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EP 121 The Pretender: A Cops Descent into the Criminal Underworld. How One Under Cover Police Officer Risked Everything
Manage episode 477331834 series 3446259
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Podcast Talking Points – Neil Woods Episode
- A raw look inside the life of an undercover cop: Neil Woods recounts his years infiltrating dangerous drug gangs across the UK, living double lives and navigating high-stakes deception.
- The emotional and psychological toll of undercover work: Neil opens up about the trauma, fear, and moral conflict that came with being deep undercover — and the long-term effects on his mental health.
- The failure of the war on drugs: Drawing from firsthand experience, Neil dismantles the narrative of drug enforcement success and exposes how these tactics often fuel organized crime rather than dismantle it.
- From enforcement to activism: Once part of the machine, Neil now fights against it. He shares how his lived experience turned him into a passionate advocate for drug policy reform and a member of LEAP (Law Enforcement Action Partnership).
- The human cost of policing drug crime: Real stories of those caught in the crossfire — from gang members to vulnerable individuals — and how current laws perpetuate cycles of violence and addiction.
- Insight into criminal psychology and gang dynamics: What really goes on inside these criminal networks? Neil shares chilling yet insightful perspectives on manipulation, power, and survival.
- Whistleblowing and the courage to speak out: Neil reveals the institutional resistance to change and the risks he’s taken by speaking the truth about systemic failures within UK policing.
BIO
A former Derbyshire police officer, Neil worked undercover for the East Midlands Special Operations Unit through the nineties and noughties. He resigned as a Detective Sergeant in 2011.
The author of a bestselling memoir Good Cop Bad War, and the drug policy history book Drug Wars with JS Rafaeli, he’s now a leading figure in the international drug law reform movement. He has written for multiple publications such as The Guardian and the Independent, and appeared in news features and documentaries in many nations. Neil is a board member of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership in the USA and Europe. He is a founding member of the Coalition on Drug Policy Reform & Environmental Justice and a director of OEV Partners
https://lawenforcementactionpartnership.org
https://www.reformrestorerecover.org
Security Circle ⭕️ is an IFPOD production for IFPO the International Foundation of Protection Officers
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