It's the debate which won't go away: is stop and search a vital tool for making our streets safer? Or is it a blunt, overused tactic which unfairly targets ethnic minorities? In this episode, Andy and Neil unpack exactly how stop and search is meant to work, why it's so valued by police officers - and why it’s such a cause of tension between police and the black community in particular.

They're also joined by campaigner and activist Sayce Holmes-Lewis, who's been stopped by the police dozens of times and now works with the Met to improve the way the tactic is used. Sayce, Andy, and Neil debate what the future should be for stop and search - and whether more diversity in police forces would improve community relations.

Later, Andy speaks to Lewis Goodall from The News Agents to hear about his new Global Original podcast, Coining It.

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Have a question for the next Q&A episode? Send it to [email protected]

The UK is the biggest consumer of illegal drugs in Europe. From the British Pablo Escobar in the 1980s, to Albanian gangs taking over in the last decade, and a crack cocaine epidemic in between, Andy and Neil tell the story of how this shocking fact came to be a reality.

They're also joined by Tony Saggers - the man who, until recently, was the head of Drugs Threat at the National Crime Agency. Tony reveals the key role that pineapples and bananas play in drug smuggling, how the industry has changed since Brexit, and gives his theory on why Brits are so partial to illegal substances.

Later, Andy and Neil discuss whether characters like the notorious smuggler Howard Marks are responsible for glamourising the drugs trade - and debate whether it's still fair to describe cannabis as a 'gateway drug'.

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In this week's Q&A episode, Andy and Neil answer your questions on why the conviction rate for rape and other violence against women and girls is so low - and give their verdict on whether social media and the 'manosphere' is making it more dangerous than ever to be a woman. Neil also explains why he thinks the way rape is investigated in this country needs to be fundamentally changed.

They also answer questions on whether police rewards are ever actually paid out, if it's fair to say that the media is quicker to highlight violence at Notting Hill Carnival than at other major events, and how football hooligans are using social media to recruit members and organise fights.

Neil also opens up about why he feels he could and should have done more to call out institutional racism in policing while he was still in the job.

Have a question for a future episode? Email it to [email protected] or post it on social media: @thecrimeagents

Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march was supposed to be in the name of free speech.

Around 150,000 people attended the protest in central London this weekend. The far right activist said he wanted it to be a family event with no violence or alcohol.

Andy and the Crime Agents team went down to find out for themselves. This special report features the voices of the protestors on the march, and the moment violence broke out.

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In the last year, a child has been arrested almost every week by counter-terrorism police. That's a record - but why is this happening? And who is trying to radicalise these children? In this special episode, Andy speaks exclusively to an undercover intelligence officer to find out more about this shocking rise in minors being held on terror charges.

Neil gives his reaction to the revelation that kids as young as 11 have been accused of these crimes - and explains why the severity of the extreme right-wing threat is growing compared to when he was running counter-terrorism policing. Andy and Neil also reveal why Russia and other hostile states are behind many of the attempts to spread this hateful, terrorist material online.

Later, they discuss whether the government should u-turn on its decision to proscribe Palestine Action after the group's latest protest led to yet another record number of arrests. And finally: were the police too heavy-handed when they arrested comedy writer Graham Linehan last week? And what of Nigel Farage claiming the UK is becoming like North Korea?

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If you've ever watched Line of Duty and wondered how realistic AC-12 really is, then this is the episode for you. For the first time, Neil takes us behind the scenes of his four years working in anti-corruption units - and reveals the impact it had on his popularity among his fellow officers.

Andy and Neil also examine why there is such a history of corruption within the police, and Neil assesses whether policing is more honest now than when he started his career 35 years ago.

Later, they discuss whether the methods used in TV dramas such as Line of Duty are an accurate representation of how detectives root out corrupt officers from their ranks in real life - and Neil and Andy reveal their all-time favourite cop shows.

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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.

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.

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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 [email protected] or send it via social media: @thecrimeagents on all major platforms

You've seen The Football Factory and Green Street. You remember the chaotic scenes at Wembley for the Euro 2020 final. And for years you've heard hooliganism described as 'The English Disease'. But what is the reality of football hooliganism in the UK in 2025?

This week, Andy tells the story of when he infiltrated one of the country's most notorious football firms, and Neil explains how even experienced police officers were shocked by the volume of Class A drugs being used by so-called fans who forced their way into Wembley back in 2021.

Plus Andy reveals why the rise of the far-right briefly led to a drop in the number of violent incidents and arrests at football matches - and why those numbers are now on the rise again as the new Premier League season gets underway. Later, they discuss whether there's any justification for cash-strapped police forces footing the bill for policing football, when billionaire-owned clubs spend their money on transfers instead.

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