| HOSTING | Laugh at police operation, being the presenter (7) |
| TESTING | Note police operation being troublesome (7) |
| HASTINGS | Laugh at police operations at battle site (8) |
| OFFBEAT | Assigned to desk duties at police station? That's unusual (7) |
| PROSAIC | In favour of second CIA operation being dull |
| LPLATES | Signs of a novice spell at police (1-6) |
| KNOWLES | The presenter of DIY SOS The Big Build (4,7) |
| MICHAEL | The presenter of Confessions of a Train Spotter, although he hadn't been around the world in 80:D::Days and been knighted then (7) |
| MCCLOUD | The presenter of Grand Designs, Kevin ___ (7) |
| HAMMOND | Richard _, one of the presenters of The Grand Tour (7) |
| ZEROUAL | Surname of Karim, the presenter and actor who took part in Strictly in 2019 and Celebs Go Dating in 2021 (7) |
| SPOTTER | Title of an episode of BBC's Great Railway Journeys, broadcast in 1980, where the presenter travelled to Kyle of Lochalsh (17) |
| ELOPE | Escape scalpel, operation being mostly unnecessary |
| RESPONSIVE | Inverses operation, being flexible (10) |
| POOL | Selection of candidates left over with operation being put back |
| FLIRTWITHTHELAW | Make eyes at police officer and risk being arrested? (5,4,3,3) |
| CORDON | Wears blue in France to make great chef at police workstation (6) |
| APOSTOLIC | Champion's getting a job at police centre (9) |
| APOLOGETIC | Having had a go at police, unfairly, is sorry |
| DICTATOR | Extraordinary old magistrate reversing decay at police department (8) |
