Apple TV+: Series “Criminal Record”: The Usual Suspects

Did Errol Mathis (Tom Moutchi) really murder his wife? Or has he been innocently sitting in prison for over ten years? At least that’s what the black London police officer June Lenker (Cush Jumbo) suspects in the eight-part series “Criminal Record”, which can be seen on Apple TV+.

It was almost by chance that the officer came across this murder case, which happened over ten years ago. The mother of the convicted perpetrator and an anti-racist support committee fought bitterly for a long time for the release of Black Errol. Was there a sloppy investigation into this high-profile murder case in 2011, shortly after days of looting in London? Should a culprit be found as quickly as possible who corresponded to the racist image of the enemy created by the media in order to calm the heated mood in London in the interests of right-wing hardliners? When June Lenker becomes aware of the case, begins to investigate and looks for new witnesses, some in London’s Metropolitan Police become quite nervous. This includes, above all, Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi), who led the investigation at the time.

Against the resistance of her superiors, Lenker begins her research and is soon faced with the question of how much structural racism in the London police played a decisive role in this case. Is her increasingly drastic opponent Daniel Hegarty really just a disgusting racist villain who is even involved in organized crime and has a lot to lose? Or has the meticulously working officer, who is valued in his office, succumbed to the enemy logic that is common among white police officers?

In this series it is not made easy for the viewer to understand this case. Because Hegarty is a helpful, reflective colleague who supports Lenker and is himself struggling with the death of his wife and his daughter’s drug addiction. But then again, he’s a manipulative power broker who also covers up the Nazi past of one of his colleagues, while June Lenker is almost killed by a neo-Nazi from the same group, the Combat League, during their investigation. Some officers even seem to be stalking her teenage son in order to put pressure on her, so that the young, ambitious police officer soon has the feeling that she is stuck in a real nightmare.

“Criminal Record” is an incredibly exciting crime series with numerous surprising twists and turns and a sprawling cast of characters over the course of eight episodes. From the chic middle-class districts, where Lenker also lives, it goes into London’s nightlife, into the drug scene, into industrial districts and into huge social blocks, where the residents sometimes greet the approaching police by throwing stones.

While June Lenker is also investigating a current case to protect a woman, she uncovers the old murder case piece by piece and reconstructs the history of the time. Dramaturgically, this is done so cleverly that the audience almost gets the feeling that they are in the middle of the investigation themselves. There’s always plenty of action when June gets into a fight with a neo-Nazi or gets on the hook for the drug mafia and puts her white police colleagues under heavy pressure time and time again.

“Criminal Record” does not attempt to make anti-racist platitudes, but rather aims to make visible the dynamics of the structures that are created and dominated by white men. This remains exciting until the end, without it becoming entirely clear who is actually pulling the strings. But it also becomes clear in the final denouement that there is always the possibility of deciding against this structural racism, even if it may cost you something.

Available on Apple TV+