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  • Cocaine and punching police horses: inside football hooliganism
    2025/08/13

    You've seen The Football Factory and Green Street. You remember the chaotic scenes at Wembley for the Euro 2020 final. And for years you've heard hooliganism described as 'The English Disease'. But what is the reality of football hooliganism in the UK in 2025?

    This week, Andy tells the story of when he infiltrated one of the country's most notorious football firms, and Neil explains how even experienced police officers were shocked by the volume of Class A drugs being used by so-called fans who forced their way into Wembley back in 2021.

    Plus Andy reveals why the rise of the far-right briefly led to a drop in the number of violent incidents and arrests at football matches - and why those numbers are now on the rise again as the new Premier League season gets underway. Later, they discuss whether there's any justification for cash-strapped police forces footing the bill for policing football, when billionaire-owned clubs spend their money on transfers instead.

    Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

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    41 分
  • Policing, politics, prejudice: 30 years on the frontline
    2025/08/11

    In this week's bonus episode, Andy quizzes Neil on some of the most memorable moments from his 30 year policing career. For example, Neil tells the harrowing story behind his most memorable murder case - the 2003 shooting of drug dealer Tony Byfield and his 7 year old daughter, Toni-Ann - and the unlikely way he and his team eventually cracked the case.

    Neil also explains why being too outspoken cost him the chance to become Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police - aka the country's top cop - and how his ethnicity counted against him at every stage of his policing career.

    Later, Neil finally tells Andy how he got his nickname of 'Bash' - and reveals the one key trait all police officers need to survive in a job that pushes you to the limit nearly every single day.

    Have a question for the next bonus episode of The Crime Agents? Send it to thecrimeagents@global.com

    Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents on all major platforms

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    30 分
  • Inside a Manhunt: on the tail of an armed drug dealer
    2025/08/06

    When a criminal goes on the run, what do police do to try and catch them? In this episode, Andy is given exclusive access to a Met Police firearms unit who are on the tail of an armed drug dealer. Listen to find out exactly what happens when a manhunt starts - and whether the police can get their man.

    Later, Andy and Neil look back on one of the most famous British manhunts of all: when Raoul Moat when on the run back in 2010. Andy explains how Gazza and Ray Mears ended up with cameo roles in the story that gripped the nation, while Neil explains what police learned from the mistakes they made in that most high-profile of cases.

    Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

    Send Andy and Neil a question to thecrimeagents@global.com

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    34 分
  • Broken justice: why criminals are getting away with it
    2025/07/30

    Why are there 5 year backlogs in some of Britain's courts? Why are our prisons so full? And why doesn't any government seem interested in fixing the broken criminal justice system? In this week's episode, Neil and Andy look at who is to blame for breaking the system - and if it's too late for anything to be done to repair it.

    Andy explains the maddening reality of a day in court - and why Britain's once-revered judiciary has been allowed to become a 'shambles'. And Neil gives his view on whether Keir Starmer should be making fixing these problems a higher priority, given his background as Chief Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service.

    Plus Neil and Andy give you a step-by-step guide through the criminal justice system, from what happens the moment someone is arrested, to when they finally get their day in court.

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    42 分
  • Is the far-right hijacking legitimate immigration protests?
    2025/07/28

    Protesters gathered outside the Bell Hotel in Epping for a 5th time this weekend - and there were also demonstrations outside other migrant hotels in several more towns around the UK. Andy went to Epping to see the protest for himself - and to find out if the far-right is trying to exploit the legitimate concerns local people have about these hotels and illegal immigration.

    Hear what happened when Andy confronted Callum Barker - a prominent member of the far-right Homeland Party - at Sunday's protest. Andy's also joined by Joe Mulhall from campaign group Hope Not Hate, who explains how the extreme right is trying to weaponise illegal immigration across the UK.

    Meanwhile, Neil dials in from Australia to give his verdict on whether we might see widespread unrest and even riots in Britain this summer.

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    30 分
  • Q&A: Were the Sycamore Gap vandals given too long a prison sentence?
    2025/07/25

    Can it be right that the two men who needlessly felled the iconic Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall were sentenced to four years in prison? After all, that's the same as the minimum sentence for someone convicted of rape.

    That's one of the questions that Andy and Neil tackle in this week's bonus episode of The Crime Agents - listen to hear whether they think this is an example of a judge bowing to the weight of public opinion, or fitting punishment for a crime that shocked the country.

    They also take your questions on whether it's right that sacked police officers can be reinstated against a Chief Constable's wishes, the legal rights of journalists and police officers when they go undercover - and if there's any case for the return of the death penalty in the UK.

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    26 分
  • How to foil a terror plot
    2025/07/23

    No one ever forgets a terror attack. But what about the dozens which are foiled at the last minute? Or the threats which are stopped in their tracks months before they can become a reality? In this episode, Neil reveals the most memorable attack he ever thwarted in his time as Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, and the details of how police, MI5 and GCHQ work together to stop terrorists from committing mass murder.

    Meanwhile Andy explains how he too helped to uncover a terrorist cell in Manchester - and reminds Neil of the vital role the media can play in tackling terror threats.

    Plus, the pair react to Nigel Farage saying he wants police to look bigger and more intimidating. Would this help to make our streets safer? Should the public and criminals alike fear the police? Neil and Andy give their verdicts.

    Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

    Send Andy and Neil a question to thecrimeagents@global.com

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    49 分
  • Q&A: Should Shamima Begum be allowed back in the UK?
    2025/07/17

    Neil and Andy address the controversial issue of Shamima Begum, and whether it's right that she was stripped of her British citizenship, in this week's bonus episode. Neil recalls the moment when the then Home Secretary Sajid Javid interrupted his meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May to announce that he'd made that decision - and the pair discuss whether Begum should be allowed back in the UK now.

    They also answer your questions on stop & search: invaluable tool for fighting knife crime, or a tactic which damages community relations beyond repair? And what exactly does 'county lines' mean? Andy explains and Neil reveals why it poses such a major problem for British police forces.

    Got a question? Send it to thecrimeagents@global.com or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

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    25 分