THE city’s crime fighters will return to the small screen next week in another documentary.

The first of two hour-long episodes of The Brighton Police will air on ITV at 9pm on Thursday, promising viewers an insight into “complex” and “frustrating” cases officers sometimes face.

The follow-up to 2015 documentary The Nick follows officers as they tackle armed robbers, investigate a drugs gang and try to catch an attempted rapist.

The footage was filmed last year and features Detective Sergeant Julie Greenwood who became a viewer’s favourite in the last series.

She said: “My husband will tell you that I love my job more than I love him. But I think we have to be driven to get justice for victims.”

Nev Kemp, the former divisional commander for Brighton and Hove – who has since moved on to work as an Assistant Chief Constable at Surrey Police but appearsin the show – said: “Following on from the success of The Nick and the overwhelmingly positive response from the public, we decided to open our doors once more and invite the cameras back in.

“I am pleased with what the film-makers have captured.

“It shows the typical professionalism and dedication of the officers and staff who are doing a job like no other and are committed to keeping the city safe.

“The first series captured the diverse and sometimes more unusual situations that officers often find themselves in and this series will build upon this.

“Viewers will be given an insight into the complex and sometimes frustrating cases officers face but also their determination and commitment to keeping people safe and achieving justice for victims.”

Producers have said the programme aims to shine a light on Brighton’s darker side, in comparison to its image as an affluent seaside party city, which means the officers are under constant pressure.

Narrated by actor Philip Glenister, best known for his role as Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt in the BBC series Life on Mars, teams will be seen on raids, carrying out surveillance, taking statements from witnesses and gathering evidence to bring criminals to justice.

On Thursday, criminals behind an armed robbery initially escape detection by police.

But when they strike again, officers are ready for them.

DS Greenwood said: “That’s the way the pattern normally works with armed robberies.

“They get cocky, and think, ‘Oh we’ve got away with that one’.

“It’s normally the way, we will have something else within seven, ten days max.”

Viewers will also see Brighton police close in on a major drug operation.

The six-month undercover investigation sees officers close in on a gang who they believe rule the supply of class A drugs in the city.

A gang leader is pursued through the city centre and Police Constable Rob Staplehurst stumbles on a substantial stash of what is believed to be cocaine in house raids.

He said: "I’ve done a lot of these and that’s one of the more significant finds I think we’ve had on these sorts of jobs.

"It’s a big problem for us, you know, fighting with someone who’s had a lot of cocaine up their nose is not a lot of fun, so this is good for us to get this off the streets, it stops a lot of problems in the long run."