IT was feared that a TV documentary series on Notts Police could undermine public confidence in the force.

But Channel 4's show Coppers has had the opposite effect, a Post poll suggests.

Many of the show's eight episodes, the last of which is screened on Monday, have focused on Notts Police, with last summer's disturbances, the dog control unit and the firearms unit among its subjects.

Notts Police Authority chairman Jon Collins had said the show might undermine confidence in the force.

But a poll on the Posts's thisisnottingham.co.uk website this week asking for people's views on the series paints a different picture.

Sixty per cent of the 943 who responded said it had improved their perception of police officers, with 26 per cent saying it had worsened theirs.

The show had made no difference to the remaining 14 per cent.

In response, Mr Collins stood by his claim that the force should not have taken part in the programme.

He said: "In my view, as we're required to manage the police service with 20 per cent less funding as a result of Government cuts, 100 per cent of officer time needs to be spent tackling crime and catching criminals and not a minute should be spent helping TV producers make cheap TV programmes.

"That's the consistent view of the police authority and one we would have given had we been consulted about taking part in the programme."

Two incidents in the programme have been referred to the force's professional standards department.

In one, a female officer is seen pulling a 14-year-old girl to the ground.

In the other, a man in Exchange Walk is seen being pushed over by a male officer.

Last Monday's episode was the last in the series to focus only on Notts officers and featured the work of the dog section.

In one interview, PC Andy Pickersgill talked openly about the death of friend and colleague Ged Walker.

Dog-handler PC Walker, 42, died in hospital on January 9, 2003, two days after being dragged 100 yards alongside a stolen taxi while trying to stop the driver.

PC Pickersgill said: "It's not on my mind every waking minute or the first thing I think of or the last thing I think of when I wake up or when I go to sleep at night, but it's not far from that most days.

"Would I do the same thing? I'd like to think I'm nearly as brave as him."

Deputy Chief Constable Chris Eyre said he thought the overall public reaction to the series had been positive but added: "There is no doubt that some have found these programmes challenging and have expressed concern".

He said: "I would not have wished to precipitate the negative reactions that have come from some people as a result of the series being broadcast but it has created a debate about how we can build upon the massive improvements we have made in policing over recent months."

Channel 4 said the series had attracted an average of 2.6 million viewers per episode.

One Notts officer, who asked not to be identified, said of the poll: "I think the results demonstrate a true reflection of the general public's support of the police, which is very heartening indeed, considering some of the criticism some officers faced from senior councillors and other heads of agencies who work closely with the police."

Simon Ford of Blast! Films, executive producer of Coppers

COPPERS has been one of those rare things.

It has been a television series that has genuinely informed and entertained in equal measure.

We have spent more than a year making it.

And we are really grateful for the humanity, honesty and wit displayed by the ordinary officers of Nottinghamshire Police every single day of the last year.

It is only because they have been so straightforward that we have been able to tell a story about Britain that rings so true to the millions of people watching it.

I am so pleased that we made the majority of our programmes with the Nottingham constabulary.

Our programmes dealt with subjects that matter to people everywhere.

Whether we are showing how the epidemic of drink and drug-taking consumes the time of officers (who could otherwise be patrolling the streets) or the underlying tensions between the police and some parts of our community that exploded into disturbances in the city centres last summer, we know these issues exist nationwide.

However, it must be said that there is something about the way the people of Nottingham tell it like it is that is so very refreshing.

It is for this reason that the critics, who think telling the unvarnished truth is "a disaster", are so very wide of the mark.

Every one of us in the United Kingdom knows all too well that we are living through difficult years of social breakdown, rising crime, cuts and austerity.

So why pretend they don't affect a major and important city like Nottingham?

You may ask: Why did the force give us access to their work?

It is simple.

We approached the force saying we felt there were a large number of roles within the police that the public would love an insight into. We never set out to make a portrait of Nottingham.

We were clear that we would show things as they were, "warts and all". And the force agreed to let us film with them.

I think they felt confident that, after years of well-documented difficulties, they finally had a good story to tell.

Why not?

If you are confident that you are doing a good job protecting the public, what harm is there in showing how hard the job really is and what an extraordinary job the ordinary men and women of the force do?

It is, therefore, no surprise to me that most people feel better about Nottinghamshire Police after watching the films.

Coppers often uses humour to help us understand what's going on.

But throughout the series, when we have tackled difficult subjects, we have done it with sensitivity and tact.

For example, when we show officers dealing with a dead body, what we are actually trying to reveal is how they deal with such a difficult job as human beings.

They need coping mechanisms and we all know that a private joke is often the best way.

However, what we showed was that this does not for one minute mean that officers don't treat the victims and others who are suffering with consummate diplomacy and respect.

Just as we do when we put difficult subjects on the television – we inform families so they might choose not to watch if it might upset them.

What we put in our programmes was clearly in the public interest and proved of great interest to the public.

These are two different things that we find are often confused.

The previous series was nominated for every TV award going.

I only hope that this one at least picks up a Bafta for the policemen and women of Nottinghamshire and, along the way, one or two commendations to officers direct from their Chief Constable.