Phone hacking: the police vs the press

Listen to this episode from The Crime Agents on Spotify. Once upon a time, the police and journalists were friends and allies. But as the phone hacking scandal unfolded, and it became clear that many journalists had broken the law in their pursuit of stories, the close relationship between police and press was shattered. Scotland Yard was forced to investigate and prosecute many members of the media with whom they'd been friendly - and officers were later banned from speaking to journalists at all. Andy explains exactly how the scandal came about, Neil talks about what it was like to run the Operation which investigated rogue reporters, and they discuss whether the fallout ended up going too far. They're joined by legendary crime journalist Martin Brunt, who uses the Nicola Bulley case as a prime example of why communication between police and the media is so important - and explains why that case could have been handled so much better. Later, Andy and Neil look at the Manchester terror attack: they reveal what will be happening to the firearms officer who fatally shot a member of the public at a Synagogue last Friday, and how counter-terrorism police and the security services will be handling their investigation into the attacker.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents