"the other side of the county". Devon and Cornwall Police is no longer organised into divisions. The Major Crime Investigation Team in Cornwall, which would presumably be headed by Wycliffe, was actually based at Newquay during the period in which the series was made, but Wycliffe's divisional headquarters appears to be in the Camborne area. Green Pea Boat episode ( S1 EP6 ) final scenes: red XJS going over the cliff west of Chapel Porth: National Trust Wheal Charlotte , Towan Cross , Cornwall. Murder investigations and police themes The police force in the series is based on the Devon and Cornwall Police, but is called the South West Constabulary. The series shows detective and forensic work in a reasonably accurate way, but the emphasis is more on the human stories surrounding the murders. Wycliffe is a quiet, thoughtful man, a skilled observer of people and an astute interviewer, and these qualities enable him to solve the crimes. Internal police politics provide slow-burning story arcs in the later series. Wycliffe constantly has to deal with red tape, budget restraints and a blustering, image-obsessed Deputy Chief Constable. Lane is offered promotion, though she later realises that she is being used to fulfil sexual equality quotas in the force rather than being judged on her ability. There are tensions between her and Kersey, though they have previously been close. Kersey is the subject of an internal investigation and is forced to reconsider his career after being accused of causing the death of a prisoner in custody. Wycliffe's frequent meetings with the Deputy Chief Constable, Stevens, are slightly odd. In real life there would almost certainly be a Detective Chief Superintendent as the head of CID throughout the force, who would report to one of a series of Assistant Chief Constables, each with a particular responsibility such as operations or personnel. The Deputy Chief Constable is normally too senior to be troubled with operational details unless a major crisis occurs. It is also strange that Stevens is so often on hand and even appears to have an office in the Divisional HQ. Such a postholder would really be based at the police service's headquarters. Cast Jack Shepherd as Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe Kevin Quarmby (pilot) and Jimmy Yuill (series) as DI Doug Kersey Carla Mendonça (pilot) and Helen Masters (series) as DI Lucy Lane Lucy Fleming (pilot) and Lynn Farleigh (series) as Helen