Special Ops: To Catch a Criminal | Series 5 Preview (U&Dave)

Gritty factual series revealing the work of elite police forces across the UK. Formerly titled Special Ops: Crime Squad UK, this behind-the-scenes docu-series follows the investigative work of a variety of specialist units within UK police forces created to crack the toughest of cases.

Special Ops: To Catch a Criminal (4 x 60 mins for each of season 5 and 6, and formerly titled Special Ops: Crime Squad UK) follows the investigative work of a variety of specialist units within UK police forces created to crack the toughest of cases. From cyber heists, romance fraud and people trafficking to drugs rings and murder.

The series boasts unique access to the highest-level detective techniques used to tackle crimes where ordinary policing has failed to make progress. This gritty but intelligent series reveals the workings of police operative units made up of the most elite detectives in the country.

Filming with numerous task forces across the country, Special Ops: To Catch a Criminal reveals the real, lived experience of the police officers involved, through exclusive interviews, archive, CCTV and body cam footage.

Tom Edwards, Creative Director, Red Sauce, said: “We’re delighted by the unparalleled ongoing success of Special Ops, a series that evolves and strengthens with every run and part of our burgeoning slate of hard-hitting and intelligent true crime content.”

Kirsty Hanson, Senior Commissioning Editor for Factual and Factual Entertainment, UKTV, said: “Special Ops continues to spotlight some of the most complex and challenging criminal investigations faced by Britain’s police forces. I’m delighted that Red Sauce are bringing two further seasons of these compelling real-life stories to U and U&Dave.”

Special Ops: To Catch a Criminal seasons 5 and 6 will air on U&Dave and stream on U in 2025.