The Crime Agents

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 detectives test a victim's credibility, why reporting it to anyone straight away can become powerful evidence in court and what can be done to encourage victims to seek justice.Andy and Neil also take on prison overcrowding and whether more low-level offenders could simply be put under house arrest. The Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has warned of more than 100 tag breaches a day, with the vast majority of those caught simply released again. Is tagging a genuine punishment, or a system that's been handed to the police to prop up?Plus: if you're innocent until proven guilty, why do suspects' names end up in the press? Neil explains the rare occasions police do release a name, Andy reveals why reporters often sit on names they already have, and they discuss how naming a charged suspect can bring more victims forward.And finally, a question they couldn't resist: what frightens criminals more, armed police or dog units?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.

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 in identification and could there be new clues uncovered after all this time? Andy and Neil answer your questionsThen: what it really takes to make a film like Andy's recent ‘London gangs special report’. What goes on behind the scenes and how many months of build up does it take to complete?Plus, what is a serving officer obliged to do off duty? And how much of the law do you take into your personal life? Neil explains all on why the badge is a 24/7 responsibility.And the case for prevention: Glasgow's decade-long experiment, youth workers waiting at hospital bedsides, and the chicken shop moment that explains what policing is really about.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.

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 the five suspects weren't held on remand for longer. Plus, they examine the likelihood of a hostile state - such as Iran - being involved in whatever happened in Gloucestershire in the early hours of Sunday morning.They also discuss whether the police can and should be doing any more to crack down on the activities of individuals such as Danny Tommo, who was recently charged with criminal damage after an incident in the Channel. And can any more be done to protect the RNLI, who are coming under increasing hostility from far-right activists?Andy & Neil also respond to the news that Scotland Yard is re-examining CCTV in the Jill Dando case. How much can enhancement technology realistically pull out of such old tape — and 27 years on, what would detectives genuinely need to turn a blurred figure on a screen into a named suspect?And Mick asks about the Parole Board's decision to hear Jon Venables' latest review in private, despite James Bulger's mother Denise Fergus asking for it to be held in public. She says secrecy fuels misinformation, so who is a private hearing really protecting? And should victims' families have a say in that call?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.

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 officially identified. Neil explains what a case like this really looks like from inside the incident room, and why some suspects stay out of reach even when police have CCTV and eyewitnesses.Then: should frontline UK officers routinely carry firearms? In an increasingly violent world, would police and the public be safer if they were armed, rather than having to wait for a specialist unit to arrive? Andy and Neil debate the pros and cons of more police officers carrying guns on Britain's streets.Also this week, the security headache of a Prime Minister who wants to take part in the Great North Run. How do protection officers keep him safe at such a crowded event? And finally, the question every journalist wrestles with: how do you know when a story is finished? Andy reflects on his investigation into London's gang war, and whether there's one single cause behind it at all.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.

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 Policing - takes on the uncomfortable comparison: where exactly is the line between direct action, criminality and terrorism?Andy and Neil also tackle the judge's controversial decision to declare a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case. How do investigators and prosecutors actually go about establishing intent when the central question is what was happening inside someone's mind? And if reports of an 11-1 jury split in favour of acquittal are accurate, was the judge right to declare a mistrial? That leads them into another listener challenge, prompted by a recent episode: should individual police officers have ignored the orders they were given at the Sarah Everard vigil in 2021?Plus, Neil has argued it's healthy that senior officers are pushing back publicly against political criticism, so should judges be allowed to do the same, explaining their decisions and answering their critics? Would that strengthen public trust in the justice system, or wreck it? And to finish, the pair pick their favourite fictional detectives - and the ones they wouldn't want covering their back on a real job.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.

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.

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.

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.