Caught Red Handed Break-in Britain - The Crackdown

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

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.

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

-It's emotional, isn't it?

-It is emotional, yeah.

I'm having a lot of palpitations today.

It's just, it's heartbreaking.

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.

We can be safe. Thank you.

This is Break-in Britain:

The Crackdown.

Today, a ransacked house, a heartbroken couple

and a police force determined to catch the crooks.

They're away with thousands of pounds worth

for three minutes' work, two minutes' work

and that's very, very annoying.

And I'll be in South Wales to help a pensioner who had two grand

nicked from under his nose while he was home alone in his flat.

Yes, I need to...

..brighten my ideas up, I think,

and stop having a kip in the afternoon.

Police control at Elland Road in Leeds

and a 999 call is coming in.

40% of burglaries happen at the back of houses

and that's what happened here in Otley, ten miles from Leeds.

The victims of the break-in are Norman and Sue.

He's a retired engineer and she had a career in banking.

They got married a year ago and felt the security at their house

was good, but clearly not good enough.

I was out of the house from the morning

and, on my way home, Sue phoned me.

She was obviously terribly upset.

She'd just discovered the situation in the house.

And the worst thing was, she was very, very troubled

about our dog being very, very distressed.

Izzie was all alone in the house

when the burglars smashed through the glass and gained entry.

When I came in, I knew there was something wrong

because she just wasn't her normal self.

Panting and barking

and trying to run out of the door when I opened it.

That's when I saw all the glass on the floor and the window.

They took watches, they took a brand-new iMac 27 machine.

They took the iPods, which have backups on them.

You know, a lot of our memories are stored there.

Norman and Sue went out, leaving the house keys in the locked back door.

It's easily done and many of us do it every day.

So, this is where we think they've smashed the window and unlocked...?

Yeah, what they've done with this window here,

they've put some black electrical tape on the outside of the window.

Obviously, that's been recovered now.

That, I assume, is to mask the noise as they're smashing it.

Then they've reached through and they've managed to open the door

-with the key and these latches.

-You think there might be some fibres,

-some of their clothing might be on this?

-We've got fibres because,

obviously, the clothing's going to make contact with

the edges of the glass. Which could be a glove or it could be clothing.

-So, they've left behind a lot of things that are going to pin them.

-They've left a lot.

There, in all, has been very good, forensically, for us.

The CSI team have also found a valuable footprint

on a piece of paper in the couple's office.

Luckily, they've had to stand on that piece of paper,

as they've been stealing the computer in the study.

So, I've put a gel lift on the paper and we can see a clear

footwear pattern on that gel lift, just from that one piece of paper.

And you think you're able to match that to the burglar?

Yeah, it is possible, yeah.

But it's a neighbour who made the 999 call

that holds an even more important piece of evidence.

She and her partner have actually filmed two men

leaving Sue and Norman's house.

She'd seen two men acting suspiciously a few days ago

and, when they returned, she put neighbourhood watch into action.

She's asked not to be identified.

Have you got that picture of the numberplate?

-Is that on there as well?

-Yep.

-Oh, that's a great image, that.

-How useful is this?

Oh, this, you know, this is brilliant evidence, this now.

We've got two people leaving the scene of the burglary,

getting into a car. We've got the registration there.

We've done a check on our Police National Computer

to see where that car's registered to.

James' check with the police database very quickly

establishes the address where the suspicious car is registered

and that's going to be the next port of call.

So, a really promising start to the police investigation.

Back with Norman and Sue, they're taking me upstairs to show me

the chaos left behind by the burglars.

When we came back, all these drawers were open, anyway.

Crikey, they've been through everything, haven't they?

They've been through everything. That was open.

-That's where the watches were.

-Stripped the duvet cover.

They've stripped your duvet cover?

-Yeah, to put stuff in.

-The cheeky devils!

That's so intrusive, isn't it? How galling that they've been

-through your drawers, your private things.

-Yeah, yeah.

Ten miles away in Bradford, police have now

arrived at the house where the suspicious car is registered.

Events are moving very quickly.

Officers have come here and they've arrested one male already.

We've got the occupant of this property.

She's just been arrested for handling stolen goods

and she's currently en route to Elland Road Police Station.

Inside the house, it's a matter of moments

before police discover what they're looking for.

CID and CSI are currently in the property still,

and they think they've linked quite a few items that they found

in this house with the burglary in Otley.

Two people have been arrested - a man and a woman.

But, apparently, a third suspect

escaped from the property, so police are still looking for him.

And while that hunt continues,

it looks like the hunt for the stolen items is nearly over.

Officers have spoken to Norman and Sue on the phone

and almost everything that they reported missing appears to be here.

We'll be looking at taking all these items back to the

address in Otley tonight.

Get a statement from the complainant

and looking at interviewing the suspects tonight,

and then continue with the investigation tomorrow morning.

We've worked some magic today

and the witness in Otley has, you know, really helped us out.

They got the registration number of the car, which was registered here,

so we've come within about 20 minutes of that car making off

and found the suspects here with all this stolen property.

And that quick thinking means that Norman and Sue

will shortly have their property returned.

Fantastic news.

I mean, we were astonished that by the time we made the phone call,

the police rang back in ten minutes to say,

"We've found your stuff."

And it's all because of the vigilance of a neighbour.

And, uh, we've been to see them and thank them.

What an amazing result and in such a short timeframe.

And while the police continue their investigation, it's time for me

to get back to Norman and Sue's to try and sort out their security.

So, what we're going to do is get our security guy to come round,

have a look at what needs fixing up

and install that for you to make sure that you do have

peace of mind, both when you're in the property

and when you've left the property. How does that sound?

Sounds good to me, yeah.

Because Norman and Sue have their beloved dog Izzie in the house,

they've not thought to get an alarm fitted in case she sets it off.

Let's see if our security team can help.

Time to catch up with Crime Reduction Officer Richard Thornton.

-Hello there, Richard.

-Hi!

-You've had chance to have a look round the property.

-Yes.

What do you make of it?

There's one or two issues, obviously, that I'm not happy with.

One or two things that are going to make life very easily accessible

-for the offender, so if we have a quick look around.

-Absolutely.

-Great.

-Lead the way.

-Thank you.

First problem is this gate.

The fact is it's actually unlocked.

And, of course, the burglars got in

-round the back as well, didn't they?

-That's right.

-So, this is the route they will have taken.

-Absolutely.

The occupants have clearly got some sort of security in mind

because they do use the padlock.

I think mainly when they're away,

so, obviously, on this occasion, it's been insecure.

We open the gate and the first thing that meets me is the ladders.

-One of your bugbears!

-A big bugbear.

Any climbing aids left around in the garden are an absolute no-no.

-So, these should either be secured or in a shed?

-That's right.

So, as we come through, what have we got here?

Obviously, the spade's a quite sharp implement.

Somebody could probably use that and put it straight through the window.

-It's just a bit of security housekeeping!

-Absolutely.

Yeah. It's removing the means to commit the crime.

And that is a big thing about how the burglar got in.

-Let's go and have a look at the back door.

-OK.

They smashed through the window and reached down and got the keys out.

The offenders can tell.

They'll look through windows, they'll see the keys

and they'll just make a very quick decision

which way they're going to do it.

You can tell on this particular type with, when we look inside,

it's the types of bolts that are actually on it.

They've kind of enabled the offender to gain access,

purely because the occupants have left the keys in.

If the keys had have been taken out, they wouldn't have got in.

So, some commonsense improvements on the outside of the house

and, inside, the total no-no of leaving keys in the door.

You were also concerned about the windows, or had some suggestions,

-at least, for the windows.

-Yeah.

These are quite big, so I'd be looking at possibly putting

two sash jammers to really secure that window.

So, out of ten, what would you give this property for security?

It's been let down by some very easy mistakes.

I think I'd be looking at a six for this particular property.

A six? Right, OK. So, plenty of room for improvement.

We'll get you back, hopefully, later on today,

-and see if we can impress you, then.

-OK, that's great.

Time to call on security expert Neil Goldup.

Hopefully, Norman, Sue and Izzie will soon feel a whole lot safer.

-'Hello, Neil speaking.'

-Hello, Neil. It's Keeley.

-'Hiya, Keeley.'

-Hello. I wonder if you might be able to help me.

I'm at the house of a really nice couple who've been broken into

and I'm sure you'll be able to fix them up.

-You're not free now, are you?

-'I am, yes.

'Send me the details and get I'll round to you as soon as possible.'

-Lovely. Thank you ever so much. I'll see you soon.

-'OK, bye.'

-Bye!

True to his word, Neil is round in a jiffy.

And as well as addressing Richard's concerns, I've asked him

to think about an alarm that will work with Izzie in the house.

I don't think there's that much to do. Come and see what you think.

-I've heard that before from you, Keeley!

-I promise!

Right, OK, let's have a look, see what's needed.

So, Neil's cracking on with the security improvements

at Norman and Sue's house.

We'll be back later to see how the police investigation's coming on.

Now, here's Dan in South Wales.

In 45% of burglaries, the target is cash.

At Bridgend Police Control, another 999 call is coming in.

76-year-old Bob is a retired British Gas worker

from Neath near Swansea.

He was married for 51 years

but, three years ago, he separated from his wife.

Now he lives alone in a complex designed for older people.

He woke up one morning to find his hard-earned savings,

kept hidden in his bedroom, had vanished.

Basically, I got up this morning, went to get my glasses.

Next to my glasses, I'd normally keep money,

but the money just wasn't there.

Uh, £2,000.

Well, I was upset etc

and I went in and had a word next door.

And she called the police for me, then, on her landline.

Bob, you say you had £2,000 there. Where'd the £2,000 come from?

Was that your normal money you keep in the house?

No, I took the money out last month to go searching for carpets.

I thought I'd have a better bargain if I took cash along with me.

I don't normally keep that sort of money in the house, like.

To your knowledge, does anybody know that you had that £2,000 in there?

No-one knows. I never told anyone.

So, Bob thinks someone's been in his house and stolen £2,000.

The police have been doing door-to-door enquiries,

but they're also looking for basic forensic evidence.

And it doesn't take the CSI team long to find their first clue.

When I was fingerprinting the inside of the door,

there's been a couple of smudges, but there's also been a finger mark

that's come up as well,

so I've lifted the finger mark

and then I've taken a photograph of

where I put the arrows to locate where it is, then.

So, the forensics team have found some prints,

but there's no sign of forced entry.

We believe that these suspects have entered through the front door.

They don't appear to have entered in any other room.

Walked straight in here, taking the cash from here.

There don't appear to be any other items missing.

And they've exit as the entry.

So, the question is, did Bob leave the door open?

-Do you usually keep your door locked during the day?

-As a rule, yes.

Yes, I keep my door locked.

Uh, even if I go next-door for a cup of tea or anything,

I lock the door, so...

-How about when you're in the house?

-No.

If I'm here, I never lock the door...until the evenings.

About half past six, seven,

I lock the door then.

How are you feeling, then, Bob?

I...I can't describe how I feel, like, I'll be fair.

I worked hard saving on that

-and...I just haven't found a carpet I like...

-Yeah.

..so the money's just been sitting there, like.

I know it was for carpets and people will say,

"Well, if you've got £2,000 for carpet..."

-I saved three years for that.

-Mm.

-And it's as far away now as ever it was, like.

-Yeah.

So, that's it.

Initially, police thought that Bob may have simply misplaced

the money or moved it somewhere else in the flat,

but the house-to-house enquiries

start to lend weight to Bob's version of events.

So, what exactly did they say to you?

When I spoke to one lady, she said that she'd been having

problems about three o'clock in the morning. Somebody had been trying

her door handle. She did think to ring us, but thought it was

nothing so didn't bother. On speaking to another neighbour,

she said that somebody had been knocking on her door, early hours,

between one and three o'clock in the morning,

over the last couple of nights.

That could well be linked to Bob's property.

And with everything else that's now coming together with the money being

left, the location, it's looking

very much like someone's walked into the property and -

as an opportunist - and removed the money.

So, it seems that Bob may well have been in his flat when the

burglar strolled in, possibly having an afternoon nap in the living room.

Has it made a difference to how you feel about,

you know, the house?

Um, it did earlier on this morning.

I did feel that way, like, you know, about another flat somewhere, like,

but the same thing could happen in another flat, like.

There's no point in it. No, I'm quite happy here...

Until this damn thing happened, like. But I don't know.

It's something you've got to live with. It happens.

-We have got security experts on hand.

-Aye.

If it'll help you out, give you a bit of peace of mind, we can get them

to have a look around the place and see where maybe

they can shore it up a bit.

So, it's time to get our security expert Kevin Evans

to look over the flat.

Now, normally, there's a catalogue of security flaws to report

but, on this occasion, Kevin's really impressed.

I've got to be honest, it's an excellent property. One-bedroom.

The door entry is excellent as well -

it's a multi-point locking mechanism.

Windows, the other side, having looked at them,

very secure, PVC double-glazed.

So, therefore, yeah, very, very secure.

However secure the flat might be, if the door's left unlocked,

then an opportunist thief can get in.

But Kevin's got a solution.

Obviously, it's not very pleasant to have your house burgled.

Obviously, you're very upset.

So, therefore, we're looking at reassurance for this gentleman

and I will be giving him what we call a hanging door alarm.

Only a battery-operated alarm but it makes a lot of noise - 120 decibels.

And, certainly, if I'm Joe Criminal thinking about quietly going in

and that is activated, there's only one way I'm going to go -

fast that way to get out of the way -

because I don't want to be caught.

We'll be back in Neath a bit later to install the door alarm.

Now it's over to Keeley in Yorkshire.

Norman and Sue's house has been ransacked by burglars,

who smashed through a window in their back door.

They got away with thousands of pounds of goods but, because of a

quick-thinking neighbour who caught two suspect on camera and got their

car number plate, police have quickly retrieved most of their possessions.

I mean, we were astonished that by the time we made the phone call,

the police rang back in ten minutes to say, "We've found your stuff."

And it's all because of the vigilance of a neighbour.

It's incredible how quickly Norman and Sue

got most of their things back, but we've still got a job to do -

getting the house secure and making them feel safe.

-How have you been?

-We've been fine, yeah.

We've had a very busy week, which has taken our minds off

most of what's gone on.

We just seem to be a little bit paranoid when we go out.

"Shall we leave this here? Shall we leave that?"

-But we'll get over that, I think, won't we?

-Yeah.

-What about Izzie?

-Has she got over the shock?

-Yeah.

-She's been OK, yeah.

-And she wasn't damaged, yeah.

-Has it made you think about your security?

Very much so, yeah.

Did you feel safe? You felt like you had it pretty well covered?

Absolutely, yeah.

I thought I'd made a decent job of bolting it,

but this complacency comes in.

"Oh, I'll not put all the bolts in, remove the keys."

And any occasion like that you are vulnerable,

and we won't be doing that again.

From now on, all keys will be taken out of the door.

So, Norman's got the message.

Now it's time for me to do some of the simple security improvements outside.

Neil's busy drilling and Izzie wants some earplugs!

Right, so this is your new alarm system

that I'm going to fit for you. As you see, it comes with room contacts

but because you've got a dog,

I won't put them in because he's got the free run of the house.

So what I'll do instead is put contacts on,

so if the doors are opened,

-it will set your alarm off if it's being triggered.

-Right, OK.

I'll just find Keeley now,

see where she is, if she's put her cuppa down, and we'll get cracking.

Right, OK. Thank you.

Everyone's starting to feel a bit safer.

And talking of safety, Neil is in need of my assistance outside.

-You will hold this properly, won't you?

-Of course I will!

-OK, then. It's a bit slippy here, Keeley.

-Oh, watch it!

Being Neil's security understudy is thirsty work.

How would you feel if I went for a cup of tea right now?

Um...probably not too good.

We've put the alarm box in the most prominent position we can -

a good visual deterrent.

And now it's time for me to fit some simple door sensors

that will trigger the alarm when opened.

There you go. That one's fitted.

If I can do it, anyone can.

-So, there you go.

-You're getting good at this.

-I'm getting very good at this. Right, what's next?

-Uh, windows.

-Put a sash jammer on it.

-Sash jammers.

-Right.

Sash jammers are quick and easy to fit,

and they improve security in an instant.

-There we go.

-Let's have a little...

-That's not going anywhere, is it?

-No.

-Super.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

-A "well done" from Keeley!

Got to keep them well-trained, Izzie!

On top of Richard's security suggestions, we're also going to

replace the back door with a brand-new one.

After all, that's how the burglars got in.

It'll make me feel much more secure

because that is a secluded place that people can attack the house.

While we finish the improvements at Norman and Sue's house,

it's time to see how things are going in South Wales.

Remember Bob lost £2,000 when a burglar entered his flat,

very possibly through an unlocked front door?

Since the burglary,

Bob has found out that two other residents had cash stolen that day.

So, it's timely that our security man Kevin

is installing the hanging door alarm, which can cost less than £10.

We put it on the handle there and we turn it on.

As we can see, you've got the red light coming on there

to show that the battery is working, which is very important.

However, you leave it for a few seconds and then,

if somebody comes along...

SHRILL BEEPING

..and touches the latch itself, as you can see, it activates an alarm.

So, therefore, that tells Bob there's somebody at that door.

It gives reassurance to victims of crime.

I reckon the neighbours would get a right earful as well

if unwelcome visitors came calling!

SHRILL BEEPING

-Blimey, that'd wake you up!

-Oh, aye.

Oh, dear!

Cor! I mean, next time anyone tries that front door,

-straight away you're going to know about it.

-That's right, yes.

-It'll alert me.

-Aw, fantastic.

-Does it make you feel a bit better?

-Yes, it does.

I'm going to be careful, more careful than...

Because I like to think that I'm pretty careful anyway.

But, yes, I need to...

..brighten my ideas up, I think,

and stop having a kip in the afternoon and whatever, like.

Well, what'll help you - that little gadget on the front door

that goes off when there's vibrations.

-Yes, that's marvellous. Marvellous.

-That'll soon wake you up!

Do you think you'll be a lot happier, knowing what you know now?

Now, yes.

From your visit and the police and Kevin,

uh, yes, I will feel a lot happier.

-I'm glad we've done you some good, anyway, Bob.

-Cheers, mate.

All right, all the best.

ALARM GOES OFF Oh, and we're off again!

Whoops!

Ta-ra!

So, Bob's feeling a whole lot safer in his own home again,

but how are things going in Yorkshire?

Over to Keeley in Otley.

The swift police investigation led to known burglar

Barry Hargreaves being charged.

He was found guilty of the burglary at Leeds Crown Court

and sent to prison for 4.5 years.

The woman arrested at the house

where Norman and Sue's things were found was released without charge,

along with a second man who had also been arrested.

Back at Norman and Sue's, Crime Reduction Officer Richard

has returned to check out our security improvements.

-Thanks for coming back so quickly.

-OK.

What do you think of the work that Neil's done?

-Do you think it has improved the property?

-Yes, it has.

It's made it much more secure.

They've done some work on the fence to stop people climbing

over on the gate. Thankfully, the ladders have been secured.

The garden tools, again, have been stored away.

And, of course, we got the sash jammers fitted. And an alarm.

What you tend to find, obviously, with victims,

it's a hard lesson to learn in a lot of cases.

You do, in life, learn the hard way sometimes.

Unfortunately, it takes something similar to this to just change

people's habits and, thankfully, now the keys are being removed

and they're a little bit more vigilant about things like that.

So, originally, you gave Sue and Norman's house a six out of ten.

What would you give it now?

-Bearing in mind, they're going to get a new door put in.

-Right.

So, once the new door goes on,

and like we said, the alarm system,

there's very little else you can do,

so I think we could be looking at a nine.

-A nine? Wow. Very generous of you.

-It is, today.

So, it's pretty good now, the house. They should feel safe in the

-knowledge that they are pretty good on their security now?

-Yes.

I can't wait to tell them the good news.

So, when Richard originally looked round the house earlier today,

he gave it a six out of ten.

-He's now given it a nine.

-Oh, that's very good.

-Excellent.

-That's pretty good going, isn't it?

-Yes. We're very pleased.

So, you'll feel safe when you're in the property and when you're out.

-When you're out walking Izzie.

-Yeah.

What we've discussed in great measure today

is the means of stopping people

actually getting in to get your stuff.

We all think it's not going to happen and it will

if the opportunity arises with someone who is

bent on getting into your property.

If you have a key in a lock, take it out.

-That's the big thing we've learned, isn't it?

-Yes.

And you've also got your neighbours to thank in all of this, haven't you?

The vigilance of the neighbour

who actually saw what was going on

and had the foresight to actually video it. Very, very...

Which is, you know, available to most of us who have mobile phones.

It's become a factor which has returned

a lot of our items to us...undamaged.

And do you feel safer now, Sue?

I'm really pleased with what you've all done for us.

I'm sure I'll feel better now, having all these things done.

And I'll feel more safe that when Sue's here on her own,

that she's more secure.

And there's someone else who is a whole lot happier, too.

-I think I've made a friend here in Izzie!

-Oh, yes!

Hello!

Norman and Sue seemed happy with the work we've done here today

and I think this has been a bit of a wake-up call for them.

It just goes to show that spending a few extra minutes putting

a padlock on a gate or taking your keys out of the door

can really be the difference between a burglar getting in or not.

Just a few days ago, Norman and Sue were shocked and shaken

when their house was ransacked. But due to a vigilant neighbour,

they've now got most of their possessions back and,

most importantly, they're all feeling a whole lot safer.

So, today, we've really seen neighbourhood watch in action.

It was great that the police were able to use the car registration

-plate to crack the crime in such a quick time.

-Top work, I reckon.

-That's it for now. See you next time.

-Bye-bye.