Inside Counter Terrorism Policing – A Podcast Series

Inside Counter Terrorism Policing is a brand-new podcast series sharing the untold stories of incredible women working in counter terrorism.

Every day, women across Counter Terrorism Policing work to keep the public safe from terrorism and play a crucial part in protecting the UK’s national security.

However, it isn’t always easy to talk about what they do publicly. So, in this special podcast series, we will reveal what it’s really like to tackle the terrorist threat as your day job.

Across five episodes, you will hear from women who work in intelligence, investigations, forensics, countering extreme right-wing terrorism, and covert surveillance.

Every Thursday, we will drop a new episode:

6 March – Emma: the woman recruiting our covert human sources
13 March – Jo: from a rural town to banning extremist groups
20 March – Jess: the woman leading counter terrorism investigations
27 March – Heidi: Secondary school teacher turned intelligence analyst
3 April – Cassandra: 40 years of forensics and CSI, giving a voice to those who no longer have one

You can find and listen to Inside Counter Terrorism Policing wherever you get your podcasts:

Listen

Episode One: Emma: the woman recruiting our covert human sources

In episode 1, you will hear from someone who can never discuss a lot of what she does. She has worked in cybercrime teams tackling sexual predators, then moved into counter terrorism surveillance, and is now in human intelligence, working as a handler of covert sources.

She talks about why she loves her job and the importance that human intelligence plays in stopping terrorism:

Working with sources is absolutely fascinating. I love people and I think that was the game changer for me. I jumped at the chance to be in this world when I found out that civilians could be handlers, not just officers. No two days are the same, everybody’s different. People are unpredictable.

Emma

Source Handler, Counter Terrorism Policing

Having first worked in a Regional Organised Crime Unit tackling sexual predators, ‘Emma’ moved into one of Counter Terrorism Policing’s surveillance teams before taking up her current role as a handler of covert human intelligence sources.

Episode Two: Jo: From the physio table to outlawing terror groups

In episode 2, you will hear from ‘Jo’ who began her journey as a police officer and is now an expert in extreme right-wing terrorism. Throughout her journey, Jo has worked in prisons, with serious and organised crime, and has recently helped secure the banning of Terrorgram, now an illegal terrorist organisation in the UK.

Guides are being shared to do with firearms or bombs. But that might have been one that was always used in the Islamist space. But the right-wing space are now sharing it as well, because it’s not black and white anymore.

Jo

Police Officer, Counter Terrorism Policing

Before joining CTP, ‘Jo’ started her policing journey as a response officer where she experienced a huge range of incidents and investigations, including the most distressing case of her career.

Seen or heard something that doesn’t feel right?

We need your help to stop terrorists being able to plan, prepare and carry out attacks, groom or recruit people or encourage others to carry out attacks. You may have seen or heard something that could be that vital piece of information that will help to stop a terrorist attack.

Report online at gov.uk/ACT

If you see or hear something that doesn’t feel right, report it online and in confidence at gov.uk/ACT

In an emergency call 999.

Visit gov.uk/ACT

ACT Early

If you are concerned that a loved one may be vulnerable to radicalisation, visit ACT Early for further information on signs to look out for and how to seek support.

Visit ACT Early

ProtectUK

Whether you are a business owner, work in security, or are a member of the public, ProtectUK provides vital counter terrorism security information including training materials, protective guidance, and campaign toolkits.

Visit ProtectUK