If you want to understand what’s really happening on Britain’s streets, you need to hear this.
The Crime Agents, the new podcast from the makers of The News Agents, goes beyond the headlines to uncover the truth behind crime that affects all of us. Why is violence rising? Why is public trust in th
How do police investigate a sexual assault reported years - sometimes decades - after it happened? In light of the sexual assault trial involving Russell Brand in which he denies the allegations, Neil explains how detectives test a victim's credibility, why reporting it to anyone straight away can become powerful evidence in court and what can be done to encourage victims to seek justice. Andy and Neil also take on prison overcrowding and whether more low-level offenders could simply be put under house arrest. The Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has warned of more than 100 tag breaches a…
He was one of the most wanted men in Europe, with a $5 million US bounty on his head, living openly in Dubai for the last decade. Now Daniel Kinahan is in prison, facing a charge of directing a criminal organisation in the Irish courts. In this special episode, Andy travels to Dublin to discover the rise of the Kinahan cartel, from its roots in Dublin and the violent Hutch-Kinahan feud to the empire it’s alleged to have built. Andy's joined by Nicola Tallant, investigation editor of the Sunday World, to unpack Kinahan’s arrest in Dubai, his extradition and what’s next in the ongoing court…
The ‘Putney Pusher’ case has resurfaced in recent months after an inquest into a suspect's death was opened… but after 9 years, we are still no closer to an ID on the suspect. So what are the processes of the police in identification and could there be new clues uncovered after all this time? Andy and Neil answer your questions Then: what it really takes to make a film like Andy's recent ‘London gangs special report’. What goes on behind the scenes and how many months of build up does it take to complete? Plus, what is a serving officer obliged to do off duty? And how much of the law do you…
In September 2022, a Met firearms officer shot and killed Chris Kaba. What followed divided the country: protests and grief on one side, a mass walkout of armed officers on the other, and in the middle, a murder trial almost unprecedented in British policing. In this episode, Andy and Neil go back through what happened that night and what happened in court. Should the officer ever have been put on trial? Should jurors have known about Kaba's criminal history earlier? And can a split-second decision taken behind a gun ever be fairly judged months later in a courtroom? With Neil's experience…
Arrests at an RAF base on suspicion of terrorist offences, then bail. For many people - including President Trump - this didn't add up. Andy and Neil start this Q&A by explaining what police bail actually is and why the five suspects weren't held on remand for longer. Plus, they examine the likelihood of a hostile state - such as Iran - being involved in whatever happened in Gloucestershire in the early hours of Sunday morning. They also discuss whether the police can and should be doing any more to crack down on the activities of individuals such as Danny Tommo, who was recently charged…
Thousands of people hand Tommy Robinson their money. But very few of them know where it ends up. In this episode, Andy is joined by investigative journalist Matt Shea, who has spent months following the money around Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - the man better known as Tommy Robinson. Matt explains why he focused on the finances rather than the politics: the donation buckets, the fundraising appeals, the crypto promotions and the companies that handled the money but never filed accounts. He describes meeting a Telford grooming gang survivor who says her story was used in Robinson's own film, and…
Why has the 'Putney Pusher' proved so difficult to identify? And is this another investigation that will be remembered for police failings? Andy and Neil are asked why, 9 years on, the suspect has still never been officially identified. Neil explains what a case like this really looks like from inside the incident room, and why some suspects stay out of reach even when police have CCTV and eyewitnesses. Then: should frontline UK officers routinely carry firearms? In an increasingly violent world, would police and the public be safer if they were armed, rather than having to wait for a…
The recent fatal shooting of an innocent bus driver in Clapham has put London's biggest gang war onto the front pages. In this special report, Andy is given exclusive access to an undercover Met Police unit working to tackle the tensions behind this South London turf war. He learns about the shocking social media 'scoreboard' system gangs are using, effectively turning violence into a game. Andy also speaks to gang members and local residents who have lost friends and family to the violence, and he hears from the community activists trying to pull young people away from it. Then Andy and…
If the Suffragettes were campaigning today, would the law treat them as terrorists? It's a question that goes to the heart of how Britain defines political violence, and Neil - the former head of UK Counter-Terrorism Policing - takes on the uncomfortable comparison: where exactly is the line between direct action, criminality and terrorism? Andy and Neil also tackle the judge's controversial decision to declare a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case. How do investigators and prosecutors actually go about establishing intent when the central question is what was happening inside someone's…
A crime scene with nothing in it. A community that wouldn't talk. A suspect who turned out to be the wrong man. And a seven-year-old girl lying dead beside her father. The murders of Tony Byfield and his daughter Toni-Ann were Neil's first case as a Senior Investigating Officer. More than two decades on, he still describes it as the most famous of his career. In this episode, he takes Andy through it from the moment the phone rang: what he walked into, why the early breakthrough collapsed, and what it felt like to lead an investigation that a lot of people had quietly written off. Neil also…
Why did a few hundred masked men appear to be treated more leniently than protesters from groups such as Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil? Were the police scared of the mobs in Dover & Portsmouth? Or was their 'light touch' approach justifiable given the lack of notice for law enforcement? Andy & Neil debate whether this was a case of 'two-tier' policing. They also explain why arrests at public order events often come later rather than on the day, and what officers can and can't do when protesters cover their faces. Is there already a power that could be used to stop it, or does the law…
Within hours of 97 Liverpool fans being crushed to death at an FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough, a story was already circulating: that the fans had done it to themselves. Four days later, The Sun printed an infamous front page - "The Truth" - and a lie that would last 27 years was set in stone. So where did that story come from, and how did it survive decade after decade of official scrutiny? Andy and Neil are joined by LBC presenter Shelagh Fogarty, who was a journalistic apprentice in Liverpool in April 1989. She describes the day itself: the hundreds of Liverpool families who set off…
When MPs talk about the death threats they face online, are they making a genuine plea for protection or building the case for something bigger? Andy and Neil take on the question of whether the abuse politicians face is being used to push the digital ID agenda, and where that leaves free speech. Would digital ID actually stop the threats? And what does Neil - a former head of UK Counter-Terrorism Policing - make of the idea that online anonymity is the real problem? Then to something that decides whether justice gets done at all: the relationship between the police and the Crown Prosecution…
PC David Carrick was one of the most prolific sex offenders in British history and for nearly two decades, he abused women while carrying a warrant card and a gun. Complaints were made about him before he joined the police, and again and again during his career, but he was only stopped after he had assaulted dozens of victims. So how did a man like this pass vetting and then stay on the police payroll for so long? Neil - who for several years ran the firearms command that both Carrick and Wayne Couzens served in - reveals the cultural problems in a unit described as a 'dark corner' of the…
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle believe their family isn't safe in the UK. So who decides if that's true? And who should pay if the decision is made to give them police protection? Neil ran the Met's Royal Protection unit for several years and in that role was responsible for Harry & Meghan's security before they left Britain for America. Here, Neil reveals how the system really works and details the nature of the threats the Duke & Duchess are likely to face now they're back in Britain. Then the fatal crash in Middlesbrough. What does justice look like in this case? And is this evidence that…
In March 2021, Sarah Everard walked home from a friend's flat in Clapham. She never arrived. Her face went up on lampposts across south London, her name spread across the country, and within a week police had arrested a suspect: a serving Metropolitan Police officer. Neil reveals how he felt in the moment that he learned the suspect was an officer serving under his command. Andy was living locally and watched a local missing person appeal become a national story. Drawing on conversations with detectives who worked the case, they explain how investigators identified Wayne Couzens, and what it…
Nigel Farage says Essex Police warned him to stay away from the Clacton by-election count. Essex Police say that never happened. So who's lying? And why are politicians increasingly dragging the police into their political battles? In this week's Q&A, Andy and Neil tackle Farage's claim head-on and ask what it means for public trust when policing becomes a prop in politicians' narratives. They also discuss the Mushroom Murderer's appeal. Erin Patterson was convicted of poisoning her former in-laws with a death cap mushroom lunch, and from the moment she appeared on camera claiming to be…
Three British politicians have been killed in the space of a decade. Jo Cox. David Amess. And now Ann Widdecombe. How has political violence in Britain reached this point? And why are most of our MPs still unprotected? In this episode, Andy and Neil trace the escalating pattern of attacks on politicians in the UK, explain how police and the Home Office decide who gets protection, and reveal why the number receiving it remains surprisingly low. They explore the growing reliance on private security firms to fill the gaps, and the strain a record nine living former Prime Ministers is placing on…
Daniel Kinahan - allegedly one of the world's most powerful gangsters - arrived at a Dublin court this week under near-unprecedented security. Was that level of protection justified, or was it theatre from the Irish state? And how was he finally extradited from Dubai, where he spent a decade hiding in plain sight? Andy and Neil explain why the Kinahan story has moved so fast, and ask whether his upcoming trial could become the biggest Ireland has ever seen. They also dissect the police failings that allowed Simon Levy, a known sexual predator, to kill two women and attack several others.…
Imagine a phone network built exclusively for criminals. Encrypted. Untraceable. Designed to destroy evidence at the touch of a button. For years, EncroChat gave drug cartels, hitmen and money launderers the confidence to plan serious crime openly, believing they were untouchable. They were wrong. Andy & Neil tell the full story: why EncroChat was created, how it became organised crime's communication platform of choice, and how police ultimately infiltrated it in one of the biggest cross-border operations in law enforcement history. With Tony Saggers - former Head of Drugs Threat &…
Two of PC Andrew Harper's killers will soon be eligible for early release. They were convicted of manslaughter after dragging a police officer to his death - and under the government's early release scheme, they could soon walk free at the halfway point of their sentences. Andy and Neil ask what this means for justice, for public trust, and for every officer putting themselves in danger on duty. Plus: after funeral director Robert Bush was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his crimes, they discuss how he got away with it, and whether this is the tip of the iceberg in an industry built on…
When a specialist firearms officer fired the shot that killed Mark Duggan in August 2011, no one could have predicted what would follow. Within days, a community protest in Tottenham had erupted into disorder across London - and then into the worst rioting Britain had seen in a generation. Was Duggan lawfully killed, or the victim of police brutality? How did the police lose control of the streets? And was it always inevitable that this shooting would escalate into something far bigger? Andy unpacks the long history of tension between police and Duggan's North London community, while Neil…
Killers and sex offenders were being lined up for early release later this year - until new PM Andy Burnham paused the scheme. Was that the right call? Can letting people convicted of serious offences out after half their sentence ever be justified? Andy & Neil debate the government's options as it scrambles for a short-term fix to Britain's never-ending prisons crisis. They also ask what police can realistically do about the depressing spike in domestic abuse that accompanies every major football tournament, and Neil explains how Russian spies tracked down Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, even…
You've seen the Hollywood movies - but what is hostage negotiation really like? John Sutherland spent decades as one of the Met Police's most accomplished crisis negotiators. In this episode, he gives Andy and Neil the inside track: how it feels to have a life in your hands, what you actually say in those moments, and how he coped when things didn't go to plan. From talking down hostage-takers armed with suicide vests and flamethrowers, to helping ordinary people through the worst day of their lives, John reveals the reality behind the role most of us only know from the big screen. Later, he…
A 14-year-old boy was recently charged with terrorism offences. Were Andy and Neil surprised? Less than you might think. They explain what's behind the trend in terror suspects getting younger and why it should worry us. They also take on the new Hillsborough Law, which legally compels institutions to tell the truth in public inquiries. What does it say about policing and public bodies that the government felt this law was necessary? Neil has his say. They also discuss why the World Cup saw so little hooliganism and why Trump's ICE agents kept such a low profile during the tournament. Plus,…
Many people called it an act of war. The 2018 Salisbury Poisonings remains one of the most infamous criminal cases in British history - and Neil was the man who led the investigation. In this episode, he reveals how police, the security services and MI6 worked together to identify the Russian agents who carried out the Novichok attack, and why he still lives in hope of bringing them to justice. But should the local police and MI5 have known that former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal was living an apparently normal life in Salisbury? Andy challenges Neil on whether the failure to flag…
The UK government has finally proscribed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, but what does that actually mean in practice? Andy and Neil break down what labelling the IRGC a terror group gives police and security services the power to do, and whether it will make any real difference. Neil also explains why Counter Terror Police may have taken over the Ann Widdecombe investigation, and reveals whether the Met's famous Flying Squad are still armed and operational. Plus: should police tell the public more or less about ongoing investigations? Andy makes the case for how forces can…
Counter-Terrorism Police have confirmed that the killing of Ann Widdecombe was a 'targeted attack'. So how does an investigation like this actually work? Why did it take days for CT Policing to take over from Devon & Cornwall? And why did the local force publicly rule out a political motive, only to reverse that position 24 hours later? In this special episode, Andy and Neil break down what we know, examine how the investigation has been handled, and ask whether MPs and public figures need more protection than they're currently getting. Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents The Crime…
The leader of the Rochdale grooming gang has been freed after just 14 years - and the government says it can't deport him. Andy and Neil dissect how Shabir Ahmed ended up back on British streets, discuss why the case has provoked such fury, and give their view on what should happen to him now. They also ask whether justice has finally been served after two teenage boys who raped young girls in Hampshire were given custodial sentences on appeal. Plus, Andy explains why rapists are often given such short prison sentences, and Neil gives his view on whether sex offenders should ever be eligible…
On 22 May 2013, Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered in broad daylight on a London street. His killers didn't flee, they waited, bloodied weapons in hand, and spoke to camera. It remains one of the most shocking terrorist attacks on British soil. Neil was a Met police commander in southeast London that day. He reveals what happened inside the Met's leadership team in the minutes after the attack, why it took 15 minutes for armed officers to arrive, and what the footage of those officers' response tells us about the reality of policing. Together, Andy and Neil examine the uncomfortable questions…
About The Crime Agents
If you want to understand what’s really happening on Britain’s streets, you need to hear this.
The Crime Agents, the new podcast from the makers of The News Agents, goes beyond the headlines to uncover the truth behind crime that affects all of us. Why is violence rising? Why is public trust in th
The Crime Agents is a English true crime podcast from Global. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.
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