Episode 19 Crimewatch Roadshow

This morning on the programme: The shop assistants who left his shop

with almost �10,000 worth of takings in his rucksack. Minutes

later he was violently robbed and lost a lot. Help us catch this

Good morning. Welcome to the programme that help solving crimes

affecting all of us. So far you have given us some great Leeds, but

we still need your calls. Coming up today: The Church vandalised by

burglars who stole �15,000 worth of silver.

We are on board with the helicops, we have exclusive access to the

police I in the sky. It started with a protest about a

new supermarket, but turned into a riot. Officers want to catch the

vandals who caused �100,000 worth of damage.

We are in Wales working with the Gwent and South Wales forces. They

police almost two thirds of the country's population. We are at

Majar al-Kabir overlooking Swansea Bay. Miriam O'Reilly is there. --

Majar al-Kabir. A I am in the biggest area of sand

dunes in the UK. This is also the industrial heart of South Wales.

Just over there is the massive port Talbot steelworks and beyond that,

Swansea. It is the second largest city and basking in the glory of

achieving premier-league football status. Whitney is a Louise Elliott

from BBC Wales. We are here for Ripley's community

day and the star attraction is up there. It is due to land any moment.

During the course of the programme we will be finding out about the

helicopter team. Let's get on with the first appeal. A meticulously

planned it on a corner shop which allow violent robbers to get away

with an incredible �10,000 in cash. Can you help us track them down?

It did not even occur to me that something like this would happen.

All of the time I just wanted to keep the bags safe. A headed not

realise my life was at risk. We are looking at a premeditated attack.

It was the weekend everybody had their eyes on William and Kate and

across Britain people were enjoying sunshine and street parties. In the

South Wales valleys, the cash register had been ringing at the

local corner shop. By Tuesday, the owner, Ruki Paul had just one main

concern, getting the cash to the bank. Because the wedding was on

the Friday, there was an extra bank holiday. We were a lot busier, even

the Monday which was also the bank holiday. When I started work on the

Tuesday, we had a lot of work to do. Following two bank holidays back-

to-back, they had taken nearly �10,000 in cash. The money we were

counting was quite a large quantity. It was unusually high. Shop worker

Philip Bridgend and usually does the bank runs. He put the money

into a rucksack, the same one he always used to carry the cash. --

Philip Bridgend Rum. He followed his normal routine, but

it was a routine others have become familiar with. Defenders had cased

out the joint. They had made themselves aware of the staff's

movements. I saw the front of the car. There is a wall, so you cannot

see any body behind the wall. was ambushed in a highly organised

attack. Bravely, he fought back, but the odds were about to turn

against him. Or all of the time I just wanted to keep the back safe.

Later we will be hearing how brave he was and did his best to give the

police are vital descriptions and number plate details. And now back

to the wanted faces. Take a look at this latest batch of

faces the police in need your help to track down. David Atkins, a

happy birthday to him, he is 45 tomorrow. Let's put him back behind

bars. He was given a three-year sentence for burglary and theft in

2008 and released early on licence, but failed to keep to the

conditions of his release. He was born in London and still has

contacts there, but police believe he could be anywhere in the UK.

Police want your help to find Vasile Mihai. He is wanted in

connection with the robbery in Derbyshire in February 2009.

Originally from Romania he has contacts in the Erdington area of

Birmingham. Do you know where he is now?

The next phase is a Lee Wescott and is wanted in connection with the

robbery in July 2010. He is known to have family in London, Essex and

Cambridge. Have you seen him recently?

This is Siman Singh, a student from India wanted by detectives in

London involving a scam when he posed as a landlord. He used to go

to Brunel University in London but is from Hull.

The key recognise any of these All of the wanted faces from the

series are also on the website. There is a small but very excited

crowd waiting for the helicopter to land. I am wondering if I give it a

wave as well, they might be able to see me. They are part of the police

community day for the people who live near this nature reserve. Over

the past few weeks Crimewatch roadshow has been given exclusive

access to the helicopter team. Take a look at this. He this is the

helicopter that covers South Wales and went.

I am surrounded by more than �1 million worth of high-tech

equipment. The helicops patrol the skies around the clock providing

crucial support for officers on the What a fantastic bits of machinery?

A marvellous bit of kit. What we have got is a Eurocopter EC135T2

comedy give it its full title. This is the main piece of equipment, it

is the infra-red camera, a high- definition camera system and can

Danes the Zoom camera, I fixed focal length in colour, a thermal

image camera. The camera position is irrelevant to the position of

the aircraft, it rotates. Adrian piece of kit and without a doubt,

it is the mainstay of what the aircraft is used for. Most calls

eventually lead to the use of the camera system. The accuracy of the

camera has become invaluable in providing concrete evidence that

stands up in court. Its ability to pick up details like number plates

and facial features, means any criminal court on his camera does

not stand much chance in front of a judge. It sounds like a criminal's

nightmare? It certainly is. Normally, the secondary police

observer would sit here and operate the navigational systems. The

address can be typed in and by zooming into that location the

mapping system goes down to street level. If the camera is looking at

something, maybe a person in an isolated location it will show up

on the map by zooming in and you can find out the grid references to

give to other rescue agencies if we were unable to land. The thermal

imaging capabilities can mean the difference between life and death.

It was a race against time to reach this man, alone in a freezing

Cardiff graveyard and thought to be unconscious. Every second counts

and it could have taken hours for the officers on the ground to

search the area. But, within 50 seconds of the helicopter arriving

they were guided to the exact locations. Able to travel at nearly

one hand and 60 mph, it can offer birds like back up for high-speed

pursuits. -- 160 mph. Earlier this year the helicopter was

instrumental in a dramatic arrest. This the van is carrying tens of

thousands of pounds worth of heroin into Swansea. But the manoeuvre

called a t-pack means the drugs are going nowhere and the driver is

going to prison. He was sent down for five years. But high-speed car

chases are just one part of its duties. A lot of their time is

spent searching for missing people. We have his eye in the sky which is

fantastic. They can go to the mountainous terrain is which form

part of the landscape to search for people, for personal reasons

sometimes go missing, get lost or just want to get away from things.

We're very concerned about their on ability and safety. We could not

get the people and the police dogs out on the terrain to search for

people who. This seems to be an interesting and rewarding part of

the service? Very much so, it is one of the jobs, when you get a

find that no one would have found with and two, it is extremely

rewarding. Many times we have found people in a remote location in

horrific weather conditions, and know it you have not got there they

would have died. The inspector who keeps an eye on the eye in the sky

is Inspector Gary Smart. It would be amazing if we could ask the

helicopter to come and Land for us live on the show? Can we do that?

You are clear it to land please. Hopefully we will watch them come

in and land. A few moments ago I waved up to the live cameras, can

you explain how it works? There is a transmitter on the aircraft that

transmits a coded signal to boxes on the ground. We are using a

mobile box today but we have transceivers on aerials across the

area. We can transmit live pictures down to the control rooms so they

can make decisions on what they need to do in policing incidents.

That is how the commanders use them? It is almost like giving them

the bird's eye view the crew has got? That is what we try to do, and

they can keep everybody safe on what about the thermal imaging

switch? Thermal image on a camera we have got is extremely good. Very

detailed and can pick up Minutes amount of heat. When I was having a

look around, it was incredible. I know we live in a high-tech world,

but equipment is something else? is top of the range, and the people

of this area should be reassured we have some of the best it in the UK

of finding people when we need to. Here she is. What are the crew

doing now? They're looking for any hazards on the ground, anything

that might cause a problem. The minute the pilot senses anything is

wrong, he will go around and then try to land. But it looks good on

this occasion. Just coming down. I suppose it is quite sandy here and

it will kick up? Hopefully we won't get a lot of Sam, I am worried

about your coat! It gets a bit noisy when it a Lambs. We don't

operate here normally, which is thankful because we would get lots

of complaints. A beautiful landing. Still to come: Churches targeted

for their priceless artefacts, can you help us find the burglars? The

supermarket opening that turned into a riot, police want your help

to track down the troublemakers. And robbed of almost �10,000, can

you help us catch the attackers who struck in a CCTV blind-spot?

First, not everyone is happy there are so many CCTV cameras around the

place, particularly people caught committing crime. Take a look at

this lot. These pictures from January this year are shocking.

This man fled into a shop in Poplar, east London, to escape three men

who were chasing him. They pursued him into the shop and started to

attack him. One even runs a bottle and smashes it over the head of the

victim as the three set about him. He was left badly shaken with flesh

wounds. Help the police catch these Take a close look at this man in

the baseball cap. In September last year, he walked into a store in

Oldham and threatened a till girl with a knife. Before we can escape,

a store manager grabbed him and there was a scuffle right in front

of the CCTV camera. He left the store empty-handed, but he

terrified the start. Let's make sure he cannot do this to anyone

else. Shopping! Late night on a tram in central

Manchester this March, this male passenger is about to get a wake-up

call. He tells the woman who has just got on that she is not allowed

to bring bikes on to the tram. Big mistake! She tells him to mind his

own business and becomes aggressive. She swears at him and presses her

forehead against his. He gets her to back off and eventually leaves

the tram. But she is not finished. The driver asked said to get off,

but then she is at it again, punching him several times. Help us

catch this cranky commuter. Get in If you know anything about those

incidents, the number to call is on You can also be Mall us. Now, for

our next case, we are heading back into the Gwent police force area

and the town of Monmouth, where irreplaceable items are stolen from

It is the middle of the night in the church of St Mary's Priory in

Monmouth. We all tend to think of churches as places of these, but

sometimes the House of God falls It is a place of worship. It is a

place for a deepening awareness of spirituality, but it is also a

I have been here all my life, and I am 85 years old. My wife and I were

We are, in a church like this, a haven, an oasis of peace. We are

not immune from the difficulties, the pains, the violence, the

aggression of the world around us. Denied that the burglary actually

happened, -- the night that the burglary actually happened, they

kicked the door in, or they used some kind of employment on the loch.

-- implement on the loch. Inside, the thieves found a treasure trove

of irreplaceable church artefacts. It is very difficult to put a value

on these items, but it has been estimated that up to �15,000 to

replace. It is not just about financial value. These artifacts

play a central role in church services and are treasured for

their historical significance. was actually stolen was the working

kit of an Anglican church such as this one, about 10 pieces of silver

was stolen. They were mainly chalices and ciboriums from the

19th century and the early 20th century. But then, having got what

they wanted, these criminals showed just how heartless they could be.

Our little children's chapel area had been kicked around. That was an

act of just gratuitous violence, So where do the police think the

criminals came from? Three months after the burglary, one ornament

was retrieved in the nearby Vauxhall Fields, suggesting there

was no getaway car and the thieves were local. It is such a small area.

We believe that it was somebody local and was involved in his

burglary, and again we ask anyone who knows anything or has heard too

committed the burglary to contact us. But the fear is these artifacts

may have been melted down for scrap by thieves more concerned with

their monetary rather than their spiritual value. We may never get

these things back again. It would be nice to think that out Ben

somewhere are these objects and that one day they could be restored

to their rightful place. -- out So Sergeant Gary Carlisle and is

looking into this case. Kind of careless of the thieves to drop one

of those items, but what is your hunch on what has happened to them?

We have had examples of where they have been sold on the second-hand

market, but also where they have been used on the scrap-metal market.

Gwent police have a false priority dealing with this. They deal with

Met of that. As a result of that operation we have had 80 people

charged since April of this year. Have they been other burglaries in

churches in Gwent? There have been, unfortunately, but crime overall in

Brent is down. We have got local policing units in the community

offering reassurance, ensuring that we are gathering intelligence and

offering crime-prevention advice etcetera. People watching the show

are vital for you now. Yes, I would ask that any member of the public

who has absolutely any information in relation to this, anyone who has

seen these articles, anyone who has been offered them for sale. They

are distinctive. If you have information, contact us. We can

bring these offenders to justice. Alice Farren-Bradley is from the

Art Loss Register. Thank you for joining us. Are these kinds of that

common these days? They seem to be increasing. We are getting more

objects taken from religious churches and places of worship

being reported to us as stolen. there a market for these things?

is limited and it is not legitimate. These pieces are registered on our

database, so they cannot be sold on the open market, and all the major

auction houses would not take them. Such beautiful artefact. Terry

mention that they might have been melted down. The you agree? There

is a fear that they might at been for their intrinsic scrap-metal

value. But they would be worth more to a specialist dealer, but the

market is limited. It is not just silverware. All kinds of things are

going from churches. Very sad indeed. Thank you for joining us.

Marian is with the helicopter, overdue. -- Miriam. The Miriam

landed safely, and I have to say, your heart was jumping out of your

chest because this is the first time South Wales police have landed

a helicopter live on television. needed a lot of timing, I will tell

you. History must be straightforward, because you are

used to landing in violence. -- this terrain. We will not tell the

pilot that, but we do cover mountains in Gwent and South Wales.

Sometimes we have to land on the side of a mountain. Last year we

had to rescue three children from a mountainside in the snow. Very

challenging for pilots and crews. Luckily, no-one is in need here

today. Talk us through the chain of command. It is a three-person

helicopter. The pilot sits on the front right and seat with the

controls. They have all gone for a cup of tea! On the right hand side

is the observer. At the back is the aircraft commander. The pilot is

the captain, but it is commanded by the PC. The person in the back

decides how we use the helicopter and they work the radio systems and

navigate. It is very much teamwork, we work as a team to produce good

policing results. There is a piece of kit around here I want to take a

look at. We have not mentioned this before. This is for night-time fine.

It is actually for searching at night time. Why is it so special?

It is 13 million Campbell Watts of par. It can illuminate a football

pitch or go down to a very narrow beam. It can set fire to the grass

if we use it too low. Two nights ago we had a person is in on a

mountain side, we located him with the thermal camera, then called an

assistance by eliminating the person. A successful result. So he

was able to be led out of their very safely. Excellent bit of kit,

as is the whole helicopter. We are delighted. Thank you so much for

coming. I know there are some little ones who want to have a look

around, so we will move out of the way. Back to you.

A supermarket chain moving into a high street can be controversial,

as proved to be the case in the Stokes Croft area of Bristol when a

Tesco opened in April. Police learned of a possible attack by

protesters and raided a nearby flat in search of petrol bombs. Their

actions triggered a night of violence. Will White from Avon and

Somerset Police, you are looking into this public disorder. Did you

get your tactics right? We had evidence that petrol bombs were

being prepared on a squat opposite. Threats were being made to Tesco

and to the local community. We have to address that immediately. We did

so, but a crowd gathered and became hostile and aggressive towards the

police. We dealt with that in the way that the public would expect us

to, using tactics we normally do in those situations. The disorder

became serious, and we are looking at any lessons we can learn. It is

not illegal to have a peaceful protest, but a lot of these people

were far from that, and you made a number of arrests at the time and

since. A lot of people committed very serious offences during those

evenings. 46 officers were injured and there was substantial damage to

a local property. We have arrested 67 people, and 32 have been charged

or cautioned, including one man who has received a two-and-a-half-year

prison sentence. We have still got outstanding offenders and Winnie

the public's help to bring them to justice. You have got three in

particular that we are going to look at today. This person throws a

number of items at the police lines. He has also seen to damage the

front of Tesco. He was also involved in looting. He has got a

distinctive T-shirts. He is wanted for violent disorder and burglary.

The next one, good stills there. This person is throwing bricks and

other items at the police. We have also got some good CCTV footage of

him kicking the front of Tesco repeatedly. His T-shirts is a

swoosh take being held by a fist, very unusual. Vet looked at the

third one we have got. -- let's look. This man is taking items from

around the cigarette display area in Tesco. You get a good shot of

him here, a great still on the website. He is wanted for burglary.

And all these skills are on the website if people have information.

-- stills. That is our requests today. If you can go to the website

and see the stills, see if you can help by identifying them. Hopefully

people can do just that. Thank you for joining us. If you know anyone

that is on there, please get in touch. The numbers are on your

screen. You can remain anonymous if Time for a quick update and how we

are progressing with our appeals. In the first week, we broadcast an

appeal about a Metropolitan Police operation to track down suspects

who took part in four days of riots which crippled London in 2010 and

in March this year. As a result of our RPO, a suspect has been

arrested and charged with violent disorder. -- Appeal. We have had a

number of calls on a theft we featured yesterday. One thief kept

the victim busy by asking for directions while the other crept

into her car and stole a car. Many callers believe they have been

victims of similar crimes. One of our viewers has called in with a

possible location for Ronald Grimes. He was featured on yesterday's show.

He is wanted for failing to keep to the conditions of his release from

jail. Police have described our information as a strong leader and

are investigating. For now, back to Louise at Kenfig nature reserve.

In many ways, this is not your typical nature reserve, because we

have got the M4 really close by, and heavy industry, the Port Talbot

steelworks in the near distance. But for the people who use this

place, it is very precious indeed. They come walking, we have seen

lots of people out here in the glorious sunshine this morning. But

of course not everyone treats his place as they should. Sergeant Mike

Davies, what type of Challenger du Fay's here? -- challenges do you

We suffer from off-road bikes who come down on to the sand dunes

illegally. They are damaging the plant life. They are causing damage

to the gates and fencing that is put up to keep them out of the

nature reserve. We have seen success in dealing with that. We

suffer from the normal type of antisocial behaviour like dog

fouling, littering and people leaving barbecues in the area and

litter. We get Thunderball and missing people who venture onto the

sand dunes and we have to locate them. -- vulnerable. We have just

seen the bikes going past us, they are invaluable? They are community

support officers and they have access to these bikes which have

been funded locally. They are fantastic for getting about on the

sand dunes and it keeps them fit. Do you ever get on the bikes as

well? He has, but we have a 4x4 vehicle for police officers used

and it is invaluable for getting to most places. What a beautiful

office you have, but it must be frustrating people do not treat it

like they should? Absolutely, I like to see people enjoying

themselves but people do leave litter and do not clean up after

their dogs, and they use these off- road bikes which damage the

environment. But we are having success in dealing with it.

Let us know if you know anything about these crimes picked up on

crime -- camera. These two are planning on milking

the highest scrap-metal prices. They raided the back of this garage

in Wapping in London in January this year and salt -- stall these

cages. They had the nerve to load them into the white van but out of

sight of the CCTV cameras. Do you recognise them?

This a mother has some serious anger issues. Here she is using a

cash point outsider Barclays Bank in Kilburn High Road in London in

February. ASDA Woman approaches, things changed. Some angry words

are exchanged and the woman grabs of the mother by the throat and

pushed her to the floor. They casually walk into the bank as if

nothing happened. But as they're leave they encounter the victim and

give her another shove. Eynesbury in Wiltshire in April,

this man is using a Barclays cashpoint machine apparently quite

easily. A few minutes later and these two come along. After they

leave, there is a problem. The next customer goes to withdraw his cash,

but the machine has stopped working. As he struggles he discovers the

cause of his frustration and the device comes away in his hand that

has been stopping his cash coming out. Police would like to know what

these two were up two which left the rest of the customers in a

sticky situation. If you know anything, the number to

There were 2 million shoplifting offences last year and I am meeting

two people who are making an effort to do something about it. Andy

Pemberton works for a sport retailer and Charles Donoghue

received a reprimand when he was 13. I was making my way to school and I

stopped in a local shop and I saw a couple of lads shoplifting. They

asked me to join in so I did. I stole a Dairy Milk bar, fruit

pastels and I was arrested. sounds comical, but it is not funny.

You've got arrested and taken to the police station, interviewed,

photographs and now you have his reprimand against your name for the

rest of your life? It is quite embarrassing, especially for jobs

because you have to tell them you have a reprimand. If they ask, you

have to admit it. But you are making it a positive, helping

youngsters? I have been working with safer Portsmouth Partnership

and learning in San we have created a DVD aimed at 13-15 year olds

about shoplifting. In Portsmouth, were the DVD has been shown,

shoplifting in that age group has dropped by 70%. Good for you. You

work for a sport retailer and it is not a victimless crime. A lot of

shoplifting happens in places like way you work? It impacts on the

profits of every company concerned. You are doing a lot about it and

you had CCTV about a gang. Tell us more? We have called them the

Highwaymen because of the extensive travel they do throughout the south

Midlands and the South of England. They target the several other

retailers and they target football replica which is easy sold on.

are quite distinctive. You have not stereotypes your average shoplifter,

some of them are all there in suits and the tide. One generally were as

a flat cap. They are distinctive in the way they operate. They have

stolen thousands of pounds of stuff over the past 12 months? We have

had sightings of them from Worcester down to Bournemouth over

the last 12 to 14 months. They need to be stopped. Charles I think you

are one Criminal I think we can forgive on this occasion.

Not so forgivable is the violent robbery that happened in May when a

corner shop lost all of its takings. Most of us have happy memories of

the weekend's of the Royal wedding in April. But some of us will

remember it for all of the wrong reasons. In South Wales, a criminal

gang targeted the local corner shop intent on cashing in on takings

from the double bank holiday. are looking at a premeditated

attack. The offenders had obviously case out the joint. By Tuesday the

shop and almost �10,000 to bank. In a carefully planned hits, the

gangway to it until the victim was out of sight from the CCTV and

that's when they attacked. I was carrying my backpack and walked

towards the car-like end normally do. The attackers knew exactly what

they were after. All the time I just wanted to keep it safe. I

didn't realise my life was at risk. When I fell down my head hit the

road. Using his legs, he kneeled on my shoulder and tried grabbing the

back. He tried to fight off the robber but then a second gang

member waded in. A realised he could not hold on any longer and I

had to let it go. He grabbed the bag and ran towards the car. They

jumped into the car and drove away. I manage to get the number plate.

Maybe they were fake, I do not know but I remember I just looked a

couple of times in which direction as they drove. I got the number

plate. The entire operation was planned to ensure the attack

happened in a CCTV blind-spot. knew what they were doing. They

were aware of how to watch people. Obviously they have so far got away

with this and the worry for us is they are still out there and could

potentially commit further offences. The victim's bravery in chasing

after his attackers and memorising the number plate gave police a lead.

The getaway car was found to have been stolen 18 days earlier in

Gloucestershire. The car was found abandoned just a few streets away

from the scene of the crime. Shaken up and injured, the victim and back

to the shop. He wasn't making any sense because he was still very

hysterical. He said the money is gone. I didn't realise until that

time, my head was bleeding. Then I realised I had a cut on my head. I

was nervous and shaking. I started shaking after that. I did not

realise the gravity of the crime. Only later on I realised how

organised it was. It wasn't like a drunk or a petty shoplifter, this

was unorganised thing. Still reeling from the shock of the

robbery, Ruki Paul was shocked to find out his insurance policy did

not cover him for the robbery. the small print, for that quantity

of money you have to be accompanied by three people. After the shock of

realising that quantity of money had been stolen, it is hard to

comprehend. �10,000 has just vanished, just like that.

DS Nick Jenkins is in charge. What help do you want from the public?

As he said it was a pre-planned at robbery and will looking for the

build-up, what happened the weeks before, any suspicious activity.

What do you want to hear from people who may know something about

this robbery? We would like them to come forward with any information

relating to the vehicle and to the robbery itself and any suspicious

activity at the time of the robbery. What advice would you give to shop

owners or anyone taking a large amount of cash to the bank? They

need to look at their insurance policies, check the small print to

make sure they are covered, but also to look at the their trips,

change roods and the vehicles they use and also the method they carry

the cash as well. Thanks very much. We have helicops taking off over

there. We do need your help. If you have any information at all, please

do get in touch. The number is on the screen.

Sounds like people are getting in touch because we have had lots of

calls on wanted faces today. David Atkins, who is having his birthday

tomorrow. He is wanted for burglary and theft and the recall to prison.

Also getting an interesting call through on the forest robbery, the

newsagent that was robbed of �10,000. Passing that on to the

police. And a burglary at the church in Monmouth, we show due the

silver chalices, we have taken a call on that, �15,000 worth of

stuff stolen in total. Thanks to everyone who got in touch. Last day

tomorrow, where are you both? are in Cardiff, the Welsh capital

and we have a terrifying story of a woman who was attacked while she

was jogging. I have been out with Cardiff police are knocking down a

I am here with Cardiff's police unit, the Priority Policing Team

and they are determined to kick off with a bang.

Police! If you think the size of my fists,

that would be thousands of pounds worth of drugs. Nice thing to have

under your bed. That is tomorrow, but thanks to

South Wales helicops who had just taken off to go back to work.

Thanks to you both. We have one day left of the series so let me tell

you about a Crimewatch Special tonight on the Milly Dowler murder

case. We have exclusive interviews with friends and family. She was so

happy. She was such a lovely person. I feel like my heart has been torn

out. I said to there, we'll be OK walking home on your own? We all

looked out for each other but we lived in a nice area and the

question itself seemed silly. She laughed and said, don't be

ridiculous I will be fine. There was no reason why she shouldn't

have been. It was the last time I saw her.

That is a Crimewatch pressure tonight on BBC One at 9pm. We will