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The Crime Agents

The Crime Agents

By: Global
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About this listen

If you want to understand what’s really happening on Britain’s streets, you need to hear this. The Crime Agents, the new podcast from the makers of The News 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. For advertising opportunities on this podcast email: dax@global.comCopyright 2025 Global Politics & Government Social Sciences True Crime
Episodes
  • 'Two-tier' policing: are cops tougher on some protesters than others?
    Aug 27 2025

    All summer, Britain's police have been kept busy by a range of protests. From demonstrations outside asylum hotels, to marches in support of Palestine Action, thousands of people have taken to the streets to make their voices heard from across the political spectrum. But have the police handled these protests even-handedly?

    To answer that, Andy and Neil go back to the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and the vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common in 2021, to look at the origins of so-called 'two-tier' policing and why these events are so hard to keep under control. Neil takes us inside the Gold Command Centre to explain how officers prepare for major demonstrations, and Andy reveals the protest which made him feel more unsafe than he ever had before in the UK.

    Later, Andy gives us a firsthand account of this year's Notting Hill Carnival - and he and Neil discuss whether the debate about where the event should be held in the future has gone away for good.

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    42 mins
  • What’s the future of Notting Hill Carnival?
    Aug 20 2025

    Notting Hill Carnival is Europe's biggest street festival. It's been a fixture of London's cultural scene for decades and it's attended by millions every August Bank Holiday. But the event also regularly attracts negative headlines, with several murders and many more violent incidents in the last few years. So should Carnival be allowed to continue in its current form?

    On the eve of this year's event, Andy and Neil take a look at the history of Notting Hill Carnival and why it's so important for Britain's Caribbean community. They also discuss the idea of moving the festival to a different venue, and the possibility of a Hillsborough-style crush taking place if changes aren't made to the current format.

    Plus Andy and Neil reveal why officers consider the event 'unpoliceable' and suggest what can be done to make Carnival safer in the future. Later, Neil explains how the festival's Gold Commander once got into a social media spat with Stormzy - and lost.

    Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

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    42 mins
  • Q&A: Should police reveal suspects' ethnicities?
    Aug 17 2025

    The Q&A is back! In this week's episode, Andy and Neil answer your questions on one of the major talking points from last week: an announcement of new guidance suggesting police should reveal the ethnicity of suspects in 'high-profile and sensitive' cases. Is greater transparency a step forward? Or could this lead to more racial tensions in the UK? Tune in to hear which way Andy and Neil think it will go.

    Plus: has social media helped or hindered counter-terror police in their efforts to foil terror plots? Is it time to consider decriminalising drug use? And is there such a thing as a 'charming' serious criminal?

    Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Email it to thecrimeagents@global.com or send it via social media: @thecrimeagents on all major platforms

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    24 mins
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