Podcasts · True Crime · Society & Culture

The Crime Agents

Global

128 episodes · Explicit

If you want to understand what’s really happening on Britain’s streets, you need to hear this.

More about the show

The Crime 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 the police collapsing? And what’s really driving young people to kill each other?

Hosted by two insiders who have spent their lives chasing the answers, this is your front-row seat to the realities of crime today. Neil Basu, the former Head of UK Counter-Terrorism Policing, brings unparalleled experience from the front lines of law enforcement. Andy Hughes, LBC’s Crime Correspondent, has spent two decades exposing the criminal underworld as an award-winning investigative journalist.

Each week, The Crime Agents dives deep into the stories you think you know - from foiled terror plots and unsolved murders, to gang culture, far-right extremism, and the tactics police use to crack the toughest cases. With over 50 years of combined experience, Neil and Andy don’t just report on crime - they’ve lived it.

The 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.

For advertising opportunities on this podcast, email: GlobalStudiosSales@global.com

Episodes page 1 of 3

  1. "I solved Tupac's murder" - the detective's story

    · 41 min · Episode 96 · Explicit

    Tupac's killer first admitted his part in the crime years ago. So why did it take so long for him to be convicted? The 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur became the most speculated-about killing in music history: a case…

  2. Are criminal gangs fuelling riots in France?

    · 23 min · Episode 95 · Explicit

    Protests across France have turned into riots in many parts of the country in recent weeks. Thousands of people have been arrested and more unrest is expected this weekend. So are organised criminal gangs behind this…

  3. The Hatton Garden Heist: how 'one last job' fell apart

    · 43 min · Episode 94 · Explicit

    Easter, 2015. A group of pensioners and grandfathers - which included some of Britain's most notorious and hardened criminals - attempt an audacious heist on the world's most famous jewellery quarter: London's Hatton…

  4. Q&A: Russell Brand...how do police investigate a case like this?

    · 27 min · Episode 93 · Explicit

    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…

  5. Special Episode: Inside the Kinahan Crime Cartel

    · 42 min · Episode 94 · Explicit

    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…

  6. Q&A: Putney Pusher ID potential after 9 years, off-duty cops & can prevention stop violence?

    · 31 min · Episode 91 · Explicit

    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…

  7. Chris Kaba: the shooting that divided Britain

    · 55 min · Episode 90 · Explicit

    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…

  8. Q&A: Why were the RAF Fairford terror suspects bailed?

    · 25 min · Episode 89 · Explicit

    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…

  9. Tommy Robinson’s donations: Where does the money go?

    · 43 min · Episode 88 · Explicit

    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…

  10. Q&A: Why is the 'Putney Pusher' case still unsolved?

    · 30 min · Episode 87 · Explicit

    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…

  11. Special report: Inside London's gang war

    · 51 min · Episode 86 · Explicit

    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…

  12. Q&A: would the Suffragettes be labelled 'terrorists' under today's laws?

    · 25 min · Episode 85 · Explicit

    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…

  13. Cracking an 'unsolvable' double murder

    · 50 min · Episode 84 · Explicit

    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…

  14. Q&A: Were police too soft on masked mobs in Dover & Portsmouth?

    · 22 min · Episode 83 · Explicit

    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…

  15. Hillsborough: the cover-up that shamed British policing

    · 59 min · Episode 82 · Explicit

    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…

  16. Q&A: Digital ID mission creep, scrapping the 43 forces & are the CPS friend or foe?

    · 24 min · Episode 81 · Explicit

    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…

  17. David Carrick: why did nobody stop the rapist police officer?

    · 52 min · Episode 80 · Explicit

    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…

  18. Q&A: Harry & Meghan's security row, Middlesbrough crash arrests & the Lindsay Clancy trial

    · 26 min · Episode 79 · Explicit

    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…

  19. Sarah Everard: the murder that broke trust in the police

    · 52 min · Episode 78 · Explicit

    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…

  20. Q&A: Farage vs Essex Police, the Mushroom Murderer's appeal & London Falling

    · 26 min · Episode 77 · Explicit

    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…

  21. Murders, stabbings, terror plots: are Britain's MPs safe?

    · 50 min · Episode 76 · Explicit

    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?…

  22. Q&A: Kinahan in court & how police let Simon Levy kill

    · 28 min · Episode 75 · Explicit

    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…

  23. How police infiltrated Europe’s biggest drug cartels

    · 43 min · Episode 74 · Explicit

    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…

  24. Q&A: PC Andrew Harper's killers, funeral director horror & why cops don't report their own

    · 29 min · Episode 73 · Explicit

    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…

  25. Mark Duggan: the shooting that sparked nationwide riots

    · 57 min · Episode 72 · Explicit

    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…

  26. Q&A: Prison early release scheme, domestic abuse & how did Russia find the Skripals?

    · 30 min · Episode 71 · Explicit

    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…

  27. ‘Are you ready to save a life?’ The reality of hostage negotiation

    · 43 min · Episode 70 · Explicit

    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…

  28. Q&A: Child terror suspects, Hillsborough Law & how long do police keep fingerprints on record?

    · 28 min · Episode 69 · Explicit

    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…

  29. The Salisbury Poisonings: the day Putin attacked Britain

    · 47 min · Episode 68 · Explicit

    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…

  30. Q&A: Ann Widdecombe, the Flying Squad and should the IRGC be banned?

    · 24 min · Episode 67 · Explicit

    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…

  31. Special episode: why Counter-Terror Police have taken over Ann Widdecombe investigation

    · 38 min · Episode 66 · Explicit

    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 &…

  32. Q&A: Rochdale grooming gang leader & should sex offenders ever get early release?

    · 29 min · Episode 65 · Explicit

    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…

  33. Lee Rigby’s murder: The terror attack that launched a far-right movement

    · 49 min · Episode 64 · Explicit

    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…

  34. Q&A: The Palantir block, tipping off MI5 & 24 Hours in Police Custody

    · 25 min · Episode 63 · Explicit

    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.…

  35. Nottingham Attacks: the failures that let a killer roam free

    · 41 min · Episode 62 · Explicit

    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…

  36. Q&A: Andy Burnham’s police protection, Edinburgh machete attack & Peter Murrell's sentence

    · 20 min · Episode 61 · Explicit

    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…

  37. Manchester Arena bombing: the inside story of the terror attack that shook Britain

    · 50 min · Episode 60 · Explicit

    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.…

  38. Q&A: Social media ban, Belfast riots & why don't police believe rape survivors?

    · 35 min · Episode 59 · Explicit

    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…

  39. Britain's most wanted: hunting down fugitives

    · 44 min · Episode 58 · Explicit

    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…

  40. Special Episode: Inside the Belfast riots

    · 41 min · Episode 57 · Explicit

    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…

  41. The World Cup’s dark side: hooligans, ICE & terror threats

    · 35 min · Episode 56 · Explicit

    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…

  42. Henry Nowak's murder: a policing disaster hijacked by politics

    · 41 min · Episode 55 · Explicit

    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,…

  43. Q&A: Police 'Honeytraps' & should parents go to prison for their kids' crimes?

    · 25 min · Episode 54 · Explicit

    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…

  44. John Worboys: the true horror of the black cab rapist

    · 40 min · Episode 53 · Explicit

    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…

  45. Special episode: ‘bombshell’ Andrew revelations explained

    · 25 min · Episode 52 · Explicit

    The police investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is back in the headlines. In this special episode, Andy & Neil react to the latest developments and break down why it's so significant that detectives are now…

  46. James Bulger: the story that shocked the world

    · 46 min · Episode 51 · Explicit

    James Bulger was just 2 years old when he was abducted, tortured and murdered by 10 year olds Robert Thompson and Jon Venables in Liverpool in 1993. The story made headlines around the world, and in this episode, Andy…

  47. Q&A: Hunting people smugglers & how realistic is 'Legends'?

    · 30 min · Episode 50 · Explicit

    'Stopping the Boats': a task which has now proved beyond multiple governments, with over 200,000 people crossing the Channel to reach the UK in the past eight years. But who are the people smugglers running this…

  48. Mohamed Al Fayed: power, abuse & cover-up

    · 56 min · Episode 49 · Explicit

    Just like Jimmy Savile, for years Mohamed Al Fayed used his power and wealth to commit hundreds of sexual crimes and get away with it. In this episode, Andy & Neil hear from Cheska Hill-Wood, a former Harrods employee…

  49. Q&A: Andrew, Mandelson & is Palestine Action support about to collapse?

    · 31 min · Episode 48 · Explicit

    Four Palestine Action activists have just been convicted of serious criminal offences, including criminal damage and GBH. Will this start to change public perceptions of the proscribed group? Will ordinary people look…

  50. ‘How Dare You!’ Zack Polanski vs The Police

    · 50 min · Episode 47 · Explicit

    A series of arson attacks on synagogues and Jewish ambulances in the space of just a few weeks. Two terrorist attacks barely seven months apart: one in Manchester and then, last week, another in Golders Green, North…

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