Calls for Crimewatch return to help solve big cases

David Swindle, who played a key role in bringing serial killer and rapist Tobin to justice, says show could help catch more killers and other criminals

BBC bosses should bring back Crimewatch to a prime time slot because it could help solve big cases, a former detective who helped catch serial killer and rapist Peter Tobin has said.

David Swindle, an ex-superintendent at Strathclyde Police, said the BBC show had played a key role in helping bring triple murderer Tobin to justice.

Crimewatch was axed by BBC executives in 2017 due to declining viewer numbers and replaced with Crimewatch Live, which aired during the day.

Mr Swindle said he believes bringing Crimewatch back would help to catch more killers and other criminals.

“Crimewatch was how we populated Tobin’s timeline. I was on it five times,” he told the latest episode of the UK True Crime podcast.

“Everyone in the police and the true crime world is saying ‘Come on BBC, bring back Crimewatch’. Why are they not doing it?”

He added: “We need something like that. It didn’t breach anyone’s rights and with the technology we have now Crimewatch is what we need.”

Mr Swindle’s comments came amid the ongoing search for missing mother Nicola Bulley, who disappeared while walking her dog along the river in St Michael’s on Wyre on 27 January.

David Swindle and Detective Sergeant Graham MacKellar (right) of Strathclyde Police join specialist officers from Sussex Police as they continue to search the garden of a house in Station Road, Portslade, where Peter Tobin once lived. (PA)

Police investigating the case on Sunday found a body in the river -  around a mile from where Ms Bulley was found. Formal identification was due to take place.

Detectives have been heavily criticised during the investigation for focusing their search on the river.

The case attracted significant attention in the media and on social media, with amateur detectives getting involved in the search, leading to criticism by the police.

Bringing back Crimewatch would help to deter such individuals from getting involved in future high-profile investigations, according to Mr Swidle.

“What we don’t need is armchair sleuths commenting on live investigations,” he said.

El asesino en serie Peter Tobin murió en el hospital (PA) (PA Wire)

Serial killer and rapist Tobin died in October last year after falling ill in the prison where he was jailed.

Tobin was one of Britain’s most hated serial killers and the full extent of his violence may never be known.

He was serving life sentences for the murder of three women: 23-year-old Polish student Angelika Kluk, 15-year-old schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton and 18-year-old Dinah McNicol.

He was jailed for at least 21 years for the murder at the High Court in Edinburgh in 2007.

Tobin was given a whole life order on his third murder conviction, meaning he would have spent the rest of his life in jail.