The first episode of a controversial documentary about life behind the walls of Luton Police Station shows the inner workings of the Atif Ali shooting investigation, Luton News can reveal.
It was first announced in January that a Channel 4 crew would spend six weeks at the station filming 24 Hours in Police Custody, which will begin airing on Monday next week at 9pm.
The 20 part series follows officers as they respond to 999 calls and gives a behind the scenes look at detectives as they interview suspects at the station.
Channel 4 chose Luton as it is a “small town station that now faces big city problems”, according to the programme’s executive producer Simon Ford.
The first episode of the series, which Luton News has been able to view prior to its broadcast, opens with the arrest of Mahboob Baig, 31– who is detained at his home at Overstone Road, Luton, on April 4.
Detectives Gary Hales and Martin Hart question Mr Baig over the attempted murder of Atif Ali, who was shot on Leicester Road on May 20 2013.
Cameras follow DC Hales and DC Hart as they go away to confer with DS Chris Hutton over the interview with Mr Baig, as they ponder whether to charge the 31-year-old.
Footage of the interviews and officer discussions is interspersed with clips of the station’s front desk, where offenders are signed in before being placed in cells.
The episode concludes with officers remanding Mr Baig on a charge of conspiracy to murder– which he was later cleared of at Luton Crown Court on August 18.