Episode
Inside Scottish Policing: Murder Investigations, Human Trafficking & the Detectives Behind the Cases
- Podcast
- Crime Time Inc
- Published
- Jun 7, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1723
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://shows.acast.com/crime-time-inc/episodes/inside-scottish-policing-murder-investigations-human-traffic
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Summary
In this episode of Crime Time Inc. , Simon and Tom take listeners inside the world of Scottish policing, crime writing, and real-life murder investigations. What begins as a discussion about their upcoming books quickly evolves into a fascinating exploration of cold cases, people trafficking, major investigations, and the detectives who shaped modern policing. Simon discusses his new novel Kintyre: The Past Doesn’t Forget , explaining how a real unexplained death he encountered as a young officer in Campbeltown inspired the fictional story. He reveals how the book weaves together four timelines involving organised crime, corruption, trafficking, and a retired detective forced to revisit the past. The episode includes an emotional reading from the novel, following trafficking victim Song Lee as she struggles to survive after escaping exploitation and violence. Simon explains the challenges of writing from the perspective of a trafficked young woman and the importance of portraying victims realistically and respectfully. Tom then introduces his upcoming collection Sex, Spies and Bloody Murder , a series of true stories drawn from his policing career and historical crime research. He shares memories of working major investigations across multiple UK police forces and reflects on the detectives who pioneered modern murder inquiry techniques. A major focus of the discussion is legendary detective Hector Clarke and the early computerisation of murder investigations following the failures identified during the Yorkshire Ripper inquiry. Tom explains how innovation, intelligence analysis, and strategic thinking transformed policing during the hunt for serial killer Robert Black. The hosts also reflect on the responsibility of writing about real victims and crimes, the emotional…