case study: Cambridgeshire Constabulary
Telling stories through a true crime podcast series
Sectors: Public sector
The client
Police force serving the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and helping to protect a population of more than 800,000 people.
They have always been very forward thinking in using technology and the opportunities it brings to engage with the community more effectively.
Campaign: Podcast series
“Ever wanted to delve into the complex world of policing and hear first hand the impact of some of our most serious crimes? Cambs Cops: Our Stories is the force’s first true crime podcast series, providing an insight into policing in Cambridgeshire.”
The services
Podcast marketing
Podcast production support
Podcast training
The numbers
Target of 8000 listens exceeded across all platforms
Webpage views to the podcast pages on our website more than doubled while the series was broadcast
Visits to the priority crime pages increased. Knife crime and serious sex offences went up by over 260%, modern slavery by 110% and child protection 43%
Intelligence reports increased around priority crime areas, peaking at 121% for knife crime, county lines by 55%, and modern slavery and child protection by 25%
The challenge
The police force were looking to develop a true crime podcast telling the stories of people who have been affected and to shine a light on the way force tackled the issue.
It offered a new way to connect with the public and help them understand the work of their local police force, and an opportunity to highlight where people could seek help if they were affected by similar issues.
The team were looking for support in developing the channel, training in content creation and production support on the podcasts themselves.
The approach
The series tackled some sensitive topics, as explained on the podcast homepage:
Through cases studies, first hand experiences and interviews with officers the series explores a number of our priority areas – including modern day slavery, domestic abuse and county lines drug activity.
During the series we have been joined by survivors who share their stories of how the crimes against them have changed their lives forever.
As always when dealing with content of a sensitive nature we had additional dialogue with the client to ensure we got the tone right.
Strategy for the podcast roll out
Editing on the series, covering issues from domestic abuse to knife crime to deaths on the road
Training in podcast production
Consultancy across the project
The results
An 8-part podcast series placed on a landing page on the Cambridgeshire Constabulary website, added to YouTube and shared on social media.
The podcast was very well received by the local community, and the evergreen nature of the content continues to attract listeners long after the series was first launched.·
Across all platforms we exceeded our target of 8000 listens
Webpage views to the podcast pages on our website more than doubled while the series was broadcast
Visits to the priority crime pages increased during the series.
County lines by 37%. Knife crime by 292%
Modern slavery by 110%. Child protection by 43%
Domestic abuse by 1.4%. Serious sex offences by 265%
Intelligence reports increased around priority crime areas.
Knife crime by 121%. Modern slavery by 25%
County lines by 55%. Child protection by 25%
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Sookio were there to hold our hand throughout. They made the process easy and we've learned a lot!
We were looking to get into the world of podcasting, but with no real experience in that field, we needed someone who could help us with the basics, as well as help us reach new audiences through the stories we had in our organisation.
As this was our first attempt at creating a podcast series, Sookio were there to hold our hand throughout - especially as we were trying to record during lockdowns!
From helping us with the right equipment to buy, to training on interviewing styles and content tips, they made the process easy and we've learned a lot!
Podcasts are definitely a different way to engage our audiences with real life stories from officers and victims and Sookio helped us bring that to life.
Head of corporate communications, Cambridgeshire Constabulary