A new series co-produced between the BBC and The Open University offers viewers a fascinating insight into the dark and brutal world of organised crime.
The Detectives: Fighting Organised Crime begins on Tuesday 23rd March at 9pm on BBC Two. The two-part series was filmed over two years with fly on the wall access to Greater Manchester Police and follows officers on the frontline as they battle against organised crime gangs.
The first episode kicks off in Central Manchester when police are called after a man is snatched from his home by an armed gang in front of his wife and children and then held hostage and tortured for a ransom. After police receive intelligence that the gang have a hitlist and are planning more kidnaps, a specialist team of detective’s race to identify and take down these dangerous criminals. What follows is a raw and terrifying glimpse into organised crime in Manchester, the violence that gangs are prepared to carry out, and the efforts of the police in trying to bring the offenders to justice.
Senior Lecturer in Law, Hugh McFaul who consulted on the series alongside Senior Lecturer in Law, Francine Ryan and Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology & Counselling, Dr Zoe Walkington, said:
“These hard-hitting programmes provide unique insights into complex organised crime investigations. Along with my OU psychology and law colleagues, I have consulted on the development of the programmes and created learning resources to provide additional context to the series. Given my public engagement work in the Open Justice Centre, I’ve been particularly keen to provide opportunities for viewers to learn more about the law and the justice system. Check out the Open Learn page to discover more about the law on “no comment” interviews and how judges decide a sentence. There’s even a chance to test how good you are at identifying suspects from CCTV footage!”
This series was commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships and is supported by the Faculty of Business and Law & the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences with particular relevance to:
BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology, BA(Hons) Criminology and Law, BSc Criminology and Psychological Studies, DD802 Investigating Forensic Psychology: DE100: Investigating Psychology, W203: Public law and criminal law, DD208: Welfare, crime and society and DD301: Crime and justice.
- Commissioned by: Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Head of Broadcast & Partnerships
- Academic Consultants: Hugh McFaul (Faculty of Business and Law), Francine Ryan (Faculty of Business and Law)and Dr Zoe Walkington (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
- Media Fellow: Alessandro Saroli
- Broadcast Project Manager: Jo Weeks
- Digital Content Producer: Georgia Axtell-Powell
Discover more about the law on interviewing suspects and the sentencing of offenders, and test your skills at facial recognition by visiting The Detectives – OpenLearn – Open University
Further information on The Open Justice Centre can be found here
