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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 2026 Global Politics & Government Social Sciences True Crime
Episodes
  • Does Trump’s Iran war make the UK less safe?
    Mar 4 2026

    In this week's episode, Andy & Neil look at what impact the expanding war in the Middle East is having here in the UK. The Iranian regime has a long history of plotting terrorist acts and using proxies to hit targets on British soil - so will Keir Starmer's decision to allow the US to use British military bases to carry out strikes on Iran make us a target for retaliation?

    Neil explains how the IRGC - the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - has used sleeper cells and highly trained agents to cause chaos across the West over the last few years, and how British counter-terrorism police & the security services will have gone into overdrive since the conflict broke out over the weekend.

    Andy & Neil also talk through how any decision on whether or not to raise the UK's terror threat level will be made, and later they discuss Palestine Action for the first time since the High Court ruled last month that the government's decision to proscribe the group was 'unlawful'.

    Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

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    42 mins
  • Q&A: Andrew’s arrest, the evidence against Lucy Letby & should Hitler salutes be illegal?
    Mar 2 2026

    This week, Andy & Neil take your questions on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest, with Andy revealing the intriguing details he's been told by his sources about why the police search of Royal Lodge went on for almost a week.

    They also respond to questions about the reliability of the evidence used against Lucy Letby in the former neo-natal nurse's controversial trial, and Neil explains why the Sieg Heil - aka a Hitler salute - isn't technically illegal in the UK and many other countries.

    Later, Neil is forced to explain to Andy that he's been the victim of a wind-up by police officers over whether they are fined for running red lights while responding to an emergency call.

    Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Send it via email to thecrimeagents@global.com or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

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    24 mins
  • Who’s winning the war on gang violence?
    Feb 25 2026

    More than one child is murdered every week in the UK - but what if the solution to gang violence isn't tougher prison sentences or more stop & search? This week, Andy & Neil explain why the kids caught up in this violence seem to be getting younger, and Andy speaks to a gang member in the West Midlands - Britain's knife crime capital - to find out what life is really like for these youngsters.

    But across the country, more areas are using specialist taskforces and alternative approaches to tackle the problem, and are seeing some spectacular results. Andy & Neil are joined by Lib Peck, the Director of London's Violence Reduction Unit, and Sammy Odoi, a youth worker who works with kids at risk of falling into a life of crime, to hear firsthand how these units work, and why the tactic seems to be working in London.

    Is this a template for success which can be copied around the UK, and help to end the tragedy of young people killing each other for no good reason?

    Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents

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    44 mins
All stars
Most relevant
Great background to what you don’t get in the media with technical underpinning that supports the understanding of the police force and how process is carried out. Overall very well presented

Great technical and structural information

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love the insider perspective of crime in the UK. Highly recommended, must listen! Great work!

So interesting with incredible stories

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I am already hooked on this podcast I enjoyed the first two episodes so much I downloaded Neil's book and listened to that too. The right level of interest and suspence I highly recommend.

Really easy to listen to and super interesting

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