Sergeant Dale Smith     played by Alex Walkinshaw

First appearance    Taxed (20/07/99)        

Twenty-eight-year-old Dale 'Smithy' Smith first arrived at Sun Hill as a PC in 1999 looking for action following a rather dull posting in a quiet leafy suburb. An ex-squaddie, Smithy is a Londoner from a large dysfunctional family. He hated school, learning to look after himself because he had to, and leaving as soon as he could. Escaping into the army for 5 years serving in Northern Ireland with the Queens Royal Fusiliers Regiment, he enjoyed life as one of the lads, with more than his fair share of drunken late nights, gratuitous sex, and silly wind-ups. After leaving the nick to join SO19 he returned two years later as a sergeant.

Smithy is immensely brave, though he can be stubborn and opinionated. He is definitely a guy you would want in your corner and is capable of extreme courageousness (although he has been accused of recklessness in the past). Smithy is a man dedicated to a job he enjoys; he is opinionated, focused, stubborn and known for his single-mindedness. He's fiercely loyal to his troops and can't abide anyone who won't take responsibility for their actions. Smithy doesn't suffer fools nor mince his words, and this straight-down-the-line approach has previously earned him the reputation of being racist and homophobic. Actually, he is neither - he just speaks how he sees it and is not prepared to pander to political correctness.

Although he takes his job very seriously, Smithy has always been 'one of the lads' and enjoys a laugh. He initially struggled on his return to Sun Hill to maintain a professional distance from his PCs, but under Inspector Gold's guidance has managed to strike a balance between being liked and being respected.