The Getaway Bus Break-in Britain - The Crackdown

Every minute of every day, someone somewhere is getting burgled.

It doesn't sound good.

With an average of 92 break-ins an hour, it's a huge problem.

It never ceases to amaze me how much mess these burglars cause for people.

For the victims of these crimes,

it can take months or even years to overcome the trauma.

How dare they! Out of order, out of order!

I felt sick, someone's been in my house.

I don't want to drive up to a building and see it trashed again.

But in this series we're fighting back against the burglar...

Police - forcing entry! Police!

..helping you to beef up your security.

Here we go.

While the police catch the criminals.

How are you feeling about things now?

I feel loads better, loads better.

This is Break-In Britain - The Crackdown.

Hello, we're back for a new season and on today's programme

a brazen burglar is caught rifling through a couple's belongings

while they're in watching telly.

He was in my house and he shouldn't have been.

What would you do if you discovered someone in your house,

run a mile or fight back?

I wouldn't rely on most family pets for support.

Later on we'll have the story of a home in Wales that was ransacked

and a little dog called George left traumatised.

It's emotional, isn't it?

It is emotional, I'm having palpitations today to be honest.

But first Nick and Avril from Leeds.

They thought their home was pretty secure

but they were in for a nasty shock.

At two in the afternoon there's an emergency call.

Unbelievably the burglar was still in the house,

while the call was taking place!

When I arrive the police investigation is underway.

But I need to see how the couple, who are in their 70s,

are coping, after confronting their intruder face to face.

My wife and I were sitting down in the lounge watching television.

She heard a noise...upstairs, which she thought was a footfall.

I said I'll go and check, you get the phone, ready to dial 999.

I went upstairs - the bedroom door was swinging open.

I saw a shadow of a person on the wall.

So I kicked the door open and this guy jumped out in front of me.

He said, "I'm not a burglar, some guys are chasing me.

"I've come in here to hide."

I said, "Rubbish, you're a burglar."

What was going through your mind

when you there tussling with this person, this intruder in your house?

Just to apprehend him if I could.

He was a guy of about 30, stocky build, very strong.

So I just couldn't, couldn't restrain him.

I think most people when face-to-face with a burglar

would have gone in the other direction,

but you didn't.

Well, yeah, he was in my house and he shouldn't have been.

Nick's home really is his castle.

He and Avril have lived here since 1974,

when their two sons were teenagers.

Some burglars deliberately prey on retired folk,

but with Nick and Avril, this one met his match.

Do you think you'd do the same again, in retrospect?

Yeah, I think so. I don't see why not.

It's instinctive, you don't think about it at the time.

You just do it.

The burglar made his escape from Nick.

But the doors were locked, and the man was never going to

get back out of the tiny kitchen window he'd come in through.

He ran back upstairs, into the back bedroom.

Could see a flat roof outside.

Trying to open it, he snapped the handle off.

He was getting more and more desperate.

I could see one of us getting damaged,

when I say one of us, either myself or my wife.

So I shouted down to my wife to open a door.

He then ran past me, back downstairs and dashed out the front door,

past my wife who's still on the phone to the police.

But Avril kept a keen eye on where the man ran.

And came up with a vital clue.

She'd gone up onto the landing,

and was looking out the landing window.

So I shouted to her, "Have you seen where he's gone?"

And she said, "Yes, I think he got on the 446 bus

"and decided that was his get out."

And that's the last we saw of him.

Hopefully Nick's description, plus Avril's statement,

will help the police find their burglar.

He made off with two watches and a pen,

but right now I want to make sure

the couple feel comfortable in a home they once thought was secure.

We want to get our guys round to see if there's anything

we can install to give you more peace of mind.

How does that sound?

Sounds OK to me.

An expert will come round and tell me

if there's anything else I can do. That's fine, don't mind at all.

A few days later, with snow on the ground,

Crime Reduction Officer Richard Thornton arrives to take

a good, hard look at Nick and Avril's security.

Not a moment too soon either.

I think Avril the first night...

-Yeah, I kept waking up.

-..was a bit...

It kept going through my mind, then I'd fall asleep then wake up again.

It's a relief that nothing happened to either of you?

Oh, yes, yes.

Yes, we're fortunate in that respect.

It didn't get to the point where he got violent with either of us.

He was just getting violent with himself.

Surprisingly, more than half of all burglaries happen

while there's someone at home.

But Nick, a former structural engineer,

was prepared with what's seems to me like good security.

I wonder what Richard makes of it.

My original reaction

was the lovely hedges they've got round them.

Nicely manicured.

They're actually causing a bit of a problem.

I suspect that's why the offender's chosen this property.

It's a tough one because you want

some privacy in your own garden, don't you?

Yeah, that's true. It does offer a huge amount of privacy.

My issue there would be it also offers the offender the same thing.

If you've got windows, private area round the back of the property,

that can't be seen by anybody else,

you've got loads of time as an offender to go round there

and work on them to get your way into it.

So what most people might think would offer protection

to their home, is actually an encouragement to a burglar.

Richard's expert eye is going to be very helpful.

That's probably one of the only things wrong with this house, surely?

They've got double glazing, locks on the windows and doors,

-they've an alarm in place.

-There's one or two little things

-I'd like to point out, if that's OK.

-Absolutely.

Starting with the nicely concealed spot where the burglar

managed to break-in.

We do have a lot of information from offenders,

one of the things they tell us is this type of window.

Obviously you can't see it now,

it's the old louvered glass type.

You have several small sheets of glass on a rack system.

Clearly the offender's seen it and in they've gone.

So the burglar somehow squeezed through.

Then, when he was inside and hotly pursued by Nick,

he spotted another weak point.

Are you concerned about the flat roof, is that right?

Yes, it's fairly easy to access some of these types of flat roof.

I reckon I could get on that roof.

I could get on the wall,

there's a few nails on the wall, I could get on top of the bush

if I was in an athletic mood.

-If!

-Yeah, quite possibly.

So yes, it would be reasonably easy for somebody to get up there.

Richard recommends anti-climb paint to make that low roof secure.

Plus other inexpensive improvements they could do with.

Like sash jammers on the patio doors and even better screws.

-You can put them in but can't get them out.

-Right, OK.

Time to hear Richard's security rating.

So what score would you give this property out of ten then?

I'd probably be looking at six and a half.

Nick's very proud of his security.

So I wonder what he'll make of that.

He gave you 6.5 out of 10 for your security, that annoy you?

It didn't annoy me, it annoyed Avril, but it didn't annoy me.

Erm... But I was surprised it was as low as that.

No wonder. Now what about these?

I think Richard would like to get rid of them.

Nick and Avril though are having none of it.

I can understand Richard's point on that one entirely,

but it also makes it nice and private through the summer.

We spend a lot of time in the garden

and I'd rather have the hedge there than 'possibly' risk

another burglary in the next 20 years.

That sounds final.

Still there's quite a lot we CAN help with,

and I know just the man to call.

Hello, Neil, it's Keeley.

'Hiya, Keeley.'

I've got a couple who've already got some really good security

measures in place, so it's going to be tricky cos they've got an alarm,

decent locks, but I still think there's a few

things that we can improve, if you're up for it.

'Yeah, definitely.

'Send me details and I'll get down and see what I can do.'

-Brilliant, see you soon, thanks.

-'OK. Bye.'

-Bye.

Well done, Keeley. Our security expert Neil will have Nick

and Avril's place sorted in no time. Lovely!

There are over 200 burglaries a week in West Yorkshire.

While in South Wales there's only half that number.

That's no consolation to Jackie, a single mother,

who lives in the Mumbles district of Swansea.

It's around 4.30pm when her call comes in to the police.

Sounds like she's really shaken up. I'm heading straight there.

All I know is that it's not been a quick smash and grab job.

I'm going to find out more.

When I arrive the whole of Jackie's house is a mess.

They've really gone to town. What a sickener!

So, have you had a good sweep of what's still here and what's gone?

Erm... Yeah.

I think they were looking for money and gold, I think.

Well, they had more than a good look!

Judging by the devastation.

They seem to have left some clues, though.

There's a footwear mark there, and there.

That could help catch the lowlifes who did this.

While the police investigation continues,

Jackie, who works at the local prison,

shows me how the burglar got in.

They came in through the back gate.

They've been into the shed.

They've used our tools to break in.

Looks as if they've used a crowbar on the door twice.

So they've just barred open the lock, there.

Yeah, they've just wrenched it open.

It's not subtle, brute force.

Yeah, yeah, pushed it in.

It was all too easy.

Courtesy of tools from the open shed.

They certainly weren't too worried about George the dog either.

Although Jackie clearly is.

He's a wonderful dog and he's fab company and he's my best friend.

Thank God they never let him out

cos then you'd be seeing a different side of me,

I would not be very happy.

It seems the burglar was looking for money,

although he only came away with loose change.

There's a telly missing but it's hard to tell in all this mess.

What was it like when you first saw it?

Erm...

It's just hard...

It's hard to think. It's just like, "What?!"

It's like, "Oh my God!" You know?

You can't comprehend it, it doesn't seem real.

Then my son, he phones me every day,

and I was crying on the phone to him,

I said "We've been burgled.

"They've trashed your bedroom."

It's at that point your emotions start...

You start getting upset then.

Jackie loves her old house - stuffed with quirky antiques.

But her security badly needs updating.

I hope that can be done without spoiling

the period charm of the property.

We've got a few experts who know all about security,

they can pop round have a look at the place, look at the weak spots

and try and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Would that help you out?

Fab, absolutely. Bring it on, yeah, definitely.

Jackie's had to spend the night at her daughter's.

I've got to get her help quickly.

I'm no expert, but that old house looks wide open to the next

set of burglars who come along.

She needs a security assessment

and then a lot of work doing - fast!

Hello, it's Dan...

Meanwhile in Leeds.

Nick and Avril are still coming to terms with the awful moment

they discovered a burglar in their home.

I was very angry and upset at the time and I'm still angry about it

and I'm still hopeful that the perpetrators

will eventually get their comeuppance.

It hasn't made you feel different about being in the house?

-I think a little, yes.

-Avril's felt different.

-Yes.

-You tend to check doors and windows more.

-Yes.

-Even though they're locked, you still check them again.

Yes, I double-check the doors.

They thought their home was already pretty secure,

but our rating was just six and a half.

So no time to waste,

and our security expert Neil's here to get stuck in.

-Hello. How you doing?

-Hello, Keeley. I'm fine.

-What can I help with?

-You do the tick list as we carry on.

We're starting out at the front door.

Ah...

Are you laughing?!

You're laughing!

The locks are good, but they could do with some help.

These two security strips here,

which reinforce the door frame.

So they've had decent locks fitted, but that's taken out quite a lot of

the wood so by putting these in it just gives it a bit more clout.

I've broken the screw!

Many of our improvements are simple and inexpensive.

Well, these are security screws, what you call cut screws.

And once you actually drive it in through the beading,

it won't come out again.

Careful you don't smash it!

And if the burglar decides to clamber out onto the low roof,

we have a low-tech solution. Yuck!

-It's a thick, black grease. It never dries.

-Oh, God!

Put it onto pipes, on top of roofs, fencing.

You get that on your hands, it'll take you a couple of days

-to get it off.

-Really? That long?

-Yeah.

But if anybody tries to put their hands on,

they're going to slide off and they're going to be caked in it.

-You missed a bit!

-No, I haven't! How do you know from down there?

LAUGHTER

But hopefully we can avoid all that by fitting dummy CCTV cameras

to fool any burglar into thinking they'd be caught on film.

Well worth it at around £30 each, I'd say.

Well, these are actually dummy cameras of an actual live system,

but you're not going to the full expense of having to put

a full CCTV system in.

Looks realistic, and it's really effective.

Those cameras, plus our other improvements,

should encourage any would-be burglar to walk on by.

So, Neil's inside finishing off and Nick seems really happy with what

he's doing, but one thing that Nick didn't want to change was the hedge.

He planted it himself, and it's actually older than I am.

Nick and Avril just value their privacy too much,

so the hedge is staying.

But what about the brazen burglar who caused all this?

Well, there's been a major breakthrough in the case,

and it looks like cameras have again been crucial.

Remember how Avril saw him making his getaway on the bus?

Well, there was CCTV on the number 446 and it seems

they have our man on film.

I'm off to police headquarters in Leeds to take look at the footage.

This is definitely one of the persons we're interested in speaking

-with in connection with this burglary.

-Oh, and there's two of

-them now.

-The information, from the complaint, there was

only one person involved, but these two get on the bus

at the time the complainant says, and obviously match the description.

It's a really clear picture, isn't it?

I mean, a lot of CCTV, you can barely make out, you know,

what they're wearing. No detail. This is really good stuff.

As far as CCTV goes, this is excellent.

And you know these are the guys because...?

These people get on the bus at the same time that the victim is

saying that the suspects have got onto the bus.

Clearly, there's two people and we only had one description

in the initial instance, but both of them are obviously of interest.

So, potentially two villains in living colour.

They may as well have taken a selfie!

Especially with the footprint the police have lifted, too.

It's about proving that the suspect has been in that house,

so what better way to prove they've been in the house than having

-forensic evidence inside that address?

-So, what's the next step?

It's being released to the media.

This is today's paper, and the CCTV images are in here.

I'm just amazed at how clear they are.

Someone is bound to recognise these two.

Meanwhile, I want to see how they're coping in South Wales.

-Hi, Jackie. Can I come in?

-Yeah, of course you can.

-Lovely. Cheers.

Jackie's daughter Lauren has got the place looking nice

and tidy again, and George the dog seems fine,

but I think what's happened is really hitting home.

My mouth's very dry. I just feel a bit anxious today.

I think it's probably due to everything, so much going on.

I'm just burnt out, to be honest. I feel quite tired.

-It's emotional, isn't it?

-It is emotional, yeah.

I'm having a lot of palpitations today, to be honest.

I think that's probably cos I'm really tired today. I'm burnt out.

Lauren's very concerned about her mum.

She's worked so hard for everything that she's got.

She's been a single mother, you know, raising three children,

and somebody's just come into her home, where she should feel safe,

gone through all of her personal stuff.

As a family, are you worried about her?

Yeah, I'm very worried about her,

especially being here now on her own.

Well, hopefully we can fix the place up

and make sure no-one else gets in.

-Yeah.

-Put your mind at rest.

-Oh, definitely, yeah.

Time to meet up with Crime Reduction Officer Tony Pain.

He's here to assess, and his first impressions aren't good.

It's not a particularly high gate.

The wall is quite low over there,

so it's easy for somebody to just hop over without any real effort.

And this is where the criminals got in, actually.

It's got a padlock and hasp here,

but even if the gate is locked, it still won't actually stop somebody

who's determined to hop over, and here you've got the garden shed.

There's some tools in the back as well.

Tools left around is a complete no-no. It's a burgling kit.

It really is.

Tony's also spotted an unsecured sack truck,

and that could give a burglar a leg up.

Aye, I know what they're for. I used to be a porter, so...!

TONY LAUGHS

But I never used one of them as a ladder.

And of course, the flimsy point of entry.

The design of this surface-mounted mortise lock hasn't changed

-since Victorian times.

-Yeah.

I remember, that's the type of lock that was on my nan's door.

You know, I guess she was lucky no burglars got into her place.

Tony thinks modern locks and new windows are the solution,

plus an alarm, because only a quarter of burglaries

happen in alarmed properties.

Tony doesn't rate domestic pets

as much of a deterrent either, by the way.

Sorry, fellas!

So, Tony, you've had a good look around the property now.

Overall, for security, marks out of ten, what would you give it?

Well, it's a beautiful period house with original features,

but unfortunately they're not very secure, and this is just over 2.

-It's not very good, I'm afraid.

-God, that sounds paper-thin to me.

Unfortunately, the period features haven't got the right security

to bring them up to standard, and that's what lets the house down.

OK. No half measures.

This is going to be a job for the heavy mob!

Here we go. Get this on it.

DRILLING

Jackie's left us some cakes as well. She's good to us.

And the heavy mob gets a bit heavier!

At least Jackie's period front door is solid,

but with a new lock, it'll be secure, too.

Most of our efforts though, are going to be

concentrated on making safe the back of the property.

Don't give me the technical stuff to do.

All I'm good for is the grafting!

Jackie needs a proper fence and gate.

The tools safely locked away,

and, of course, a well-lit and well-constructed

back door and window.

Did I mention the fence?

Back in Leeds, there's another development in the investigation

of the burglary at Nick and Avril's.

The release of the CCTV images has done the trick.

The police have got their man.

He's Thomas Cawley, a prolific offender

who's been in and out of jail since the age of ten.

As a child, he used to climb in through cat flaps,

with retired people his usual victims.

He's now committed over 100 burglaries, and after

confessing to several in the Leeds area, he's safely back behind bars.

I feel a sense of relief he's been caught,

and also that he's admitted to the offence.

Cawley was sentenced to three years, four months,

for a number of burglaries including Nick and Avril's.

The second man seen with him on the bus was released without charge.

Cawley's jail sentence should help Avril sleep much more soundly.

Her 999 call was so traumatic

she's now forgotten every word that was said.

But what about the security improvements we've made?

Better than 6.5 now, we hope.

Richard's here to reassess.

I'm much happier now with the Birmingham bar fitted to the door.

That's really good.

The sash jammers have gone on quite a number of windows as well.

There's CCTV as well, been installed,

so that's another good, positive point.

Well, actually, Richard, about the cameras.

There's something that we haven't told you.

They're not real. They're just fake cameras,

and Neil assured us that even an expert eye wouldn't be able to tell.

Yeah, they do look real. The wiring's, er...

They're genuine-looking and obviously a very convincing camera,

so, no, I'm happy with that.

Now, the hedges are one thing that Nick wouldn't budge on, but we

have done a lot of other improvements to the back of the property.

That's why he's lost marks.

SHE LAUGHS OK!

So, the new magic number?

8.5.

It'll be interesting to see what the score is now, now that

all of the other security measures have been put in place.

Yeah, well, you're still going to lose some marks, I'm afraid,

from Richard, for the hedges, and he's still aware that you're going to

put some security measures in place like the fence round the back...

-Mm-hm.

-..but as it stands, at the moment, he's giving you an 8.5.

-Oh, that's a lot better.

-A lot better, yes.

-Yeah? Happy with that?

-Certainly are.

-Yes, we're delighted.

You got an 8.5 and you tricked the security expert,

so what more can you ask for?

-And you kept your hedges!

-Yeah, yeah.

Good work, everyone.

In Swansea, we had even more to do,

especially after being given a measly security rating of just 2

by the Crime Reduction Officer.

Time to reveal the improvements.

Here's Jackie.

Hope she likes my fence!

Oh, my God.

-Oh, my God, it's amazing!

-It's good, isn't it?

-It doesn't even look like my garden!

-You can't even see your garden.

I didn't expect that at all. Not at all.

Solid.

-It... I'm in shock!

-LAUGHTER

I really am. It's just brilliant.

Cos they done a hell of a lot inside as well.

This is what we want to hear.

I can't wait to reveal what her new rating is.

Tony originally came round and had a look at the place.

It was only a 2 out of 10 for security,

but when he reassessed it, he said it was 8.5.

Which is absolutely fantastic, and I just feel very, very happy.

-I do, yes.

-Really chuffed?

I'm absolutely delighted with all the help I've had.

It's been fantastic, and now all these security measures

are in place, I can actually sleep at night now.

So, an old house, but now it's got brand-new security,

and it's made a massive difference to Jackie.

That's what we're here for.

And with the burglar behind bars and their security upgraded to

an 8.5, Nick and Avril are feeling a lot safer now, too.

That's great news. Well, that's it for today.

Hope you'll join us next time,

when we'll be taking more steps to beat the burglars.

-Bye for now.

-Bye-bye.