Who would want to be a Police Officer in the UK in 2024? You will have seen pictures of officers mixing with the community at major events, sometimes dancing and showing a human side. I think it is a great thing that our officers show their human side and take a few minutes to break down barriers with communities. But of course, so many in the media and especially the vocal group of ex police-officers just can’t stop criticising – it was of course, all much better in their day. Do you recall when Police officers faced a backlash for joining in with a performance of the Macarena at a Pride fes ..read more

We hear a lot about the fear of crime across the media. But what does that actually mean for you and I on a daily basis? Are you afraid of crime? The small road that ran by my one of my old houses when I lived in North Devon is in poor repair. It is used by the postal service, the odd delivery van and maybe a lost tourist. Certainly no more that five vehicles a day. So why at 1am had I been woken by the sound of a slowly driven van that seemed to pause near my isolated house. Why did it drive past twice more in the next 20 minutes? Although exhausted when I went to bed at 10.30 or so, I was n ..read more

We have all read with horror the revelations that continue to emerge daily about the Post-Office-Horizon scandal. The stories of how so many people had their lives destroyed are heart-breaking to read and at least four people ended their lives by suicide because of it. But I want to focus today on another aspect that I was unaware of until recently. The very well paid executives at the top of the Post Office continued to take huge bonuses as the lives of their staff were ruined – in the 21/22 financial year about £1.6m in bonus payments were made to executives. Executive Bonuses  Th ..read more

Ever since I met top Irish journalist and podcaster Nicola Tallant a couple of years ago, I have been a keen observer of organised crime in Dublin. For most of us who are visitors to Dublin, we love our experiences of this great City and the friendliness of the locals are a large part of making Dublin the amazing City that is it. This makes the continuing violence driven by feuding organised gangs even more shocking to me. Christmas Eve Murder In the last few days we have read about the latest depressing episode which happened on Christmas Eve at Brownes Steakhouse in Dublin.. Twenty six year ..read more

For some people winning awards, or just being nominated, is a big thing.  I get it and how the exposure can help. To me, however, whether it is the Oscars or some mickey mouse award for whatever it is, I would rather have root canal treatment than take part.  Another Era I think the whole concept of awards have run their course and are from another era. You may know that the British Podcasts Awards were slated last year by some as podcasters had to cough up £318 for a spot at the table even if they were nominated. Talia Augustidis, who was nominated for an award for Rising Star, sai ..read more

In the Uk was it Brexit, Covid or just the availability of social media platforms which now means that almost everyone seems to have a set view on, well, almost everything. In my UK True Crime Facebook Group I see this all the time – with all the major unsolved UK cases individuals are convinced of their view of what happened based on what they have read/heard but crucially not on real evidence.   This really hit me again this week with discussions around the recent tragic death of ice hockey professional Adam Johnson, and the arrest of a man on suspicion of manslaughter. Like most peopl ..read more

I am sometimes asked about how to start an independent podcast. I guess inevitably, as it is all new, people tend to be fixated on the technical aspects of making a podcast happen. Of course, the quality of sound is important – nobody wants to hear mouth noises or tinny audio – but this is secondary to the content. Always. You are never going to get it right immediately: I certainly haven’t after 359 episodes of trying. And look around you at musicians, architects, artists and other creatives. Their work is an evolution, not instant perfection. Once you have come to terms with the reality tha ..read more

We all know that jobs in the criminal justice system are challenging, especially at this time with the crippling budget cuts which have left the whole system creaking. The fact that as many as 35% of our courts don’t open every day of the week due to staff shortages and there are people in UK jails who have yet to face jail for over four years is utterly shocking, and not something we should have to accept. But I digress. In a recent episode of my Uk True Crime podcast, which looked at the crimes of double-murderer John McGeechan, I was pretty critical of the following: 1, The deal made by th ..read more

I started the UK True Crime Facebook Group around five years ago. At first, it was fun. I personally knew most people and it was a great place to chat and share true crime content. Once it got to about 3,000 people it became a little more trying and I had to ask for volunteers to help manage the group. Today, we have over 91,000 members in our vibrant community which has posed many challenges as we have grown. Today, I thought I would share the my Top insights from managing a True Crime Facebook Group. 1, Strong Admins In total, around eight people have worked on my group free of charge as ad ..read more

Over the next days we will be reading extensively about the life and crime of Lucy Letby – some will be powerful and insightful, other pieces full of unhelpful speculation and barbed digs looking to place blame. I haven’t been following the trial as closely as some, but to me this case highlights the dangers of putting people on a pedestal – whether it is sportspeople, rock singers, actors and even people working in the NHS. We see people in the music, acting and sports industry feted all the time, clapped and mobbed wherever they go and their views sought on all topics. Especially with actor ..read more