Fairfax Media can reveal the chase is under investigation for breaching strict police pursuit policy.

The first episode of the show - which aired on Monday night - showed two officers from the Rapid Action and Patrols Group pursuing the driver of a stolen vehicle.

The officers tried to stop the car and arrest the driver at a set of traffic lights on Ashmore Road, but the driver sped off through an intersection, hitting and damaging another car in the process.

A police communications officer is then heard over the car radio telling the two RAP officers to abandon the pursuit.

The Rapid Action and Patrols group has been lauded by Channel Ten as a unit of "hand-picked" and "elite" officers successfully tackling organised crime and bikie gangs on the Glitter Strip.

However, arrest figures obtained by Fairfax Media show RAP has charged only eight offenders with the serious charges of trafficking a dangerous drug and supplying a dangerous drug.

The majority of charges relate to other drug and traffic offences.

The RAP grew out of Taskforce Takeback, formed in the aftermath of the Bandidos bikie riot outside a Broadbeach restaurant that sparked the Newman government's unprecedented crackdown on outlaw motorcycle gangs.

It began operating on May 1, 2014.

RAP arrested 2070 offenders on 3051 charges between May 1 and September 29 this year.

Only 43 per cent (1311) of those charges were drug-related – of which only eight were trafficking and supply charges – while 38 per cent (1159) were traffic-related and 5 per cent (152) were related to public nuisance offences.

The unit claims to have arrested 27 bikies from clubs including the Bandidos, Finks, Lone Wolfs, Hells Anglels, Nomads, Black Uhlans and Mongols.

When asked how many offenders had been charged by RAP with bikie-related offences, however, the group's commander Superintendent Jim Keogh said outlaw gang-related matters were chiefly the concern of another Gold Coast taskforce and the long-existing Major and Organised Crime Squad.

"The organised crime arm – or the sister taskforce to RAP – is the one that really gets into organised crime and that's Taskforce Maxima," he said.

"We target them tactically, they target them strategically.

"Where we've got a situation where a bikie is wanted on a return to prison warrant or breach of bail or something where he can be taken out immediately, in contrast to a protracted investigation, we'll do that."

The RAP is required to report only to Deputy Commissioner Brett Pointing under its governance model.

It is therefore not required to engage or communicate with Gold Coast district leaders and coordinators, despite being based in the district.

In a spiel on Channel Ten's website the RAP is described as "a team of 100 elite officers, the majority of whom were hand-picked" by Superintendent Keogh.

In the show's first episode Superintendent Keogh reiterated the claim, telling the audience the officers were "hand-selected".

But Superintendent Keogh told Fairfax Media he personally hand-picked only two officers to join the RAP.

"I hand-picked two of them to come from Brisbane with me," he said.

Superintendent Keogh said the majority of officers with RAP had responded to a call for expressions of interest.

"Not everyone gets to go to the RAP. You apply and you're considered. They're merit-based positions," he said.

"We started with Takeback so [that] absorbed what was the Tactical Crime Unit and the Mobile Deployment Group and then from there...expressions of interest went out."

He also stopped short of describing RAP as elite, saying it was a term assigned to the group by the media and television show producers.

"No, no, no, no...we've never used the term elite," he said.

"They're certainly dedicated, they're certainly professional and they're certainly hard-working. If you want to put a brand name on them as being elite, well that's up to the individual."

The RAP comprises 100 officers, but only two team leaders are former detectives, while 31 officers are new second-year Constables.

The team also includes one Inspector, two Senior Sergeants and eight Sergeants and 57 Senior Constables and Constables.

"I've got two team leaders who are former detectives. I'm a former detective, my Inspector is a former detective [and] my Senior Sergeant is a former detective," Superintendent Keogh said.

Bond University criminologist and former Gold Coast detective Dr Terry Goldsworthy said the use of the term elite was detrimental to the cause.

"If you're going to say certain police are elite – above and beyond normal police – well I think they need to be given different training, they need to be undertaking different roles and have different equipment," Dr Goldsworthy said.

"And I just don't think we're seeing that with RAP."

Dr Goldsworthy said there was very little difference between general duties officers and members of RAP.

"They're essentially all general duties officers. The only differentiation is that the RAP doesn't get tied up on jobs, they're much more proactive, whereas other general duties officers are reactive and clean-up the paperwork of the jobs that aren't high priority, like traffic infringements [and] domestic violence cases."

Dr Goldsworthy said a unit like RAP was needed on the coast, although the television show was not necessarily ideal.

"It's a good idea, but I just think there's been a distraction there with the use of the term elite and the issue of the television show," he said.

"The message has been lost, as far as the television show goes."

Yet, Superintendent Keogh said the arrest figures demonstrated the success of RAP.

"RAP's figures and its performance I would list as incredibly good," he said.

"I'm not interested in any hype, or any possible mud-slinging, be it from within [the police force], without, [or] the media.

"The simple fact remains they've got a job to do. Do the job, end of story."