The Crime Agents

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.

07/09/2026 • 58:56

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 thecrimeagents@global.com 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.

03/09/2026 • 23:32

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.

31/08/2026 • 52:05

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 thecrimeagents@global.com 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.

27/08/2026 • 25:32

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.

24/08/2026 • 51:37

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 thecrimeagents@global.com 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.

20/08/2026 • 26:04

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.

17/08/2026 • 49:54

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 thecrimeagents@global.com 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.

13/08/2026 • 28:25

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.

10/08/2026 • 43:03

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 thecrimeagents@global.com 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.

06/08/2026 • 29:13

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.

03/08/2026 • 56:56

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 thecrimeagents@global.com 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.

30/07/2026 • 30:19

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.

27/07/2026 • 42:35

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 thecrimeagents@global.com 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.

23/07/2026 • 27:45

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.

20/07/2026 • 47:01

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 thecrimeagents@global.com 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.

16/07/2026 • 24:20

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.

14/07/2026 • 38:01

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 thecrimeagents@global.com 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.

09/07/2026 • 28:55

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 this case still raises: How were both attackers already known to MI5? Why was hate preacher Anjem Choudary allowed to radicalise young men for decades before being stopped? Should the media have broadcast a terrorist's self-made martyrdom video? And how did the murder of one soldier become the launchpad for a national far-right movement?Andy was in the newsroom when the infamous footage first surfaced, and at the EDL rally in Newcastle three days later when Tommy Robinson exploited Lee Rigby's death to galvanise thousands. This is the story of how one act of terror fractured British society in ways we're still living with 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.

06/07/2026 • 48:58

Should a police commissioner publicly criticise the mayor who holds him to account? Sir Mark Rowley did exactly that after Sadiq Khan blocked the Met from working with Palantir, the AI company built on CIA technology. Neil explains the unwritten rules of police leadership, and why he understands the intervention, even if it breaks their relationship.Andy also responds to a listener who asks: why didn't he go straight to MI5 when he uncovered intelligence connected to the Manchester Arena bombing? He explains where the line sits between investigative journalism and national security, and what he'd do differently now.Plus, how shows like 24 Hours in Police Custody actually get made, why most police forces say no to cameras, and what Neil learned when a documentary crew followed his murder squad around for ten months. And finally, if Andy had to join the police, would he pick up a detective's notebook or join the armed response unit?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.

02/07/2026 • 25:03

Valdo Calocane was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He'd been arrested and sectioned for violent offences multiple times. He was known to carry knives. And yet on a June morning in 2023, he was free to roam the streets of Nottingham, where he killed three innocent people.In this episode, Emma Webber - mother of 19-year-old victim Barnaby - tells Andy and Neil about her fight for answers. She reveals how the families discovered the deaths were preventable, the litany of failures by police and mental health services that left Calocane free to kill, and her fury that not a single person has been held accountable for the errors that cost Barnaby, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates their lives.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.

29/06/2026 • 41:08

Andy Burnham looks to be on the cusp of becoming the next Prime Minister. In this Q&A episode, Andy and Neil reveal how police work out which politicians need close protection, and whether Burnham will automatically be getting extra security now he's back in Parliament.Plus, a knife attack in Edinburgh reportedly targeted Muslims and left five people injured, so why didn't it get more news coverage? Andy explains how newsrooms decide which stories lead the agenda, while Neil asks the uncomfortable question: would this have received more attention if the alleged attacker was Muslim and the victims were white?They also give their verdict on Peter Murrell's five-year sentence for embezzling SNP funds, and debate whether fraudsters like him deserve space in our overcrowded prisons.And in the shocking case of a child allegedly thrown into a crocodile enclosure at a Cambridgeshire zoo, Andy and Neil explain why a suspect arrested on suspicion of attempted murder might still be granted bail.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.

25/06/2026 • 20:14

The Manchester Arena bombing was the deadliest terror attack in Britain in a decade. Salman Abedi killed 22 people - including children and teenagers - when he detonated a bomb at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. But how was he able to do it? And how was his brother finally brought to justice years later?Neil was a senior counter-terrorism figure at the time. He reveals how the security services responded, where the intelligence failures were, and the painstaking effort to prosecute Hashem Abedi for his role in the plot.Andy had spent months in Manchester before the attack, investigating a different terror cell, and explains how so many members of a community on one Moss Side estate became radicalised by ISIS.Plus, they both explain how the tragedy led to Martyn's Law, and whether what we learned from this attack is enough to prevent the next one.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.

22/06/2026 • 50:22

Hampshire Constabulary — the same force that arrested murder victim Henry Nowak as he lay dying — is now under investigation for dismissing a rape report made by one of its own officers. Andy reveals how that failure had devastating consequences, and he and Neil tackle the deeper question: why do so many police officers still refuse to believe rape survivors?They also take on the government's plan to ban social media for under-16s. Many think it sounds good in theory, but can it actually be enforced? Andy and Neil give their verdict on whether this is meaningful policy or an unenforceable headline.Plus, Andy goes into more detail about what he saw during his reporting on last week's Belfast riots, and Neil is challenged over his view that two-tier policing doesn't exist in the UK.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.

18/06/2026 • 35:06

Nearly 60,000 suspects skipped court in England and Wales last year. Thousands still haven't been found.Investigative journalist Matt Shea has spent months tracking down some of Britain's most wanted fugitives – from safehouses in North London to red light districts in Thailand – for his Channel 4 Dispatches film Hunting Britain's Fugitives. He joins Andy and Neil to reveal how he found people the system hasn't caught up with, and why so many suspects now feel emboldened to simply not show up.Plus they discuss what exactly has gone so wrong with British justice that attending court feels optional, and what would it take to fix it.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.

15/06/2026 • 44:01

As Belfast burned on Tuesday night, Andy was there. In this special episode, he delivers a full eyewitness report from the riots: the violence, the racism, and the fury that erupted on the streets of Northern Ireland's capital.Andy & Neil explain how a horrific knife attack by a Sudanese man on Monday night led to calls for protest within hours, and how those calls spiralled into widespread disorder. They discuss why immigration has become such a flashpoint in Northern Ireland, whether the Common Travel Area represents a genuine security gap, and what can be done to stop this unrest spreading, as it did in the Southport riots two years ago.Later, they examine the role played by the likes of Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk in stoking division, and break down whether law enforcement has any real power to curb their influence. Neil also gives his personal response to the growing levels of racism on Britain's streets, and explains his fear that a 'race war' could be coming to the UK.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.

10/06/2026 • 41:06

The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest football tournament in history, but it could also be the most dangerous.Andy reveals the shockingly small number of British police officers travelling to the US for the tournament, and explains why that makes hooliganism and crowd trouble at England and Scotland matches far more likely. What happens when rowdy English football fans meet armed, heavy-handed American cops?Later, Neil breaks down the terror threat: why ISIS and other groups may see the World Cup as a target, and what he learned preparing London for the 2012 Olympics as a senior Met Police officer. Plus: could Trump's ICE agents pose a threat to Latin American and Middle Eastern fans attending the tournament?And back in Britain, how is law enforcement preparing for a summer of international football? From the predictable spike in domestic violence, to the challenge of policing fan zones across major cities, Andy & Neil give you the inside track on everything you need to know.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.

08/06/2026 • 34:35

Nigel Farage has spent all week trying to weaponise the murder of Henry Nowak for his own political gain. In this episode, Andy & Neil react to the shocking policing which saw Henry wrongly arrested as he lay dying, explain how the officers should have responded in that situation, and debunk Farage's claims that 'two-tier' policing is now prevalent in the UK.Neil gives a passionate & personal explanation of why those claims that ethnic minorities are now treated better by police than white people are so wide of the mark, and they discuss whether more unrest is likely to follow Tuesday night's riot in Southampton, which involved the notorious far-right activist, Tommy Robinson.Andy & Neil also analyse whether there is any truth to the idea that national police guidance needs to be reworded, and whether it's time for the law to change to ban people from legally carrying the kirpan, the Sikh ceremonial dagger which was used to kill Henry Nowak.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.

04/06/2026 • 41:09

Should parents ever be held criminally responsible for the actions of their children? In the wake of the inquiry into the Southport murders, the government is considering whether parents who fail to act on serious warning signs should, in some cases, face prosecution. Andy and Neil debate whether that would be a fair and effective change in the law, or a step too far.They also revisit one of Britain’s most notorious police investigations: the undercover “honeytrap” operation used against Colin Stagg after the murder of Rachel Nickell. Would controversial tactics like that still be used today?Plus, Andy gives a firm answer on whether prisoners should have the vote, and he & Neil share some of the most bizarre moments from their careers - including how Andy ended up appearing in an episode of Top Boy.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.

01/06/2026 • 24:50

Over 100 survivors of John Worboys' abuse have now come forward to police; but after the recent TV drama 'Believe Me', that number is still growing, decades after Worboys first attacked the women who were unlucky enough to get in his black cab. In this episode, Andy & Neil hear from survivor Becki Houlston, who tells her story, and that of another victim, which leaves Andy & Neil questioning why Worboys was never charged with attempted murder as well as rapes and sexual assaults.Becki explains why she and so many other survivors were initially reluctant to go to the police, as well as describing the police failures she's had to deal with in the last few years. Later, they discuss whether this case has fundamentally changed the way the authorities deal with victims of sexual crimes, and whether someone like Worboys could still get away with similar crimes 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.

28/05/2026 • 39:58