Made in association with the West Yorkshire Police, this recruitment film transcends the policeman's career, illuminating specific benefits and duties that make law enforcement an interesting and varied vocational choice. Title - Challenge for a lifetime. The film opens with a rather sedate scene set on a residential street, with an officer sharing pleasantries with a local resident. Moments later, a car accident down the road is shown; a young child is run over as he chases a ball...

Made in association with the West Yorkshire Police, this recruitment film transcends the policeman's career, illuminating specific benefits and duties that make law enforcement an interesting and varied vocational choice. Title - Challenge for a lifetime. The film opens with a rather sedate scene set on a residential street, with an officer sharing pleasantries with a local resident. Moments later, a car accident down the road is shown; a young child is run over as he chases a ball into the street. The initial accident causes a truck to smash into another car, sending the car driver through the window, while the barrels from the truck spill their contents across the street. The voiceover remarks that so often these challenges occur and sweep aside the normal routine of the moment before. People gather around the injured child, and the driver says he didn't stand a chance, as "the kid just ran straight out". The officer brings the situation under control, ordering a neighbour to fetch a blanket for the child and calming the drivers down. He radios in to the emergency control centre, where an officer at a desk dispatches an ambulance and other police units to the scene. Squad cars and ambulances respond to the call, lighting up as they shoot out of the station. The mother arrives, clearly distressed, and the officer asks a friend to take her home. Shots show a police car screeching round a corner in the city centre. The officer tends to a man who was thrown through the windscreen, telling the man that an ambulance is on its way and that he should ease himself back inside the car, which he does. The driver of the lorry tells the officer that his cargo contains a dangerous substance known as 'Caustic soda', or Sodium hydroxide. The lorry driver then gives the officers some documents, before another police vehicle arrives on the scene. A female officer exits a car and places a blanket over the injured child. The police officer (who was first on the scene) talks to the driver of the car who hit the child. Suspicious of the driver's vague answers, the officer radios the cars registration over to central officer for a background check. A woman at the office runs the plates through the computer and confirms that the vehicle is indeed stolen. The man is placed under rest, and more officers arrive to remand the driver in custody. Shots capture the officers measuring skid marks and placing signs on the road to divert traffic away from the scene. The injured child is stretchered into the back of an ambulance. As the camera pans across scene, a senior officer stands on the pavement and gives a piece to camera about the tremendous responsibility of these police officers. He goes on to discuss the requisite skills needed to be an effective law enforcer, and these include physical fitness, common sense and intelligence. He also says that if an individual has all these qualities, the police forces are certainly interested in employing such an individual. A police coach is then shown driving past the camera filled with recruits, with the voiceover stating that these men and women are on their way to training school. The bus then stops outside a large building and the recruits disembark. There are then several scenes from the police training school. The first sequence shows a scenario playing out involving two individuals being arrested, and the cadets sit at their desk having to find out what mistakes were made. The second shows a lecture on offensive weapons, such as flick knives; the third is a self-defence class, where cadets are shown how to disarm a suspect by a female officer. Cadets then gather round a model of a road, pointing out various traffic violations. The voiceover says that theory plays a pivotal role in cadet training. A scenario shows two drivers having an argument, with the voiceovers stating that people skills are an essential quality. Realism is also of crucial important to the training according to the voiceover, and officers are shown present during at a mock court trial. An officer then tries to deal with a mock domestic disturbance, and his performance is recorded by a camera operated by a senior officer. The next sequence relates to physical fitness training. A group of mock protestor charge a line of constables, who lock arms in a defensive line to block their path, with the voiceover stating that these types of scenarios perfectly illustrate the need for high levels of physical fitness. A gym session is captured; two cadets practice wrestling and performing combat manoeuvres. Lifesaving training in a swimming pool is briefly filmed, before the action switches to cadets playing sports such rugby, pool, and water netball. Officers are then captured enjoying themselves at the local pub. The cadets' graduation ceremony is captured; a group of families wait in the wings as a brass band move past the camera. The graduates march past the senior officer's podium, with senior officer saluting the graduates. A brief shot captures a parent taking a picture of graduates. The sequence concludes with the voiceover remarking that the moment of truth - when the officer steps out onto the beat alone - has almost arrived. A shot captures an officer leaving a police station alone, and the voiceover says that from now on it's the real thing. A man then rushes over seemingly panic stricken. The new officer looks visibly nervous as the man approaches, but it turns out that the man only wanted to know the score of the local football match. A montage shows officers going about their duties; officers direct members of the public, fix broken down cars, talk to school children and patrol dark streets, while the audio track features real life officers re-counting their first time on the beat. A male officer then states that, "Once you're a police officer there's no other job you could possibly do, as it's a great pleasure to receive so much respect from your community". An officer leads school kids across the road, with the voiceover stating that efforts are continually made to associate children with police; this is illustrated by shots of an officer helping two lost children. A female officer then interrupts an argument taking place in a pub, and the female voiceover says, "When you're a police officer people listen to what you say". An officer then arrests a burglar and is assisted by an arriving squad car, with the voiceover commenting on the thrill of police work. Another perk of the job is guaranteed housing, and this exemplified with an officer returning home to his family, with the voiceover stating, "It's a great perk as housing is very difficult to find". An Asian officer then breaks up an argument between several men. The film goes on to talk about what specialist fields officers can enter; detective work is the first, with shots showing officers searching for a murder weapon, officers asking question of public in a pub, investigators talking to drivers and knocking on front doors. There is then a scene which shows an interrogation, with the voiceover saying that there's a real competitive element involved - it's you against the criminal. Traffic division is the next specialism brought into focus, and officers are shown driving various vehicles in different conditions. There is then a lecture in a class room, where a senior instructor details the circumstances of a case. The next speciality is dog handling; an officer chases a suspect across rough terrain, before releasing his dog that captures the offender. Underwater search unit is another speciality; an officer breaches the surface of the water wearing scuba gear. Undercover specialists are next; two undercover officers enter a nightclub and talk to several hipsters. Special branch follows; a man watches an exchange between two individuals, and the voiceover says that these officer look for anything that might jeopardize the safety of our country as we know it. The fraud squad is illustrated by several shots that capture officers looking through a large sheet of figures. Other specialist fields featured are firearms officers and helicopter navigators. Shots then show meetings being held, and the voiceover talks about the possibility of promotion, stating that there is no glass ceiling, as all senior officers move through the same ranks as everyone else. Young officer showing promise may be eligible for a special training course at Bramshill College, and there are shots of lectures and other activities taking place at the college. A woman then runs to telephone box as a brawl takes place in a bar. Police arrive and break up the fight, before leading the men out. More shots of police work are shown, while the voiceover says the police work officers comradeship, respect and an interesting and varied working life. Officers then give testaments to this argument via voiceovers, with shots showing officers helping members of the public and catching criminals. Title - Filmed on location with the help of the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police. Title - Written and directed by Jonathan Ingrams. Title - Photographed by Leslie Dear. Sound recording by Dave Raggatt. Edited by Richard Ashworth. An Anvil film & recording group production. Title - A Central Office of Information film for the Home Office.