Episode Three: A New Era?
Can an agent ever really recover from the lies they've told, the promises they've broken, the friends they've betrayed? Even if they're doing it in the name of the law? What happens to these broken soldiers?
A New Era? asks whether the changes made to the
Police Undercover Programme in the 1990s have helped create a more
effective crime-fighting machine.
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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO:
Ex-agent Steve (surname withheld) on wanting to front up
(2:10)
-
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO:
Ex-agent Andrew Harland on how one word can expose a cop
(1:37)
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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO:
Ex-agent Steve (surname withheld) on making crims feel
uncomfortable (1:04)
- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Ex-agent Andrew Harland on the threat of being found out (2:17)
Despite the controversies, the lawsuits and the bad press, the Undercover Programme continues to generate hundreds of convictions a year. It has moved with the times - and in the 90s moved into targeting organised crime syndicates, including lethal motorbike gangs and stolen property rings.
"I hope it still keeps going and they put all these mongrels away where they need to be." (Ex-agent)
A New Era? tells the story of recent agents and the changes made to the Programme to protect them. It also explores the latest successes against gangs, drug and stolen property rings.
Finally, our key agents across all three episodes answer the question of whether the Undercover Programme is necessary in a world where hi-tech surveillance methods make anything possible. Should we still be sending police officers out for long-term deployments in often extremely dangerous conditions?
"It should be stopped. Decent people don't do things like that. It's not work for decent human beings." (Ex-agent)
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