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The Defuse Podcast: Where Experts Defuse Real Threats

The Defuse Podcast: Where Experts Defuse Real Threats

Di: Philip Grindell MSc CSyP
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A proposito di questo titolo

When the threats are real and the stakes are high — what actually works?

Right now, as you're reading this, someone's watching your family, your business rivals are digging through your digital history, and a disgruntled employee knows exactly where your vulnerabilities are. While you're focused on your day job, they're building a plan.


This podcast exists because ignoring threats doesn't make them disappear.

I'm Philip Grindell — former Scotland Yard detective, behavioural threat specialist, and author of Personal Threat Management. After Jo Cox MP was murdered, I was tasked with creating Parliament's specialist threat assessment team. I've spent 35 years stopping people who wanted to hurt prominent individuals, from MPs to royalty to the ultra-wealthy.


What You'll Get From Listening

You'll recognise the warning signs everyone else misses. That "helpful" new employee asking odd questions. The photographer at three different family events. The online critic whose interest feels too personal.


You'll understand how dangerous people operate. The people planning to harm you treat you like a research project — cataloguing your habits, weaknesses, and blind spots whilst you're oblivious.


You'll know what to do when a crisis hits. Not theory — actual steps. How to control the narrative when your reputation's under attack. When to stay silent and when silence destroys you.


You'll discover what's already out there about you. Right now, strangers can map your life using tools you've never heard of.


What You'll Hear

Straight-talking conversations with ex-FBI agents who've tracked serial killers, digital investigators who can find anyone online, crisis managers who've saved billion-pound reputations, and psychologists who understand exactly how fixated individuals think.


Topics include stalking, fixated individuals, insider threats, protective intelligence, reputation management, OSINT, digital vulnerability, and crisis leadership.

These aren't interviews — they're operational briefings. Real cases, real tactics, real consequences.


Who This Is For

You must understand modern threats if you're responsible for protecting someone important (yourself, your family, or your boss). Physical violence is just one possibility. Reputation assassination, digital stalking, insider betrayal — these happen far more often and can be just as devastating.


If you're prominent enough to be a target, you already are one. The question isn't whether someone's paying attention to you — it's whether you're paying attention to them.


What Makes This Different

No corporate nonsense. I've watched too many good people get hurt because they received sanitised advice from people who'd never faced real threats. You'll get the truth, even when it's uncomfortable.


Experience that matters. I've identified planned terrorist attacks, managed stalking cases involving royalty, and helped ultra-wealthy families navigate threats they never considered. Every recommendation comes from cases where lives and reputations were on the line.


Stories that stick. Theory doesn't save lives — understanding does. Every episode includes real cases that show you what threats look like before they turn dangerous.


Because the people planning to hurt you aren't taking the day off.

Subscribe now and learn how to manage threats before they become crises.

© 2026 The Defuse Podcast: Where Experts Defuse Real Threats
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  • When Cyber Risk Becomes Personal with Lucy Burnford
    Jan 12 2026

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    In this episode of The Defuse Podcast, Philip Grindell is joined by Lucy Burnford, founder of coc00n, a specialist cyber security firm protecting high-risk individuals, families, and senior leaders from targeted digital threats.

    Lucy works at the sharp end of personal cyber risk, where phones, messages and trusted relationships are often the way in. coc00n focuses on people rather than systems, securing personal devices, private digital lives, and the grey area where work and home overlap.

    Their team includes former UK government cyber specialists who once protected sensitive national assets and now apply that experience to private clients.

    The conversation explores how cyber threats really start, why successful people often underestimate personal risk, and how digital compromise can quickly turn into reputational, psychological, or real-world harm.

    This is a grounded discussion about judgement, habits, and trust — and what genuinely helps people feel safer.


    Bio

    Lucy Burnford, Chief Executive Officer, coc00n

    Lucy is the CEO at coc00n. She works with a team of former GCHQ cyber security and digital privacy experts to deliver proactive, unrivalled cyber security with absolute discretion and privacy. She works closely with high value clients, and their advisors, to bridge the gap between technical requirements and practical solutions, combining her ability to understand consumers of premium services alongside cyber expertise.

    https://coc00n.com/

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyburnford/



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    Subscribe to 'Defuse News', our weekly update of the week's events on our website.

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    51 min
  • Policing, Politics and Prejudice – A Conversation with Neil Basu QPM
    Nov 11 2025

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    In this compelling and straight-talking episode, Philip sits down with Neil Basu QPM, one of the UK’s most respected and outspoken former senior police leaders.

    Neil shares the lessons, frustrations, and hard truths from over 30 years in policing — from the Stephen Lawrence inquiry to counter-terrorism, leadership under political pressure, and the moral challenges of modern policing.

    They discuss racism within the system, the dangers of disinformation, and the human cost of service. Neil also opens up about life after leaving the Met, his book Turmoil, and why courage and compassion are vital to real leadership.

    🧭 Key Topics Covered

    • Institutional Racism & Leadership Fear – Why acknowledging it is the only path to trust.
    • Counter-Terrorism & Radicalisation – Lone actors, online grooming, and the threat from the far right.
    • Politics & Policing – When public service collides with political convenience.
    • The Human Cost of Service – How policing impacts families and communities.
    • Leadership Lessons – Neil’s mantra: “Be quick, be competent, and be compassionate.”
    • Life After the Met – From frontline leadership to mentoring, writing, and podcasting.

    📚 About Neil Basu QPM

    Neil Basu served as Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations at the Metropolitan Police, leading UK Counter-Terrorism Policing. Known for his integrity and willingness to challenge the status quo, he’s been at the heart of some of Britain’s most complex policing and national security operations.

    He is the author of Turmoil: The Official Autobiography – 30 Years of Policing, Politics and Prejudice — a raw and insightful account of his career and the challenges of reforming British policing.

    Neil also co-hosts the Crime Agents Podcast with crime journalist Andy Hughes, offering honest commentary and insight into crime, justice, and law enforcement today.

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    Subscribe to 'Defuse News', our weekly update of the week's events on our website.

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    1 ora e 13 min
  • The Omnipresence of Fear: Understanding Stalker Psychology with Kerry Daynes
    Oct 7 2025

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    This episode features forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes discussing her 25-year career and expertise in stalking behaviour. Kerry transitioned from advertising plans to forensic psychology after university, despite being told it was "no job for a girl." She trained through the NHS rather than the typical prison service route.

    Key Professional Insights: Kerry advocates for "rational compassion" - maintaining realistic risk assessments whilst treating individuals with dignity. She argues against forcing people into neat psychological categories, emphasising that everyone requires individual understanding.

    Stalking vs Harassment: Stalking involves deeper fixation and obsession than harassment. Stalkers gather unnecessary information and seek proximity to victims. The UK recognises five stalker types: rejected (highest violence risk), intimacy-seeking, incompetent suitors, resentful, and predatory stalkers.

    Risk Assessment Problems: The widely-used DASH risk assessment tool lacks scientific validity despite being standard across UK police forces. This "quick and dirty" approach fails because it attempts to assess domestic abuse, stalking, and honour-based abuse with one inadequate tool.

    Personal Experience: Kerry shares her own stalking experience, describing the victim's sense of "omnipresence" - feeling unsafe everywhere. Victims typically shrink their lives and experience hypervigilance, which others often dismiss as paranoia.

    Societal Issues: Popular culture romanticises stalking through films like Beauty and the Beast and Twilight. Social media and data oversharing have made stalking easier while creating unrealistic expectations about pursuing romantic interests.

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-daynes-aa8b5740/

    https://www.instagram.com/kerrydaynespsychologist/?hl=en

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    Subscribe to 'Defuse News', our weekly update of the week's events on our website.

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    59 min
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