Police critical of top TV drama

Helen Mirren plays Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect

Police have criticised the way the UK's anonymous Crimestoppers helpline was portrayed in this week's episode of ITV1 drama Prime Suspect.

Detectives said the public had been misled by the way police chief Jane Tennison had traced a killer through an anonymous call to Crimestoppers.

In Monday's show, she arrested a Serbian war criminal after hearing a recording of his call to the crimeline.

But police said the service did not record calls or try and trace callers.

In the episode, the operator was heard to ask the man for his name and number before he hangs up.

We do not record, we do not trace callers Crimestoppers director Brian Wareham

He was then identified as the prime suspect for three murders.

But the director of Crimestoppers, Brian Wareham, said on Wednesday that the scenes were a false portrayal of the service.

"We do not record, we do not trace callers and we do everything that we can to ensure the guarantee of anonymity. That is what we are all about," he said.

'Dramatic licence'

"We are concerned that anyone watching the programme who has rung Crimestoppers in the past, or may do in the future, will think we take down names and numbers."

Prime Suspect's producers, Granada, apologised for misleading viewers, and said it had used "dramatic licence".

"In Prime Suspect, the anonymity of the service was stressed at the beginning of the call but dramatic licence was taken with recording the call and requesting the caller's contact details," a spokeswoman said.

"The production has since spoken to Crimestoppers and reassurances have been made that forthcoming dramas will portray the service as totally anonymous."