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Single mother Dinah Kowalska, an off duty detective constable, pursues a murder suspect through the streets of Manchester, only for him to get knocked down and killed by a bus. As a result DI Viv Deering, her outspoken superior, instructs her to withdraw her application for sergeant, the promotion going instead to her nervous colleague Joy Freers. On a visit to the morgue Dinah sees the corpse of a Downs Syndrome sufferer, the second girl with that condition to be hauled out of a river in recent weeks, and suspects a serial killer is at large. Cathy Calvert, who appears to have the syndrome, following hospital surgery, is missing and Dinah persuades Viv to over-rule superintendent McClaren in no uncertain terms and start a search for her. Cathy is located and Dinah saves her but the killer escapes and Cathy is unable to identify him. With Cathy's family under arrest on drug charges Dinah suggests that she moves in with her.
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Dinah is taken off the murder case as her involvement with Cathy has made her too subjective but Viv asks her to assist when a student is found dead in the street of an overdose and drugs expert Miller directs the team towards a house suspected of being a drugs factory. Angelina Costeros, a former chemical factory employee, is brought in but refuses to incriminate likely co-defendant Jensen Raphael until Dinah and colleague Spike unite to get her to talk. Consequently Dinah and Joy go undercover to bust Raphael. The operation is successful and Viv praises the two women to McLaren as well as suggesting that Dinah be reassigned to Cathy's case in the hopes that she can get her to give more information about her abductor.
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Following the death of Samina Hassan in an arson attack the team goes undercover at a wedding to arrest the groom Jimmy Webb, a known racist. CCTV had shown him arguing with Majib, Samina's widower, to whom he had lent a large sum of money, whilst Samina's father, a strict imam, has quarrelled with her over her feminist stance. In the event the previously reserved Joy proves herself by solving the case and flushing the killer out into the open. Spike interviews Patrick Llewellyn, an unassuming gay man who runs the support group attended by murder victim Lucy - who had a crush on him. For all his gentle air Viv sees him as a prime suspect. Meanwhile Dinah is surprised when Cathy gets a visit from her boy-friend Alpha, who has served time in a young offenders' unit.
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As Dinah is driving to work she sees David Brazier kill himself by stepping in front of a car and when the police visit his house they find his wife dead in bed with a huge operation scar. Later they arrest a teenager following a disturbance. He also has a scar and a wad of notes and tells of a traffic in human organs for cash. Joy and Dinah track down another potential victim, leading to a successful arrest. Meanwhile Teresa Adamson is found dead after joining a website, whose organizer identifies a subscriber calling himself Handyman, whose interest is in Downs Syndrome girls. Viv has an uncomfortable moment when her other half Laurie is arrested for drunken brawling and Dinah is not happy when Cathy tells her she plans to move in with Alpha.
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Forensics officer Miller is engaging Handyman online posing as a young girl when the team is called out to a stabbing. The victim is Christy Feeney, now given a new identity as Noel, but who, aged ten, was convicted of murder. After hearing his confession pregnant wife Liz feels especially vulnerable but Viv suspects Christy's aggrieved uncle of offering a bounty to his nephew's killer. Christy does not help matters when he flees police protection to speak to Liz, though he does lead them to his attacker. Olivia, another Downs Syndrome girl, agrees to be bait to catch Handyman but instead he attacks Cathy and Alpha though Cathy recognizes the tattoo on her assailant's wrist.
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Cathy's description of the attacker's tattoo incriminates Patrick Llewellyn, who is fatally injured in a car chase, owning to being Handyman before he dies though Dinah is sceptical. The police also find the badly beaten body of Kieran Riley, who works for disreputable scrap dealer Shane Mercy. Investigating his yard Joy and Spike find illegal immigrant Ajamu, who is initially too scared to make a statement but whose eventual confession leads to an arrest. Meanwhile Cathy tells Dinah she believes her abductor had an accomplice and evidence leads Dinah and Viv to suspect that it is a police officer.
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As Viv tells Dinah they cannot reveal their suspicions to colleagues they are called to a murder scene as surgeon Jeremy Tierney is shot dead whilst out jogging. It seems he was a tyrant hated by his colleagues and yet the young girl, Gazelle, identified on CCTV as killing him, claims not to have known him. Viv believes that she was acting on behalf of somebody who had a grudge against the victim but proving it turns out to be difficult. Meanwhile Dinah is convinced that Viv has discovered the identity of Patrick's accomplice, Handyman, but is shielding them.
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Shocked by Viv's attitude Dinah visits Cathy and promises her that the murderer will be caught though Joy suspects that Dinah is keeping something from her. Meanwhile young officer Jonah Mitchell and his girlfriend Ruth face a manslaughter charge from Michael Docherty after they failed to save Michael's pregnant wife whom they were taking to hospital but who died giving birth, along with the baby. Docherty claims that Ruth was on drugs at the time and Viv has to fight hard to prevent prosecution. Viv is also confronted by the serial killer along with Dinah who is almost murdered herself. After another intervention the serial killer's case is ultimately closed though only three women know this.
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Viv, Dinah and Joy attend the funeral of Herbie, son of gang boss Nora Attah but there is no corpse in the coffin, only an explosion which rocks the building. Pathologist Miller is called in and finds twenty bodies, including Herbie's, buried under the crematorium - apparently because the owners, the Kornicks, could not afford to maintain it. Resenting the arrival of by the book superintendent Christine Lisberg Viv finds a link to rival gangsters the Kennedy family, whom Nora believes lured her and ex-husband Manni to the scene of the explosion. Following an award ceremony to celebrate Viv as outstanding policewoman of the year she has to give her version of why she has closed the investigation of her husband's death to Joy, Dinah and Spike, whilst the retaliation against the Kennedys she had feared begins.
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Following Earl Kennedy's murder riots break out across Manchester, Attah properties being prime targets. Whilst Miller links the crematorium bomb to Jacky Kennedy and henchman Kilmartin Dinah risks her life to evacuate people from one of Nora's fire-bombed shops, and is shocked when five casualties appear to be under-age child workers. However when she confronts Nora she is rebuked by Viv for making Nora aware of her suspicions, allowing her to take alternative action. Joy is also horrified when a young girl, Charlie, dies in her custody and is cheered by sergeant Ewan Murray. Kim Garvey, the cocky, sullen boy who killed Earl, is linked to one of the arson victims but refuses to tell Dinah who put him up to the murder.
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The team is called to an armed robbery in a pub but the elderly robber is an Alzheimers sufferer who believes the pub is the bank it was once and a visit to his wife exposes a bogus paramedic. Meanwhile a cocky Nora brings Manni to the station to convince Viv of their innocence in Earl's murder but, having discovered that Manni is not Nora's husband's son, Viv determines to work on him. Dinah arrests Kerry Fowley, part of the child slavery gang, hoping she will denounce Nora but Nora sends in her solicitors before any statement can be taken, leading Viv to suspect a traitor in the ranks. Joy is exonerated over Charlie's death and congratulated by Ewan but a comment by fire survivor Hayley gives her a shock.
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As large numbers of Nora's drug peddlers are lifted from the streets Dinah tries to persuade Joy that Ewan is the mole, tipping Nora off about the police's every move but Joy is too enamoured of him to believe her despite evidence that when he was in Child Protection he deliberately moved several of the dead youngsters to care homes where Nora could get to them. Whilst other arrests are made for procurement Viv finally traps Ewan but finds that somebody else has got to him before her.
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Whilst Viv attempts to arrest Manni in connection with Ewan Murray's death Miller finds evidence to show that Murray deliberately suppressed evidence regarding the disappearance of a boy called Roland Berry. The team searches Murray's room for more proof of his duplicity but are thwarted by Christine Licksberg who takes all the contents for examination elsewhere. Consequently Viv recruits Cathy Calvert's mouthy sister Donna to infiltrate the Attah's gang. Meanwhile Dinah is caught up in a pay dispute at the Daffodil abortion clinic where a stand-off leads to a demonstration by a pro-life group and the accidental death of co-director Dr Robert Bix, who is later found to have supported the protesters. Unfortunately Viv is involved in a car crash leading to her suspension from duty.
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Whilst under suspension Viv attends a meeting opposed to female genital mutilation, where an angry father accuses Nora of killing his daughter. Dinah and Joy visit Viv to voice their fears that Nora may have been blackmailing Christine into suspending her whilst Joy and Spike bring in haughty Ms Bata for her role in the mutilation ring and, after officer Tegan has gone undercover, arrest the doctor responsible and a head-mistress who is also complicit - ironically with help from Nora. Meanwhile, thanks to Donna, Miller finds Roland's body but, back in her office, Viv is alarmed to hear that the Attahs have abducted Donna, leading to a rift between Viv and Joy.
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As Dinah discovers the disturbing reason for Herbie Attah's suicide Viv goes in search of Donna but ends up, along with Spike, being imprisoned whilst Nora sends Donna into the police station wired to a bomb which will be detonated if the Attahs are not allowed time to leave the country. Miller is fortunate to have ex-bomb disposal expert Aidan, father of one of Attah's victims, in the cells and together they literally defuse the situation. Having finally escaped Viv becomes aware that the Attahs are planning to leave on a private helicopter and launches a trap to catch them.
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When Viv and her team are called in to protect liberal mayoral candidate Kashif Hassan from far right demonstrators they foil an assassination attempt, though to the cost of one of their number. After the gunman escapes it appears that his target was another candidate, local woman Caroline McCoy and he is identified as career criminal Joseph Beckett. A former member of racist group Albion Beckett also worked foe Albion's sponsor businessman Lionel Dirkin, whom Caroline opposes. Evidence points to Albion's head Dennis Caddy's involvement with the shooting but a new development prevents Viv from arresting him.
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After Joy's funeral Viv promotes Dinah to sergeant and continues to survey Caddy to allay suspicions. Meanwhile Beckett rings the police to say that he has poisoned a batch of halal meat, leading to mass panic when the news is broadcast. The team pin-points a school attended by Hassan's children where halal burgers were sent and prevents disaster. Dinah recognizes the undercover agent posing as Caddy's girlfriend and meets up with her whilst Viv confronts Dirkin in public.
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Caroline McCoy's political reign begins, inciting chaos on the streets of Manchester, and catapults the hardline, no-nonsense DCI Terry Taylor into Friday Street cop shop, to bring the police in line with her agenda. While avoiding Terry's interferences, the team focus on using Bonnie and Dennis to expose Caroline and bring in killer Beckett.
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The team are running out of options and their strategy is threatened when one of their own is placed in peril.
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