The Crime Agents

Episódios

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  Cracking an 'unsolvable' double murder 14.09.2026 49min

  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 reveals the parts of this story that never made the headlines. Why Crimewatch turned the appeal down. What a serious case review later concluded about the state's failure to protect Toni-Ann. And the moment the silence finally broke: a march through Kensal Rise, an anniversary appeal, and a single phone call that changed everything.Then Andy and Neil turn to Operation Trident, the unit this investigation fell under. What was Trident actually set up to do? Why did the killing of a child become so important to it? And if community trust is what cracked this case, what could the police still learn from it today?Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Q&A: Were police too soft on masked mobs in Dover & Portsmouth? 10.09.2026 22min

  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 need to change? They also look at whether the intelligence services will be assessing the threat from groups run by far-right agitators such as Tommy Robinson and Danny Tommo; where is the line between public disorder and a national security concern?Plus Andy & Neil give their reactions to yet another heist in France after millions of pounds of Renoir paintings were stolen from a gallery. Why does this keep happening? Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Hillsborough: the cover-up that shamed British policing 07.09.2026 58min

  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 across the Pennines with no way of knowing whether the people they loved were alive or dead, and the furious supporters who made it home and went on the airwaves in an attempt to stop the smear campaign against them.Together they unpick how the cover-up began almost immediately, who gained from it, and the role the media played in carrying it. They examine the case of David Duckenfield, the newly promoted Chief Superintendent commanding his first big match, and why families believe the system failed to hold anyone to account. They also ask what the disaster changed in football, in policing, and in how the British state behaves when it's caught in a lie. Ninety-seven people were unlawfully killed. Nobody has ever been convicted. Was this the biggest police cover-up in British history?Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Q&A: Digital ID mission creep, scrapping the 43 forces & are the CPS friend or foe? 03.09.2026 23min

  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 Service. How closely do the two work during an investigation, when does the CPS actually get involved, and what happens when detectives are convinced they have enough to charge and the CPS disagrees? Are the CPS a friend to the police - or a foe?Plus: Sir Mark Rowley wants the 43 police forces of England and Wales merged into fewer, larger regional ones. Is that a serious fix, or asking turkeys to vote for Christmas when Chief Constables would be voting themselves out of a job? And last but not least: is 30 too old to become a police officer? And can a career as a detective ever fit around raising a family?Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  David Carrick: why did nobody stop the rapist police officer? 31.08.2026 52min

  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 Met. He and Andy explain the vetting failures that allowed Carrick into the police in the first place, and the subsequent failings which meant his crimes were never properly investigated until it was far too late.Andy also tells the story of his exclusive interview with one of Carrick's victims, who described the reality of his abuse: being locked inside the house, cameras installed to monitor her, being denied food, and being told she wasn't allowed to speak on one of the rare occasions he let her meet his fellow officers socially.They explain how Carrick was finally caught and debate whether policing is doing enough to address the cultural issues laid bare by this case and the murder of Sarah Everard.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Q&A: Harry & Meghan's security row, Middlesbrough crash arrests & the Lindsay Clancy trial 27.08.2026 25min

  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 dangerous driving has become commonplace on our roads? Andy and Neil also tackle the pace of the investigation: 17 arrests within a few days. Neil explains whether police really do pull out all the stops when their colleagues are killed in the line of duty.Plus they look at the Lindsay Clancy trial: do American and British justice systems need to deal with cases potentially involving severe post-partum mental illness more sensitively?Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Sarah Everard: the murder that broke trust in the police 24.08.2026 51min

  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 was like for officers to build a murder case against one of their own.Together they discuss what it says about police culture that a man nicknamed 'the rapist' by his colleagues had been allowed to stay in uniform, and whether this was the biggest crisis the Met's leadership has ever faced. They examine the Clapham Common vigil and whether the force's handling of it was defensible, why Dame Cressida Dick lost her job, and whether women and girls will ever feel like they can trust the police again.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Q&A: Farage vs Essex Police, the Mushroom Murderer's appeal & London Falling 20.08.2026 26min

  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 "devastated," most people felt she was guilty. But how often do detectives get an instinctive feeling that someone did it? And can that gut instinct help or hinder an investigation?Plus: has CCTV revolutionised crime-solving in the same way DNA once did? And do the benefits of Ring doorbells on every street outweigh 'Big Brother' concerns? Andy and Neil also dig into the unsolved death of Zac Brettler, the case at the heart of Patrick Radden Keefe's London Falling, and whether the Met's investigation was as flawed as the reporting suggests.Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Murders, stabbings, terror plots: are Britain's MPs safe? 17.08.2026 49min

  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 already stretched resources.They're also joined by Philip Grindell, a former Met Detective turned private security expert who helped establish The Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team after Jo Cox's murder. Philip explains how the threat environment has changed, how he now protects high-profile individuals from targeted violence, and why he believes some MPs embellish the level of threats they receive when speaking publicly.Finally, Andy and Neil confront the difficult question: can we realistically protect more of our politicians, and what would it cost our democracy if we tried?Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Q&A: Kinahan in court & how police let Simon Levy kill 13.08.2026 28min

  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. Does this prove, once and for all, that the police are institutionally misogynistic? Andy and Neil break down what went wrong, and how much damage this case does to the police's efforts to rebuild trust with women and girls.Plus, the latest on PC Andrew Harper's killers, how police operations are named, and, last but not least: who has dubbed Neil 'Manly' Tucci?!Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  How police infiltrated Europe’s biggest drug cartels 10.08.2026 43min

  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 & Intelligence at the NCA - they explain what happened when police gained access to the messages of tens of thousands of criminals, leading to lengthy sentences for crime bosses and hundreds of millions in illicit funds seized.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Q&A: PC Andrew Harper's killers, funeral director horror & why cops don't report their own 06.08.2026 29min

  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 trust.And why does it so often take undercover journalists to expose police misconduct, rather than the officers working alongside it? After the Charing Cross scandal, Andy and Neil dig into why the culture of silence endures and what it would actually take to break it.Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Mark Duggan: the shooting that sparked nationwide riots 03.08.2026 56min

  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 takes us inside the Met at the moment London descended into chaos. 15 years on, are we still living with the consequences?Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Q&A: Prison early release scheme, domestic abuse & how did Russia find the Skripals? 30.07.2026 30min

  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 though neither police nor MI5 knew where he was living.Plus: can having a criminal parent stop you joining the police? And Andy shares tips for young reporters trying to build trusted law enforcement sources.Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  ‘Are you ready to save a life?’ The reality of hostage negotiation 27.07.2026 42min

  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 also explains how the job almost broke him, and how he rebuilt his life as a Sunday Times best-selling author and novelist.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Q&A: Child terror suspects, Hillsborough Law & how long do police keep fingerprints on record? 23.07.2026 27min

  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, they reveal how long police keep your fingerprints on record, and they look at whether the Met is right to force experienced, specialist officers back onto the beat; is this another move that will damage morale in the ranks?Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  The Salisbury Poisonings: the day Putin attacked Britain 20.07.2026 47min

  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 his presence was a justifiable decision or a dangerous blind spot.Plus, they explain what you'll learn from the new CNN documentary The Salisbury Poisonings: The Spy Next Door, in which Neil plays a prominent role.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Q&A: Ann Widdecombe, the Flying Squad and should the IRGC be banned? 16.07.2026 24min

  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 rebuild public trust through better communication.Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Special episode: why Counter-Terror Police have taken over Ann Widdecombe investigation 14.07.2026 38min

  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: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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  Q&A: Rochdale grooming gang leader & should sex offenders ever get early release? 09.07.2026 28min

  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 for the government's early release scheme.Later, Andy reveals whether his undercover reporting has ever put him in enough danger to need close protection.Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.