The Crime Agents

What's it really like to be a bomb disposal expert? In this episode, Andy & Neil explain how the police use these experts to defuse bombs and to save lives - and reveal why their services are called on more often than you might think.They're joined for an exclusive interview by Matt Middleditch - the head of Counter Terrorism Policing's 'bomb squad' - who shares his stories from decades on the frontline in the police and the military.Later, Neil reacts to Andy's recent investigation exposing illegal children's care homes and explains how the authorities can get tougher on the individuals running these businesses and exploiting vulnerable children.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

In this special investigation, Andy exposes the scandal of the hundreds of illegal children's care homes which are operating all over the UK. In a joint investigation with Tom Wall and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Andy tells the horrifying story of a vulnerable 15 year-old girl who was groomed & raped by two 'carers' at one such home, who were given jobs working with children in spite of having a history of violent convictions.Tom Wall identified MAP Adventures and tracked McGrory down to Cyprus. Andy confronts the man who owned the care home in question, and explains why criminals and abusers are behind so many of the unlicensed homes which have been appearing over the past few years.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

Figures show that over 100 police officers are assaulted every day in the UK - so is it time for them all to carry a Taser in self-defence? Can all officers be trusted to carry these 'less lethal' weapons? Neil draws on his experience as former national lead for Tasers as he and Andy discuss whether it is now time for more British police to be armed. They also discuss whether the rise of the manosphere strengthens the case for banning social media for under 16s, and they explain why Martyn's Law - which requires all major venues to be better protected from terror attacks as a result of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing - has taken to long to be implemented. Later, find out why Neil never quite made the jump from Assistant Commissioner to Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and the role that one Boris Johnson had to play in that particular story... Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Send it by email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

Levi Bellfield was the first British prisoner to be sentenced to not one, but two whole life orders. He murdered three women, including the schoolgirl Milly Dowler, and was also convicted of multiple rapes and another attempted murder. In this episode, Andy & Neil speak to Neil Lancaster, one of the detectives who was a key part of the surveillance team which led to Bellfield's arrest, and hear what it was like to tail this monster for days on end.Neil Lancaster explains how he felt watching such an evil character up close - and how the killer very nearly escaped police's clutches as the surveillance operation reached a dramatic conclusion.Neil L spent decades as a detective working on cases such as Levi Bellfield's, but he's now one of the country's most popular & successful crime writers. He tells Andy and Neil how he's used his real-life experience to create memorable characters and gripping plots - and gives Neil Basu a few tips along the way as well!Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

In this week's Q&A episode, Neil reveals why he was once the subject of a death threat - and how one of his colleagues used some old-school tactics to deal with it. Meanwhile, Andy explains why the bomb squad were once called out to his house, and why he had to travel to work in a motorcade after receiving a death threat.Neil also goes into detail about the lasting impact the Soham Murders had on policing and safeguarding in Britain, and whether someone like Ian Huntley would ever get a job as a school caretaker today. Later, Andy & Neil clash over why Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor still appears to have some private protection officers, and who should pay for them. Plus, they respond to a question about how highly trained police horses - and their riders - have to be to keep the peace at football matches and major protests. Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Send it by email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

This week, Andy & Neil take a deep-dive into the manosphere: a world of toxic misogyny and con artists. But where exactly is the line between influence and incitement? When does ideology cross a line into criminality? What more, if anything, can police do to stop these influencers from poisoning young minds?Neil explains how he saw this problem grow exponentially during his time as head of counter-terrorism policing, and Andy reveals how some of the most shocking stories he's ever covered have links to the so-called manosphere.Later, they're joined by Victoria Baines, an expert in this world who's worked for law enforcement and major tech firms, to discuss whether criminalising misogyny would make any difference, and whether big tech actually cares about clamping down on this problem, or just about their bottom line.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

After his rant last week about 'police auditors', in this week's Q&A Andy is challenged over his view and asked whether the George Floyd case in fact proves that officers should be filmed by the public while they're doing their job. He and Neil discuss this - and Andy has an update on police policy towards these 'auditors' from a source at the Met.Neil also explains exactly why the Iran War is likely to increase the threat of a terror attack happening on British soil, and he explains how youth workers can play a significant role in cutting gang violence and preventing youngsters from embarking on a life of crime in the first place.Later, Andy & Neil take another question about whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was given a heads-up by police before his arrest last month, and Andy is put on the spot about whether he had ever been critical of Neil before they started making this podcast together...Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Send it via email to [email protected] or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

Ian Huntley, the notorious double child murderer, died last weekend after being attacked in prison. It wasn't the first time he had been attacked while he served his life sentence - and in this episode, Andy & Neil look at the growing problem of violence inside British prisons. They discuss how inmates fashion weapons for these attacks, why guards fail to prevent them, and how the hierarchy inside jails really works.They're joined by Vanessa Frake, a former prison Governor, who tells some alarming stories of overcrowding, drug use, and violence from her decades of firsthand experience. She reveals why Huntley would have been a target for fellow prisoners, and whether the problem is likely to get better or worse in the years to come.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

In this week's Q&A episode, Andy & Neil debate whether or not it's time to increase the age of criminal responsibility. It's currently 10 in England, Wales & Northern Ireland, but it's 12 in Scotland, and the UN recommends 14. Who's got it right? Andy cites the recent case where two 12 year-olds were convicted of murder in Wolverhampton and asks: would justice really have been served if they had been allowed to walk free?Andy & Neil also discuss some of the dangerous situations they've found themselves in during their careers, from receiving death threats from gang leaders to needing police protection after going undercover. They explain how their families and friends have reacted to them finding themselves in those situations, and what advice they'd give to anyone else following in their footsteps. Plus, Andy goes on a passionate rant in response to a question about controversial 'police auditors' - individuals who film their interactions with officers trying to do their jobs.Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Send it via email to [email protected], or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

In this week's episode, Andy & Neil look at what impact the expanding war in the Middle East is having here in the UK. The Iranian regime has a long history of plotting terrorist acts and using proxies to hit targets on British soil - so will Keir Starmer's decision to allow the US to use British military bases to carry out strikes on Iran make us a target for retaliation?Neil explains how the IRGC - the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - has used sleeper cells and highly trained agents to cause chaos across the West over the last few years, and how British counter-terrorism police & the security services will have gone into overdrive since the conflict broke out over the weekend.Andy & Neil also talk through how any decision on whether or not to raise the UK's terror threat level will be made, and later they discuss Palestine Action for the first time since the High Court ruled last month that the government's decision to proscribe the group was 'unlawful'.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents