Des Taviner and Reg Hollis are in the Area Car enjoying the warm weather when Sergeant Craig Gilmore surprises them. He is unimpressed with their excuses and orders them to remove their sunglasses and get back to work. As they drive around, Hollis reveals that he is planning to propose to his girlfriend Helen. Unfortunately they are not currently on the best of terms having rowed after Hollis declined Helen's invitation to join her at a conference in Southend. Taviner announces that they are going to Southend and forces Reg to pretend that the car has broken down. Meanwhile Special Constable Terry Knowles and PC Nick Klein have arrested petty thief Derek Daly. As they head back for the station Knowles spots an attractive blonde in a car and persuades Klein to pull her over when she jumps a red light. Confident that he can get her phone number (like his hero Taviner would), Knowles approaches the blonde with a smile. Flirting outrageously he tries to get a date but with little success.