Catching Killers - The Targeted Violence Podcast - Episode 11 with Steven Keogh

In this episode of The Targeted Violence Podcast, we are joined by Detective Inspector Steven Keogh, a former Scotland Yard homicide detective who spent 30 years with the London Metropolitan Police, including 12 years investigating homicides at the sharp end of policing.In Part One of this conversation, Steve takes us inside his career — from joining the Met as a young officer to finding his way into homicide work at Scotland Yard. For listeners outside the UK, he explains how policing structures within the Metropolitan Police operate and what the pathway into specialist murder investigations really looks like. We reflect on his early career expectations, his first murder investigation, and the point at which homicide work became the work he knew he was meant to do.A significant focus of this episode is the disappearance and murder of Sian Blake and her two children, Amon and Zachary. Steve takes us back to the earliest stages of the investigation, how the case initially presented, and the importance of victimology in shaping investigative direction. We explore how Sian’s husband, Arthur Simpson-Kent, presented to police in the aftermath of the disappearance and draw parallels with other intimate partner homicide cases, including the murder of children’s author Helen Bailey.We also reflect on the emotional toll of investigating familicides, particularly cases involving children, the lack of true closure that can remain even after convictions, and how detectives cope with that reality. We finish off Part One by stepping back to examine the human and organisational side of homicide policing — what makes an effective homicide investigation team, how dysfunction and ego can derail investigations, and the value of meaningful debriefs once a case concludes. This episode offers an unfiltered look at homicide investigation — the decisions, the burdens, and the responsibility of seeking justice. Since retiring Steve, has published two book and further details about him can be found on his website https://stevekeogh.com.