The Crime Agents

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 police, the security services and MI6 worked together to identify the Russian agents who carried out the Novichok attack, and why he still lives in hope of bringing them to justice.
But should the local police and MI5 have known that former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal was living an apparently normal life in Salisbury? Andy challenges Neil on whether the failure to flag his presence was a justifiable decision or a dangerous blind spot.
Plus, they explain what you'll learn from the new CNN documentary The Salisbury Poisonings: The Spy Next Door, in which Neil plays a prominent role.
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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.

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 security services the power to do, and whether it will make any real difference.
Neil also explains why Counter Terror Police may have taken over the Ann Widdecombe investigation, and reveals whether the Met's famous Flying Squad are still armed and operational.
Plus: should police tell the public more or less about ongoing investigations? Andy makes the case for how forces can rebuild public trust through better communication.
Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to thecrimeagents@global.com or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents
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.

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 & Cornwall? And why did the local force publicly rule out a political motive, only to reverse that position 24 hours later?
In this special episode, Andy and Neil break down what we know, examine how the investigation has been handled, and ask whether MPs and public figures need more protection than they're currently getting.
Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents
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.

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 has provoked such fury, and give their view on what should happen to him now.
They also ask whether justice has finally been served after two teenage boys who raped young girls in Hampshire were given custodial sentences on appeal. Plus, Andy explains why rapists are often given such short prison sentences, and Neil gives his view on whether sex offenders should ever be eligible for the government's early release scheme.
Later, Andy reveals whether his undercover reporting has ever put him in enough danger to need close protection.
Have a question for a future Q&A? Send it via email to thecrimeagents@global.com or follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents
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.

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 attacks on British soil.
Neil was a Met police commander in southeast London that day. He reveals what happened inside the Met's leadership team in the minutes after the attack, why it took 15 minutes for armed officers to arrive, and what the footage of those officers' response tells us about the reality of policing.
Together, Andy and Neil examine the uncomfortable questions this case still raises: How were both attackers already known to MI5? Why was hate preacher Anjem Choudary allowed to radicalise young men for decades before being stopped? Should the media have broadcast a terrorist's self-made martyrdom video? And how did the murder of one soldier become the launchpad for a national far-right movement?
Andy was in the newsroom when the infamous footage first surfaced, and at the EDL rally in Newcastle three days later when Tommy Robinson exploited Lee Rigby's death to galvanise thousands. This is the story of how one act of terror fractured British society in ways we're still living with today.
Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents
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.