Storylines touch on social issues such as immigration (Polish and Afghani communities), homelessness, postpartum depression, and rent-boy assaults, but these are handled as standard criminal investigations rather than vehicles for identity politics, systemic oppression critiques, or lectures on traditional norms. Casting includes some ethnic minority officers like PC Arun Ghir, but the season saw a major cull of 10 characters with no new additions, including the controversial axing of long-serving white male PC Tony Stamp after 22 years, which sparked fan backlash over the revamp rather than any diversity push.

Female characters like DI Samantha Nixon depart in a standard plotline without gender activism emphasis. The overhaul to post-watershed for darker tones was budget-driven to save millions, not DEI mandates.

No creator statements on activism, no prominent LGBTQ+ focal points, no race/gender swaps, and reception focused on format changes and cast losses, not wokeness. This season exemplifies entertaining, neutral cop drama free from contemporary social justice intrusions, prioritizing straightforward entertainment and police work.