Jamie Desford

**James "Jamie" Desford** is a former Detective Constable and criminal operative within Central Police.

## Background

### Personal

Little is revealed about Desford's personal life, other than he appears to have a rather active social life outside of work, which enables him to easily relate to and talk with younger people brought in for questioning by Central Police.

### Professional

It is not expanded upon as to whether Desford was a member of the Organised Crime Syndicate prior to the events of Series 4, or he was simply manipulated into acting as their man on the inside by Assistant Chief Constable Derek Hilton throughout the course of the series.

## Series 4

### Episode 3

Desford is assigned to AC-12 to assist in their investigation into DCI Roz Huntley and her handling of Operation Trapdoor. He works alongside DS Steve Arnott, but the two clash over the conflicting ways in which they conduct themselves when interviewing Tim Ifield's neighbour, Gemma Riley.

Desford adopts a friendly and flirtatious tone, but later informs Arnott it is nothing more than an interview technique, and he would never get involved with a witness, as it is "unprofessional". It is not known if this remark is intended to be a jab at Arnott for sleeping with Claire Tindall, a witness to the murder of Tommy Hunter in Series 2.

### Episode 4

Both Desford and Superintendent Ted Hastings interview Nick Huntley after DS Steve Arnott is attacked in his offices. During the interview, Desford demonstrates that he is not as experienced as Arnott in conducting questioning, stammering and struggling with slide transitions. Desford is later present in the lengthy AC-12 interview of DCI Roz Huntley, in which he demonstrates his lack of experience by allowing himself to get rattled by her remarks.

### Episode 5

After DS Steve Arnott returns to work on restricted duties, Desford is ignored and excluded by him and DS Kate Fleming as they continue their investigation into DCI Roz Huntley. During a coffee break, he provides his police username and password to PC Maneet Bindra under the illusion it is due to a mishap with the IT system that needs to be reset. Bindra then uses Desford's login to access and transfer the recorded dying declaration of DI Matthew Cottan to a USB stick, which she then hands over to ACC Derek Hilton. Hastings later accuses Desford of leaking information (DS Kate Fleming's cover has previously been blown due to an information leak also), a charge that he denies. Believing he is being scapegoated for both the disastrous Huntley interview and now this, he demands to be transferred to AC-9, claiming he has never felt welcome working in AC-12 and will not hesitate to lodge a complaint if his wishes to be transferred are not met.

### Episode 6

Now working for AC-9 under the direct authority of ACC Derek Hilton, Desford clashes with his former colleagues. The situation is made even more complicated when he is required to work alongside Arnott's ex-girlfriend, DS Sam Railstone of Murder Squad.

During the AC-12 interview of Jimmy Lakewell, it is revealed that both Lakewell and ACC Derek Hilton were directly involved with the attack on DS Steve Arnott. Superintendent Ted Hastings immediately has a SFC unit dispatched to Pelbury House in order to arrest Hilton. However, Desford is able to tip him off first, as he and other officers with AC-9 were permitted to listen in on the interview when Lakewell revealed Hiltons complicity.

Acting on orders from Hilton, Desford coordinates with a masked gunman who takes control of the lobby of the AC-12 Building, and attempts to remove Lakewell from AC-12's custody, where he is to be escorted to a vehicle outside the building and promptly killed. When DS Steve Arnott and the now arrested DCI Roz Huntley, along with two uniformed officers attempt to stop him, he pulls a handgun on them. After Hastings, Fleming and the Strategic Firearms Command officers dispatch of the masked gunman in the lobby, they confront Desford. After explaining to him he is being used by Hilton, and would likely have been killed alongside Lakewell as "collateral damage", he eventually surrenders his firearm and is arrested.

## Series 5

### Episode 1

It is revealed that after his arrest, Desford was served with a Red Notice, terminating his employment with Central Police. He reported the fact that PC Maneet Bindra falsely obtained his login details and used them to access classified information to pass on to Assistant Chief Constable Derek Hilton, however she denies the accusation and it cannot be proven. It is not stated what criminal charges (if any) Desford faced after his termination.