Q&A: The Palantir block, tipping off MI5 & 24 Hours in Police Custody
7/2/202625 min
Should a police commissioner publicly criticise the mayor who holds him to account? Sir Mark Rowley did exactly that after Sadiq Khan blocked the Met from working with Palantir, the AI company built on CIA technology. Neil explains the unwritten rules of police leadership, and why he understands the intervention, even if it breaks them.
Andy also responds to a listener who asks when he uncovered intelligence connected to the Manchester Arena bombing, should he have gone straight to MI5? He explains where the line sits between investigative journalism and national security, and what he'd do differently now.
Plus, how shows like 24 Hours in Police Custody actually get made, why most police forces say no to cameras, and what Neil learned when a documentary crew followed his murder squad around for ten months. And finally, if Andy had to join the police, would he pick up a detective's notebook or a Glock?
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.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
[upbeat music] Grainger knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, filters ready to clog, HVAC on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering, and 24/7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done.
Neil Basu· Host0:29
[upbeat jingle] This is a global production. If you're not allowed to use this kind of technology to join the dots- Mm ... to arrest very serious criminals and keep us all safer, then we're in trouble.
Andy Hughes· Host0:43
If I'm investigating a criminal, the last thing I'm going to do is, is tell the police that I'm doing it.
Neil Basu· Host0:50
Great investigative journalism has put policing all the security services on the spot, because they've discovered something we haven't.
Andy Hughes· Host0:58
I just love how you started this off with saying police officers should never get involved in politics, says the man who was famous for sticking his oar in. And- And that's why I'm retired and now a podcaster.
Neil Basu· Host1:08
[laughs] [gentle music] The Crime Agents.
Andy Hughes· Host1:12
Hello, and welcome to this Q&A episode of The Crime Agents with me, crime journalist Andy Hughes.
Neil Basu· Host1:18
And me, the ex-cop Neil Basu.
Andy Hughes· Host1:20
Right, let's get cracking, Neil. M- first one is from Morgan on Instagram. "What do you make of your mate Mark Rowley criticizing Sadiq Khan over the Mayor's intervention