Barlow's first day at Thamesford is rounded off with a telephone call that involves him in his first major investigation as head of C.I.D.
The officers of No 1 District Task Force are summoned to Thamesford HQ.
Routine enquiries into a series of minor break-ins become a major hunt for a dangerous criminal.
Career criminal Sid Stannish is in the frame for a series of minor break-ins, but would he really risk a further conviction for the sake of such minor hauls?
It's New Year's Eve, the last day of 1969. While Chief Constable Cullen desperately tries to get all four division chiefs of Thamesford Constabulary to bury their hatchets and make them get along with each other despite their animosity, a van load of tires worth several hundred pounds is stolen from the police compound. It's back to duty for the partying CID task force team. Their task - join efforts, catch the culprits and solve their last crime case in 1969.
Two young boys get into trouble at a football match. Barlow, Watt and the Task Force try to protect them from the consequences of their actions.
While on the lookout for an escaped prisoner, PC Snow gets involved in a strike at a local factory. As the strike becomes more aggressive, task force members move in and try to de-escalate. Soon DI Harry Hawkins finds trouble heading his way when he inadvertently steps on the toes of a contractor who doesn't appreciate that Hawkins insists to act in accordance with the law.
A worried barman asks John Watt why a detective constable is asking questions about him. Watt makes some alarming discoveries about the constable in question.
A case of domestic disturbance turns into murder, and Chief Superintendent Barlow thinks he has an open and shut case on his hands. But soon Charlie Barlow has to admit to himself that he has been wrong, and it tales all his and the CID team's skills to solve this puzzling case.
A whisper from the north of England leads the Task Force to Eastcote Docks. A domestic dispute takes them to the nearby caravan site at Bathgate. But what is the link between the two incidents?
Barlow is pursuing the hint of an armed robbery. Hawkins and Jackson are tackling another in a series of Thursday night thefts. But there is something different about this particular Friday.
Chief Constable Cullen sees the need to seek the assistance of the press.
While investigating the case of a missing Swedish au pair, WP/DC Betty Donald comes across some information about local criminal Christopher Connor who seems to be plotting a crime. As it turns out, Connor and three accomplices plan to rob a jeweler's store. But Superintendent Watt doesn't trust Betty Donald's informer and smells a rat.
Barlow and Watt are on the look-out for a reclusive individual to assist them with their inquiries into a diabolical crime.
A senator from the United States is about to visit Oldcote Parish Church, and it's a Task Force job to see that he is protected and nothing untoward is going to happen. It's a job that is not to be taken lightly because the senator has been receiving threats for quite some time. Someone seems to be out to kill him. Preparations are made and safety precautions are taken but ultimately Thamesford CID must accept the fact that there is no such thing as fool-proof security.
When Sergeant Jackson spots ex-convict Ingram, the task force suspect the recently released former prisoner is trying to located a loot of stolen bullion which had been hidden at an unknown location just before Ingram and his soon-to-be-released partner in crime Thompson were arrested. There's a lot of hard, dirty and arduous work to be done, but it's not the task force members who sweat over it.
Chief Superintendent Charlie Barlow is having himself a ball lecturing crime investigation officers how to proceed when investigating a murder case. But things soon turn nasty when the body of a teenage girl is found on the beach. Barlow and his team are forced to deal with the prime suspect, a window cleaner, and a grief-stricken father. Will Charlie Barlow be able to solve the case and show the inexperienced officers how the job is done?
While investigating a series of thefts Sergeant Evans steps on the toes of a shady landlord who allegedly employs some enforcers to collect rent due from his tenants. Evans gets into trouble with his superiors when he decides to take matters in his own capable hands and pays the landlord a visit for a friendly chat and a warning. Meanwhile, Superintendent John Watt has his own problems to deal with, having been assigned to substitute for Chief Constable Cullen as guest speaker at the Kingsley Rotary Club.
