she warned Gabriel that the battle was far from over and swore that she would find a way to destroy him like he destroyed her.

In the aftermath of Young's allegation against Smith being leaked to the press, Kent was assigned to the Cole Lane Estate as a community liaison. When it is revealed a resident is convicted peadophile, Roy Stafford, Kent tells people on the estate to spread the word. When Stafford refuses to leave, even after a near riot outside his house, Kent savagely assaults him. His actions are witnessed by estate resident Laura Bryant, but she alibis him instead of exposing his role, in exchange for him doing the same to a loan shark exploiting single mums on the estate. Happy by the results, Bryant teams up with Kent and a team of thugs to deal with all the problems on the estate. When Kent uses them to assault two teenage boys for assaulting and robbing an elderly lady, Bryant decides enough is enough. Bryant reveals all to DC Rob Thatcher, but a CID case sees DCI Jack Meadows tell Inspector Gold to take Kent off the estate for his own safety.

Kerry later tried to nail Kent for a series of rapes, but when she had one of the victims identify him, he revealed it was because she saw him in hospital. When the case fell apart, Inspector Gold vowed to see Kerry booted from the force. After going undercover with the Radford family to boost her reputation, Kerry ended up digging herself deeper, leading her back to Smithy. Kerry noticed Kent having harsh words with Ackland, and when Young learned from Smith that Kent is Ackland's 'son', she went to Ackland to try and gain evidence. During a dispute, Ackland lets slip that Kent isn't her son. Just as she goes to expose him, she is arrested for being framed by the Radfords for a robbery, as revenge for David Radford being arrested. During her suspension, Young's father has a stroke, but she vows to expose Kent and undercover journalist Andrea Dunbar if her dad pulls through. As she heads to the station, Kent positions himself on a building across from Sun Hill. As Young declares her love for Smithy, Kent shoots her twice, and she later dies in hospital. With Kerry out of the way and his identity safe, Kent's joy is quickly snapped when MIT DI Rowanne Morell tells him Young was three months pregnant with his unborn son as a result of his rape of her. Seizing the chance to cover the rape up, Kent lies that he was in a relationship with Young, claiming that is why Kerry was pregnant and why Cameron beat him up before leaving. After breaking down reading a eulogy at Young's funeral, Kent ends up in a fight with Smithy, where he cruelly announces to the relief that Kerry was pregnant. Smithy is left devastated until Dunbar tells him that Young was raped, and Smithy's suspicions are proved true when Young's father comes to see him; when he makes a point of saying Kerry called Smithy his knight in shining armour, Kent eavesdrops and tells the relief she said it about him. Realising Dunbar's allegations must be true, Smithy takes his suspicions to MIT, but it proves to be a fruitless endeavour.

Kent's murder of Young made him look like the prime suspect for three other sniper deaths before Young was killed, but when Kent is shot at escorting a prisoner back to the station, it is revealed Kent was supplying names to a former Navy colleague, Jason Hardy. Telling Hardy that he is only supposed to shoot the people Kent tells him, they agree to return to their original tact, but their plans are sidelined when Hardy is identified renting a van found abandoned near the site of the latest shooting. When Hardy's gun is found by Smithy, Kent rushes to Hardy; stating that if he shot Hardy no one would shed a tear, Kent goes to shoot him with a nearby pistol, but they end up in a struggle. A gunshot alerts the SO19 team to the scuffle, and PC Steve Hunter sees Hardy dangle over the balcony just after Kent lifts his legs over. Before SO19 can arrive, Kent drops Hardy five stories to his death, and the MIT enquiry officially clears Kent of murder. Morrell tells Superintendent Okaro that Kent either killed Hardy to avenge Young's death or in self defence, but neither could be proved.

When her editor tells her she is going to pulled from Sun Hill, Andrea Dunbar decides to expose Kent once and for all with the help of Smithy. She first approaches Laura Bryant, now a PCSO at Sun Hill, and discovers his crimes on the Cole Lane Estate. Dunbar and Smith are happy with the progress but want to nail him for the rape of Kerry. When her editor puts her in touch with a Naval reporter, she is told of a press photo of Kent that could nail him, but her plans come crashing down when her role as an undercover journalist is exposed. Smithy refuses to listen to her because of the nature of her deception., but when Andrea convinced him that they had evidence against Gabriel, Smithy agreed to let her collect it from her pigeonhole. The evidence that Andrea obtained was a newspaper article from Gabriel's days in the Navy and a photograph of him and Hardy, complete with his true identity. However, Gabriel catches her with the article and drags her hostage into a storage. When Andrea tells him he has nowhere left to run, he admits all his crimes, but his plan to come clean is disrupted by a van driving into the front office of Sun Hill. When the van explodes and sets the station alight, including the store room; Kent initially tries to rescue Dunbar but can't free her from a collapsed wall, so he leaves her to perish along with the evidence she gathered against him. Seizing his opportunity to turn the situation to his advantage, as he so often did, heroically dragging a trapped Smithy out of the burning station. Smithy tries to share Dunbar's suspicions with Inspector Gold whilst in hospital, but she discredits the claims given Dunbar's betrayal of Sun Hill.

After the fire, Gabriel appeared to be a changed man, keeping himself out of trouble and performing good police work. He became close to PC Sheelagh Murphy after they investigated a case of child abuse. After sharing a kiss with Murphy, he tries to hold off temptation by taking leave, and tries to warn her off by admitting to murdering Jason Hardy. When she accepts that he would kill the mother of his unborn child, they begin a relationship, although June also tries to warn Sheelagh off. When Smithy drunkenly tells Sheelagh that Gabriel raped Kerry, she questions him on the allegations, but he quickly dumps her and ends up in bed with a prostitute. Murphy's daughter goes on a ride-along with Kent and tells him to reconcile with Sheelagh, and Gabriel decides to propose, which Sheelagh accepts. On top of the world and marrying the woman he loves, Gabriel's joy came crashing down when his aoptive brother, the real Gabriel Kent, arrives at Sun Hill ahead of a 50th anniversary celebration. David harangues with his brother not expose his identity theft, but as the real Gabriel goes to tell someone, they are held hostage by a grieving father, along with half of CID. During the siege, Gabriel is shot and falls off the CID balcony. David steals his wallet and phone before his brother is taken to hospital. When Bryant tells Smithy that the mystery man identified himself as Gabriel Kent, Smithy immediately goes to Ackland, who identifies him whilst in a coma at St. Hugh's ICU. When Bryant lets slip to Murphy, she discovers her fiancee's lies, but Murphy finds herself tied up at home. When Bryant and PC Tony Stamp rescue Murphy, DS Samantha Nixon and Smithy arrange an arrest team. Whilst at hospital on another call, David tries to kill his brother after setting off the fire alarm. Steve Hunter finds Gabriel in cardiac arrest and alerts the crash team, who are successful in reviving Gabriel, unbeknownst to David. When he heads off to a disturbance in a tower block with Ackland, he spots the arrest team coming to get him. Dragging Ackland up to the roof, he confesses all as Smithy rushes to the rescue. Upon hearing Kent's crimes towards Kerry Young, Smithy charges in and the pair have a fight. Overpowering Smith, Kent is told by Ackland that he has nowhere left to run, so Kent climbs onto a scaffold pole and jumps off the roof to his death.

In the aftermath of his death, June reconciled with her son upon his recovery in hospital, while Sheelagh transferred to another post after feeling she couldn't carry on at Sun Hill. Smithy faced an enquiry in relation to Kent's death but it was ruled a suicide.

Inspector Brian Kite was an unpopular recruit to the Sun Hill ranks. He kept an eagle eye on his relief. He considered himself the modern face of policing: rule-bound, PACE-quoting, politically correct, making all the right moves. But really he was pedantic, officious and uncompassionate. No one was too upset when his stay at the station turned out to be for only a couple of months. During his time at Sun Hill he came under especially heavy criticism from DS Ted Roach.

PC Nick Klein had three or four years' experience in the job before transferring to Sun Hill from west London. He was already familiar with the area – partly because he's an East Ender himself, and partly because his off duty passion had led to him becoming fairly well established as a DJ at one of Sun Hill's local clubs. DJing was something he just about managed to fit in alongside his policing, mostly at weekends. Through his acquaintance with the club scene, Klein also met a girlfriend, who was the principal reason he asked for a transfer. Klein was a quick, likeable, clever officer – confident, versatile, naturally entrepreneurial, so he tended to play somewhat by his own rules. He had a good sense of humour, and a sharp East End wit – he was rarely stuck for a smart answer. In many ways Klein was simply a straight up East End lad, dealing in the odd bargain and happy on the odd Saturday afternoons when he could get to White Hart Lane with his mates. Klein was also essentially pragmatic – a relativist, who could usually see various sides to any argument. Alongside many of his colleagues he sometimes seemed to have a breezy, almost nonchalant attitude to his work. Perhaps this was because he'd done a fair amount before – e.g. travelling – and for him being a police officer was not a vocation or probably even a lifelong career. It was a different and challenging job for the time being: a chance to see things from the other side. Klein thought he had it all worked out in coming to Sun Hill – the girlfriend, the club, the DJing. He was rapidly involved in a tricky undercover operation to expose a racist officer at Barton Street however, as a result of which he lost his girlfriend and got a nasty scare when he was almost caught buying grass. He moved back into the Section House for a while and then went and stayed at home with his parents. Unfortunately Klein's little forays into buying grass morphed themselves into a nasty crack habit. Supt. Okaro allowed him into the rehab programme and gave him the chance to rejoin the officers at Sun Hill – but it proved to be a while before he won back the complete trust of his colleagues. In the end Nick hung up his uniform when he became a vital witness to a shooting; he went deep into Witness Protection until criminal Dennis Weaver could be brought to justice.

PC Kirsty Knight arrived at Sun Hill in February 2010, as Sun Hill's ambitious New Area Car Driver. She was hand-picked from a group of recruits by Sergeant Jo Masters. Kirsty arrived at a bad time, when the morale amongst her colleagues was low due to the suspension of Callum Stone. Kirsty attempted to defend Callum's suspension, but this only landed her in more trouble that she really needed. During her time at Sun Hill, she established herself as the kind PC amongst the relief, even taking care of a mother and son who were wrongly accused of theft.

Special Constable Terry Knowles was a double-glazing salesman in normal life. He served as a volunteer special constable for only three weeks. In his short time at Sun Hill, Terry became good friends with Des Taviner and fell out with Tony Stamp, who he famously called Moany Tony. His Sergeant, Craig Gilmore, was often rude towards him, claiming that he was only a special constable as he couldn't be bothered to do the work to be a proper police officer. While on duty, he stopped a woman for going through a red light, and she killed him after stabbing him in the neck with a steel comb when he was actually trying to get her phone number, so he could ask her on a date. After his death, according to local newspapers, he had split from his wife, Dani, with whom he had one son. He also had one sister and two nieces.

Sergeant Stuart Lamont was a sergeant on one of the non-prominent reliefs based at the station, typically seen as custody sergeant or CAD sergeant. Whilst he was only ever seen in the background, and was never a prominent character, he did help PC Reg Hollis solve a murder case in 1992. Lamont departed from Sun Hill in January 2001 in unknown circumstances.

SRO Marion Layland was the station's first reception officer, and was also a personal secretary to Chief Superintendent Brownlow whilst not on reception duty. She first arrives at Sun Hill in 1988, where she greets new PC Pete Ramsey into his first day on the job. Marion was a quiet sort of person, and was not known for being as active in the station as her successors, Robbie Cryer, Marilyn Chambers and Julian Tavell. But nonetheless, she put all her efforts into the job. Marion left Sun Hill in April 1999 due to family commitments.

DC Duncan Lennox comes to Sun Hill from Epsom prison and his motives for wanting a transfer to the East End are at first a mystery to his new colleagues in CID. A bulky Glaswegian with an ironic sense of humour, he quickly makes his presence felt, particularly with the women in the station, whom he treats with a combination of appreciative chivalry and old-fashioned sexism. Duncan manages to combine an air of profound laziness with sudden bursts of enthusiasm If he senses the chance of a good arrest, he pursues a case with dogged determination. There is nothing he enjoys more than arresting a villain, and he thoroughly annoys his victims by treating them with immense affability. Thirty-nine years old, with twenty-one years' service behind him, Duncan can be irritatingly smug about his experience of the job, an inveterate tease and, when roused, witheringly accurate in his put-downs, but his ready wit wins him friends and allies in the station. He is not as impulsive as some and often acts as the middle-man preferring to see both sides of an argument. The chink in his armour is his wife, Shona, who he treats with a healthy degree of respect and secretly adores, until she has an affair and leaves him. Shona is a highflying career woman, working for one of the larger financial institutions, and it is her salary rather than Duncan's that pays for their Docklands Riverside apartment. When Shona says jump, Duncan's only question is how high, a fact that his colleagues come to understand when they realise that it is her job that dictated the move to Sun Hill. Duncan is beginning a life on his own and slowly beginning to realise that he is up for standing on his own two feet. One step ahead of the game, Duncan decides to move onwards and upwards, becoming part of the Murder Investigation Team. One of his first assignments brings him back to Sun Hill to investigate the Sun Hill serial killer.

DC Alfred Lines, known simply as 'Tosh', was the heroic failure of Sun Hill. He was an instinctual officer, a decent man who understood human weakness because his home life was a happy, difficult, muddle-and-make-do existence. But no superintendent would ever dream of transferring him. He could smell a liar, and his clear-up rate was the best in CID. When Tosh arrived at Sun Hill in 1988 from a station in Essex he already had problems that weighed him down. He was in his late thirties, unlikely to be promoted because he never seemed to care that much about his career progress. He didn't look like a tough crime-buster. He stood at just 5 feet 7 inches tall, was a little on the chubby side – probably because he was always munching snacks on the job. And he was, frankly, scruffy. He seemed to have one suit, one shirt, which he wore Monday to Friday, one tatty old raincoat. It all matched his car, an ancient Volvo which kept breaking down. More to the point, he had a wife, Muriel, too large a mortgage, caused by too many children – three girls and two boys – for a constable's pay. He was however a good officer - and always had a ready smile that went right up into his eyes. He was second to none when it came to solving cases, which was why the likes of Burnside were happy to overlook his sartorial shortcomings and to protect him from any flak from above. He reacted strongly when accused of lacking ambition: he did care about his work – but he also cared deeply about his family. He was once offered the chance to go work in Northern Ireland. Burnside had put him up for it because he thought Tosh needed the money. Tosh turned it down – it would have put him at risk and then where would his family have been? At one stage, to ease his money problems, Tosh took in a student lodger, which was against Met. rules. The young man got into trouble. Sergeant Penny, Custody Officer at the time, discovered this and, rather than turn a blind eye to it, sent a report 'upstairs' as a result of which Tosh was carpeted. He survived, of course. He was far too good at sniffing out villains for a sniffy little man like Penny to put down. In the end, Tosh left Sun Hill in 1998, accepting a position in the Coroner's Office.

PC Dave Litten was ambitious, and from his arrival at Sun Hill, expressed his interest in joining CID, and took every opportunity to try and impress Roy Galloway. He was quite bigoted in his views and preferred a firm policing style rather than the 'social worker' approach of his colleagues. Litten's eagerness was often misplaced and when he attempted to score Brownie points by taking information on a series of armed robberies directly to Galloway, he was reprimanded by both the DI and Bob Cryer. Eventually a successful board led to him being temporarily seconded to CID, whereupon he began lording it over his old mates in Uniform. There was a vague spark of romantic interest between Litten and June Ackland, although it was never clear whether anything happened between them. Litten was eventually accepted on the trainee investigator course and later returned for Brownlow's clerk's retirement party in 1986.

PC Steve Loxton came to Sun Hill from his home in Manchester. He was full of himself, confident that he could do anything the job required. At that time – when there was a recruitment drive on – to have the guts and the gift of the gab was more than enough. Loxton had more – brains, ambition and a soldier's toughness. Many of his colleagues soon thought of him as loathsome Loxton. He seemed to have no patience with people on the streets. Whether they were villains or victims, he seemed to think they had brought their troubles on themselves; they were probably to blame. If they happened to be black, they were certainly to blame. Loxton joined the Army when he first left school. He liked the structure, the discipline, feeling he was part of a group – get apart from ordinary people, a group with special powers. But the Army was claustrophobic. He left at the end of his contract to join the police where he felt he'd have the status but also the independence. His wife preferred it, too, although Loxton didn't talk about her. He was so tightly buttoned up about his private life, neither Tony Stamp nor Dave Quinnan nor any of the others who spent hours with him dared to ask. Loxton was not mad on macho heroic acts. When a suicidal man jumped into a river, he thought carefully about jumping in after him. He'd done that before and nearly drowned himself. Persistent and practical, Loxton worked hard and got results; that was why even Andrew Monroe had time for him. He took pride in being an excellent Area Car driver. He took pride in wearing the uniform, which was always clean and neat. His aim was to become a firearms officer, but after taking the Lippett's Hill course he changed his mind. Did he discover that he didn't, after all, have the killer instinct or did he reason that with a gun he would be asking to be put in dangerous situations – and only mugs do that. Loxton performed an illegal search of an off-duty black police officer, after which he was seriously reprimanded. Disillusioned with the job and the limits of modern-day policing, he left the force, not before fitting up a bent solicitor. Returning for Dave Quinnan's wedding in 1999, he admitted that in hindsight it was the worst mistake of his life.

PC Abe Lyttleton came to Sun Hill in November 1985, being his third new posting in three and a half years. Senior officers attributed it to the difficulty of being a "minority within a minority" and indeed they were right – Lyttleton was Sun Hill's first black policeman and he had a lot of eyes on him. The relief were openly welcoming, but he was given a hard time by fellow newcomer Pete Muswell who believed the inclusion of ethnic minorities in the Met was a mistake, and promptly christened him 'Snowball'. Lyttleton rose above Muswell's repeated racist taunts and proved such a capable officer that he even won his tormentor's grudging respect. Lyttleton didn't last long at Sun Hill however, transferring only after a three-month stint. Abe suffered from vertigo, as revealed when he is forced to go onto a roof and arrest a man who is throwing tiles onto the street.

• Silver, Rachel (1999). The Bill: The Inside Story: Behind the Scenes of Britain's Top Police Drama. HarperCollins, London. ISBN 978-0-00-257137-1.
• The Bill Bios
• The Bill Official Site
• Tibballs, Geoff (2003). The Bill: The Complete Lowdown on 20 Years at Sun Hill. ABC Books, Sydney. ISBN 0-7333-1330-2.