Here at the small but perfectly formed independent production company Adore Audio, where I work alongside former colleague and all-round Good Egg Mark Jeeves, we’re delighted to launch a new podcast series for the largest volunteer-led crime prevention charity in England and Wales, the Neighbourhood Watch.
The new 6-part series is hosted by police officer turned award-winning comedian Alfie Moore who recently won the Gold ARIA Award for Best Comedy for his long-running BBC Radio 4 series It’s A Fair Cop.
In each weekly episode, Alfie speaks to a special guest about the neighbourhoods where they grew up, followed by their experiences as victims of crime, or the experiences of close friends or relatives.
Alfie and his guest are joined by an expert who provides advice about what you should do if you find yourself impacted by crime, and how to prevent it.
We worked closely with the Neighbourhood Watch team to ensure the tone of the podcast reflected their values, so it’s a warm and welcoming listen. Alfie is an excellent choice as the host because he brings his knowledge and experience – as well as his sense of humour – to proceedings and puts the guests at ease when they’re discussing difficult episodes in their lives.
We’ve already had a lovely mention in the Sunday Times Culture section and we’d love you to give it a listen!
The Neighbourhood Watch Podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, Audible, Pocketcast and Acast.
Here’s the series in full:
Episode 1 – Friday 24th July – Breaking and Entering with Penny Smith: TV and radio presenter Penny Smith has had her home burgled twice, and she shares her memories of these incidents with Alfie. The CEO at the Neighbourhood Watch Network, John Hayward-Cripps, joins them to provide information about effective methods to secure your home.
Episode 2 – Friday 31st July – Pig Butchering with Andy Bush: Absolute Radio presenter Andy Bush tells Alfie how his parents lost their life savings in an online investment scam. Sandra Bauer, the Deputy Chief Executive at Neighbourhood Watch, explains the different tactics used by scammers.
Episode 3 – Friday 7th August – Coercive control with Ruth Dodsworth: Broadcaster and weather presenter Ruth Dodsworth shares her story as a survivor of coercive control and domestic abuse by her former husband. Naomi Smith, the CEO at Her Centre, a charity based in Greenwich offering support to women experiencing domestic abuse, joins to advise about what to do if you or someone you know is a victim of coercive control.
Episode 4 – Friday 14th August – Squares with Kaf Okpattah: Investigative journalist and author of Scam Nation, Kaf Okpattah speaks to Alfie about the new generation of fraudsters and explains how easy it is for young people to be lured into cybercrime. Detective Sergeant Ben Hurley from the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit describes the increasingly sophisticated techniques used by scammers and offers advice to protect listeners from becoming victims.
Episode 5 – Friday 21 August – Sticky Fingers with Bobby Seagull – The maths teacher, writer and broadcaster Bobby Seagull shares his experiences as a victim of person-on-person street crime, including mugging and phone snatching.Vincent Chan, a Police Sergeant in the Met’s South East Command Unit, joins Bobby and Alfie to discuss preventing and reporting these types of crimes.
Episode 6 – Friday 28 August – Catfishing with Becky Holmes – Becky Holmes, a writer and speaker who specialises in romance fraud tells Alfie how she started interacting with – and ultimately exposing – hundreds of scams on social media. Mary Chater, a victim of an online romance scam, shares her story and speaks openly about how the experience has affected her.
