A second season of the award winning podcast Crime Interrupted launches today, taking listeners behind the scenes of some of Australia's biggest criminal investigations and operations.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has partnered with Casefile to produce six new episodes of Crime Interrupted, showcasing counter terrorism, child care fraud, cybercrime operations and more.
The first episode focuses on Operation Kastelholm, which saw hundreds of AFP and Victoria Police members working tirelessly to stop a planned terrorist attack in Melbourne's CBD.
Many Australians know Operation Kastelholm as the investigation that saved Christmas.
Over four days in December 2016, police watched and listened as four suspects travelled to some of Melbourne's most iconic landmarks, including St Paul's Cathedral and Federation Square.
Assistant Commissioner Krissy Barrett, who leads the AFP's Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations Command, said the first episode highlights the excellent work of the teams in preventing the terrorist attack and bringing those involved to justice.
"Crime Interrupted is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the complexity of our operations and cases, as many go on for years and involve hundreds of hours of investigative work," Assistant Commissioner Barrett said.
"Throughout the podcast, you'll hear how the AFP is protecting Australians and Australia's interests by outsmarting serious, complex and organised crime across the country and internationally with our partner agencies."
Manager Communications and Customs Marina Simoncini said true crime podcast listeners can expect another captivating season of Crime Interrupted.
"Following the success of season one, we've identified another six cases that highlight the dedication, skills and resilience of our members investigating and disrupting the most serious crimes," Ms Simoncini said.
"The new episodes continue to provide the public rare insight into major AFP operations, and you'll hear directly from the members involved."
The Operation Kastelholm episode features interviews with AFP Detective Leading Senior Constable Lindsay Hall and AFP Detective Leading Senior Constable Andie Butler, as well as officers from Victoria Police.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Hall said the main difference between Operation Kastelholm and other counter-terrorism investigations was the short timeframe.
"I think it was about four days between us starting to work on it and then actually going overt and executing warrants and making arrests," he said.
The first episode of Crime Interrupted, Operation Kastelholm, is now available to listen for free on all podcast streaming services, with episodes to be released monthly.
