Stafford becomes Head of Europol, but the position gives him plenty of free time, so the Home Office asks him to tackle corruption within the Metropolitan Police as Alan Cade arrives. Anne has a promotion board for DCC, while also dealing with a major firearms incident in Norfolk.

Stafford's corruption inquiry reaches a successful conclusion, and the officer who assisted him with the case is appointed as Eastland's new chief constable.

An American gas rig is hijacked on Alan Cade's first day, but will his choice of negotiator pay off?

A hospital lab tech implicates a local councillor in illegal practices. When he believes his accusations are being ignored, he dramatically breaks through the cordons during a royal visit to a school concert.

Cade allows an informant to orchestrate a drug deal while investigating a smuggling ring, only to find it led to his death.

When Cade is threatened with an investigation over the death of the informer, his team closes ranks. The Home Office, preferring to have a hold on its maverick chief constable, decides not to act.