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Noble Cause Corruption by Fin Kennedy

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Afternoon Drama on BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4, 5 March 2013
 
Newly-promoted police detective Maxine Boyd (Chloe Howman) is called to the house of her fellow-officer Dewhurst, who has apparently committed suicide.  Although she rescues him just in time, he passes away later on in hospital.
 
A routine investigation ensues, conducted by members of another police force, and Boyd is called to testify.  In the interests of discovering the truth - as she believes all detectives should do - she investigates Dewhurst's background and motives, but discovers more than she bargained for. 
 
Noble Cause Corruption offers a bleak picture of the contemporary police force, whose officers affirm their loyalty to one another yet seem perfectly willing to offer one of their number as a scapegoat, if it helps to protect their jobs.  Corruption seems widespread; for many officers, it seems more important not to investigate crimes too closely, for fear of disturbing the status quo.  On the other hand, most officers feel that their basic duties (to investigate crime and preserve the rule of law) have been inhibited by a series of Acts of Parliament, as well as the influence of the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service).  Their job-descriptions have also changed; they seem to spend more time filling out forms, or answering to civilian managers, rather than fighting crimes.  
 
Given these constraints, it seems that the CID officer's primary duty today is to remain loyal to their team in the interests of survival.  They can still solve crimes, but sometimes this task might be done in the interests of keeping the statistics high: the more crimes they can appear to solve, the less likely they are to be investigated by the government.  By the end of Holy Mountain's production, Boyd has been exposed to the harsh realities of police life - either accept these constraints or perish.  
 
Noble Cause Corruption is a hard-hitting piece, performed with utter conviction by a cast including Phil Wright, David Hartley, Damian Cooper and Nicholas Gleaves as Boyd's fellow-officers.  The play proves once again that the Afternoon Drama slot is perhaps one of the best outlets for listeners to find out what life is really like in contemporary Britain.