Episode 11 Crimewatch Roadshow

Today on Crimewatch Roadshow. The bogus policeman who conducts a

pensioner, can you help us to track them down? -- who conned a

The Hello. And welcome to Crimewatch Roadshow. We're live,

and we need your help to make the UK safer, by putting criminals

behind bars. On the programme today: the fraudster who tried to

rent out her neighbour's property while they were away on pop -- on

holiday, the police need your help. Policing Stonehenge. It is the

summer solstice but not all of the revellers are keeping the peace.

Police want to find the men who posed as police officers, to gain

entry to a pensioner's home. We've been travelling the country

for the past two weeks, investigating crime where you are.

And we're kicking off our third week on the road in Wiltshire. Dave,

where exactly are you? Hi, Rav. We're in Salisbury, with

this lovely group of pioneering ladies. They've decided to take

their battle against anti-social crime into their own hands here, on

the Bemerton Heath housing estate. More on that later.

Joining me today is BBC South West's Alex Lovell. Good to have

you on board, Alex. Thanks, Dave. My day job is

normally presenting the BBC news programme in this area. This has

been my patch for seven years, but I have never actually been at

Stonehenge for the summer solstice. Last week, I was there, right in

the thick of it, seeing how the police handle such a massive event.

Thanks, Alex. Now, our first appeal. Seeing

someone in a police uniform does usually fill you with reassurance.

But there are criminals out there who are willing to take advantage,

and betray that trust. Wiltshire Police are asking for information

about two men who pretended to be police officers to steal from an

elderly man. Hello, we're the police. It is

sickening. If they do it to me, they will do it to other people.

Can we come in and have a look? Police officers wear their uniform

with pride. For these people to use it to get into people's houses, it

is horrible. Retired bus conductor Ivan has

lived here since 1968. He lives alone since he lost his wife. With

only his dog for company. A couple of times a week, Abbey comes to

help out and has got to know him well. Generally speaking, he

muddles along, he is a very nice, kind hearted, friendly man. It is a

shame something so awful has happened to him.

It was Tuesday 20 it may, 82-year- old Ivan was suffering with his

titters here condition. I suffer badly from tinnitus, and it started

whistling. Ivan took his medication and was sleeping. At 645, there was

a sudden knock at the door. answered the door to be presented

with a gentleman wearing what looked like a police uniform.

man was dressed in a full police uniform. The other was wearing

casual clothing. They claimed they were investigating a theft. He a

few door-to-door inquiries, do mind if we come in to take a look.

was in a complete police uniform. They claimed to be on the right

side of the law but nothing could have been further from the truth.

The gentleman followed Ivan into the kitchen at the back of the

house. Because he was in uniform, he had identity, everything.

Ivan was distracted by the bogus policeman, the plain-clothed

accomplice went in search of valuables. He thinks they were in

the house for 10 minutes. The other one went through his jacket and

removed items. Thank you for your time. After the impostors left, I

then felt uneasy and went to check his wallet was still in his jacket.

When I came back in here, I had a look at my jacket. It had gone.

When he hurried back to the door, there was no sign of the police

meant either. The is what we would class as a distraction burglary.

Interesting gentleman has let them in thinking they were police. A

horrible thing to have happened. soon as it happened, I rang. I then

rang the police non emergency contact number. We know there were

least four other instances in Hampshire on the same day, where

two gentle men have gone to addresses and similar things have

happened. I don't was able to give a good description of the two con

men who are now wanted by the police.

Since it happened, Ivan has been on age. He has been nervous. I have

been popping in to see him more frequently to see if he is all

right. We feel that possibly he has become a target.

Poor Ivan. What a cruel thing to do. Now, this happened just three weeks

ago, and could be fresh in people's minds. PC Sarah Chaplin is with me

now. She's investigating this case. Ivan is not the only victim of the

these two men, is he? There were four other cases on the same day in

Hampshire, and we believe they are all linked. It happened all in one

evening. These areas are all very close

together. They have covered quite a bit of ground. They are saying

every time they are police officers. They are dressing as a police

officer, the other one is in casual clothing. In Salisbury, he was

wearing a policeman's helmet. have an effect. The gentlemen

wearing the helmet, smooth faced, round face. The other gentlemen, he

has a square jaw. Police officers do not turn up at your door and

asked to come in. If they're doing house to house inquiries, they may

not on your door but one never ask to come in. They will only come if

you have reported an incident took and they need to speak to. Genuine

police officers never mind you checking out their credentials.

Now it's time for our first Wanted Faces of the week. First up is this

man Christopher Thornton Blake. He's been wanted by detectives in

Cleveland for questioning since 1994, in connection with rape and

indecent assault allegations. He has connections to the London area

and, at the time of his disappearance, had a moustache and

was overweight. But, of course, his appearance will now have changed.

But where is he now? Next, Jason Patrick Humble. He's

wanted by officers in South Wales, in connection with an attempted

murder back in 2006. He's also known to use the name Jason

O'Connor. He's a former rally driver, and police think he still

attends rally events across the country. He has connections to the

South Wales Valleys, London and the Farnborough area of Hampshire. If

you've got any information about him, police want to know.

Next is this man, Daniel John Griffiths. He's wanted by

detectives in Surrey, in connection with serious sexual offences. He

has connections to the Devon and Cornwall areas, and has previously

worked as a cleaner. Do you know where he is?

And finally, is this man. Detectives in London want to speak

to him in connection with a sexual assault on an 18-year-old girl. He

practices as a Pandit, or spiritual healer, and has connections to the

east of London, Forest Gate and Wembley areas, but could be

anywhere in the country, or even abroad. If you know where he, or

any of today's Wanted Faces are, then please give us a call. 08000

468 999. Or text us on 63399. Text CW, space, and then your message.

And please, leave the space, or your message won't get through to

us. Or, email us. [email protected]. Now back to Alex in Salisbury. Alex.

Thanks, Rav. Wiltshire Police force's claim to fame is that they

are the oldest police force in the country. This year, they're

celebrating 173 years of fighting crime in this area.

And with its urban areas like London and large areas of

countryside, the 1,200 police officers face a dynamic range of

crime across the county. There are some major events keeping

them busy. This is one of the biggest policing operations of the

year, with thousands of visitors to Stonehenge. The police are working

hard to keep people safe, and crime to a minimum. We have the pop

festival which takes place in the north of the county, a number of

other fairly significant events in the year. Wiltshire tops the table

when it comes to tackling violent crime. With the M4 corridor cutting

through the county, there are concerns other criminals may be

moving in. Quite if you see Wiltshire as a soft touch but we

are not. When we get information, we deal with it firmly. Wiltshire

Police carried out regular raids to stamp out the manufacture and

distribution of illegal drugs. But they are facing substantial cuts in

their budget. Over a four Year period we will lose something like

20% of our budget. I think this police force is up to it.

One of the innovative schemes that Wiltshire Police are encouraging is

Streetwatch. It's cut by half anti- social crime in this area. So this

is how it all began. After working 48 years as a nurse,

Sheila thought she was in forehead quite good, but that changed just

before Christmas in 2010. I was watching TV, and my front door was

smashed in by you this unknown. Which was pretty frightening. Three

weeks later, my porch was smashed in as well. It started from there

really. That was the end of my quiet life. These are the ladies of

the Streetwatch scheme in Bemerton Heath helping police to crack down

on anti-social crime in their area. Streetwatch is like the next step

on from Neighbourhood Watch, volunteers go out on patrol in

pairs or more, and talk to people who they see on the street, and

generally promote good citizenship throughout the neighbourhood and

community. Whether it is keeping a friendly eye on the local kids. To

reporting on taxed cars. She has found that the two -- the tax is

two months out of date and this will be passed on to the police.

And dealing with parking problems. There is no excuse. The Streetwatch

team are the new eyes and ears of the police. How it has worked, we

don't know, but when the crime statistics came out, and they had

dropped by 50%, then something obviously has worked. It is a

scheme which all of us really believe in. And I honestly believe

every police force in this country should picketer. They are a

remarkable group of individuals and we think they are a real asset to

Bemerton Heath and the neighbourhood policing team. We are

very grateful for their support. And I have the ladies from Bemerton

Heath's Streetwatch with me now. Sheila, Maureen, Eve and Sue. Does

everyone react positively when they see you all patrolling the streets?

Or do you ever get told you are sticking your noses in where it's

not wanted? Everyone is quite friendly actually, and people even

recognise us now and say hello. you have a good rapport with the

youngsters. Yes. Aren't you ever We have this alarm. Maureen, how

did you get roped into this? friend, basically! She walked the

dog around the Heath and asked if I wanted to join in. Bring the dog

forward. She has her own uniform. Papa. She goes on patrol with you?

What effect does that have? But so people want to stroke her and say

hello. Brilliant. It isn't just Crimea have been fighting? No, we

went out one night and reported a water leak which saved Western

Water quite a lot of money so it's not only crime. Really part of the

community. What do you get out of this? Community spirit. People tell

us their problems and what is wrong and we pass it on, if necessary.

Sheila, if you see something that is going to kick off, what do you

do? Back off. This is a non confrontational role. If we thought

we needed help, the police are not the other end of the phone because

it is on the computer and they know where we are. We are never afraid.

You're not going to replace the police?! If absolutely not.

ladies. Alex is with the officer PC Olly Royston, who works with these

guys. You're usually out there. Are they are stealing the thunder and

taking a job? Not at all, we works closely with Streetwatch and they

often join them on patrol. Who is the bus? They definitely are! We

can advise them of worm but like them to patrol but they can go

wherever they like. That is quite empowering. We have seen from the

statistics, it really does work. Why does it work so well? They just

have the time to go and chat with children and young people on the

estate. They can just get down to their level and give them half an

hour just chatting and building up that relationship. It is obviously

working. Thank you for taking the Now, some more dodgy deeds caught

on camera. Waitrose and Gosport. February. This man walks in and

helped himself to �88 worth of land joints. When he leaves without

paying, the store assistant runs after him and grabs it back. Give

this man that chop by calling us... Next, October last year in

Wandsworth in London and the man walks into a food and wine store.

He looks around. But it isn't until he gets to the counter that he sees

something he really fancies. The cash. He makes a quick snatch and

he is off with the late. The shopkeeper jumps over the counter

and chases them outside but he gets away. Help police catch this thief.

Get in touch. The early hours of the morning in Kent. February.

Under cover of darkness, two men make their move on this parked car,

damaging the tyres. Come on, police need to catch these troublemakers.

If you know who they are, you know what to do. If you recognise anyone

Or text us. Or you can e-mail us. An update on the appeals we ran

last week and we have had very good information. We should you footage

of a couple in a shop in potted red in South Wales which shows a man

using sleight of hand to steal thousands of pounds worth of

jewellery. We had information from that, including potential names,

and the police were chasing that up. One of last week's wanted faces,

Patrick Finney, and we have had strong Leeds. He is wanted for

questioning in connection with fraud and money-laundering. And the

number of potential names on that attempted kidnap that we featured

on Thursday in which a man who said his aim was San'a tried to grab a

young woman and pusher into the back of his black Range Rover.

Still to come... The trusting neighbours who fell victim to an

audacious scam. And the Stones might be ancient, but the challenge

for police is anything but. Joining us in the studio is Detective

Sergeant Martin Penny from Strathclyde Police, who would like

to unite a very unusual and valuable collection of jewellery

and coins with its owners. Welcome. How did you come into contact with

all this really expensive jewellery? They were seized by

police in Dumbarton in Strathclyde in February and since then there

has been an inquiry carried out. But we still have not brought them

back to their lawful owners. yet. This is hundreds of thousands

of pounds worth and this is only one third of what you have got. Let

us start with some of the items. This is a watch, relax. Tell me

more about this. -- Rolex. It is a gold watch. We know from inquiries

that it was exported to Hong Kong in 1991 and there is no record

after that. It has been altered by the addition of the diamonds,

diamond-encrusted strap. A watchmaker or jeweller might

recognise that and they might have worked on it. Not just the order

you want to hear from because jeweller's might have worked on

this. It is unique. What about the small pocket watch? It is a small

lady's pocket watch and on the back of it, there are some very small...

People can see this at home in the picture. This is an inscription.

a mark of a watchmaker. It is a very small inscription. This

somewhat Schnaider can help us identify these, there is a link on

the website. -- some watchmaker. And what about this distinctive

ring? From the front and what is inside... We can see those marks.

Balls had been put inside to size the ring and this is for someone

who perhaps had arthritis in their knuckle. Hence the larger size.

Again, any jeweller who has done some work honouring similar to that,

please get in contact. You do need some evidence of ownership? They

need a receipt or a proof of purchase, possibly photographs and

insurance valuations. You cannot just give these to the first person.

Thank you very much. Hopefully, one of those rightful owners is

watching this now, or perhaps a police officer from another force,

who may have had some of this stuff reported to them as stolen. And if

that's you, please get in touch. Back to David... Thank you. When a

couple from Melksham, nearly eight miles south of Chippenham went on

holiday and asked their neighbour to keep an eye on their house, they

couldn't have imagined what she would do. She was a perfect

neighbour. Very friendly and outgoing. We thought we were lucky.

After a couple of weeks we met the Labour after being told by the

person we initially exchanged with that she was smashing. We were very

lucky to have a neighbour of that calibre. George and Irene moved

into their new home in 20th July 11. They quickly made friends with

their new neighbour. She was having a birthday party. And she invited

us to the birthday party in her home and we had a lovely time. All

of her friends and family were there. Perfect. 12 weeks later,

they went on an extended holiday to Tenerife. Because we trusted her

and we had been so friendly, I asked her if she would mind taking

the key while we were away for a couple of months. We had coffee

together and she said thank you, here are the keys. Lovely, off we

went. Twice they were away enjoying the sun, their neighbour was making

the most of their absence. We came home on 9th March. As we got out of

the taxi, the neighbour that lives near where we had the car parked

came out and came along with us and he set that she had been showing

somebody around our bungalow while you're away. We were wondering if

she will showing her friends or showing people what a nice place we

have got. Why would she do that?! We were at a loss. In fact, their

neighbour had been trying to rent out their home. Her intention was

to take deposits money from prospective tenants and pocket the

cash. She was bringing in tenants to have a look to read the kiss out

too. People were very interested. If we came here and the door had a

different lock, and there where people here, it was not their fault.

Not content with one property, or bogus landed the advertised her

housing association flat as well. - - landlady. This woman arranged to

see it. She was a lovely woman to begin with. I thought she was just

normal. And she was being genuine. And then everything went wrong. I

met her in a bungalow, I thought it was all about all the furniture was

still in there. She said it would be gone by the weekend. It was

spacious. Just my ideal size. For me and my boys. Heidi sector hard

on the flat and was eager to move in. -- set her heart on the Flat.

had to meet up with my deposit money. �750. She originally only

one to �700 but then put up the deposit. And then she was like,

thank you, I will be out on such a budget to bring you an agreement

and keys. Heidi thought she would soon move into her new home.

night that she was due to come out, she never turned up and that is

when I find out about what had happened. I was devastated,

horrible. My oldest, he would not stop crying, he said, we're moving?

No, we're not. Heidi never saw her money again. The rental scam was

not the only illegal activity George and Irene's neighbour was up

to. There was worse to come. suddenly thought that I had left

one of my credit cards in the draw, near my computer. I thought, no,

she would not be going down there to look for that. I open the drawer

and it was gone. Her worst fears were confirmed. She spent just over

�2,000 on my card. She booked a flight tickets, ferry tickets,

hotels. And also she had opened a catalogue account in my name. It

broke my heart, my children's hearts. Trying to explain to

children, we are not moving because this person has run off with your

money. They were looking forward to it. I just do not know. I felt

violated. Six. She has broken something in us that we thought was

not there. Because of what she has done. But only to us but other

people, who has suffered and she should be locked up. Of course,

NOMA, we want you to give us names but in this case, you can tell us

who we are looking for? Lorraine Banham, 55, from north London.

Descried her? She is a large build, 55 and she had long had the last

time we saw her. She is clearly very plausible? What she tense

today is she befriended people who might need help with cleaning our

shopping and when she has a trust, she will take their names, details

and sometimes bank cards and will ring up huge debts with catalogues

and bikes. The couple in the film are not her only victim? 21 victims

across the south of the country. If there are further victims, we want

to here. 21 so far? And if somebody else has fallen victim, do you know

the names that she uses? One of the reasons it has taken us so long is

because she has used 16 years -- 16 names. Her last known whereabouts?

In February? Were much to be? believe she is in Spain. Her family,

who she has also defrauded, have told us she is in Spain. She was in

Benidorm recently and we believe she is in that area. She has even

defrauded her own family? Yes. A obviously, if anybody sees her or

has been befriended by her, you want to hear from them as soon as

possible? Yes. Thank you. She has used different names. Different

appearances? Certainly, she can change a her colour. She said she

was going to... A member of the family paid for a flight which was

supposed to have been taken a If you know where Lorraine Banham

is, or maybe you're even watching from Spain and have seen her,

please contact us on the usual number, 0800 469 999. Alex.

I had a bit of a late night last week, through the night, actually.

I went along with the local police to Stonehenge, for the solstice, a

celebration of the longest day. In the past, policing of this event

has been Controversial. But now, access to the monument is allowed,

and it has become a major public On up one day in June, this small

corner of Wiltshire attracts 15,000 people to one of Britain's most

famous landmarks, Stonehenge. But it's a massive challenge for

the Wiltshire Police, they want it to go peacefully, so people can

enjoy the experience. I have been invited along by the Wiltshire

Police to see how they police such a significant events.

It is probably our largest regular operation. If you are here to see

the sun rise, we support English Heritage. If you want be drunk and

disorderly, engage in crime, that is not acceptable and we will deal

with that appropriately. After 19 years of policing this,

Sergeant Hargreaves has plenty of experience as he briefs his unit.

The main objectives. It is a daunting events for an

experienced police officer, up to 30,000 people at this event, the

majority want to enjoy it. Our job is to make sure people do enjoy it

and the ones who come hit intent on causing criminality, we deal with

them robustly. For someone to have completed their

training, I can imagine how someone is feeling now. James is a special

constable, an unpaid volunteer, his first time at Stonehenge. What are

the main challenges you anticipate this evening were you training will

come in useful? Some of the stop and search, I haven't had a chance

to use this. Also, dealing with As the sun starts to set and the

crowds grow, the police are in for a long and hopefully peaceful night.

Second in command chief Inspector griffiths is keeping a close eye on

the crowds. We have a very good searching at the entrance to this

site, drugs dogs are here, identifying where people may have

drugs. And a drugs searching team. The people in here should be drug-

free, and you can see behaviour is really good at the moment. And at

the entrance, it's never dogs are checking everyone as they enter the

site. Although everyone identified isn't necessarily carrying drugs,

they are taken to a reserved area for a thorough search. If that

person is found in possession of a controlled substance, we take them

to the review officer who looks at the evidence and decides whether we

can deal with that person byway of St caution or cannabis warning.

This man is found to have no illegal substances and is free to

go. Just been through this search process, how did you feel?

worries whatsoever. I wasn't carrying anything other was a would

have been scared. They pulled you away from the crowd, how do you

think they handled it? They were honest. It was fine. As a result of

the operation, over 100 people were cautioned and 37 arrests were made.

Can you give an update on terms of numbers? 76 people have come

through this section, they had been searched by our police officers,

sometimes we found small amounts of drugs and they have been cautioned.

The ones carrying larger amounts, or more serious drugs, are dealt

with in Salisbury. It is the shortest night of the year, but a

long night for the police. But a successful operation for them. The

sun has come up, and although there were moments where it was busy for

the police, on the whole, it seems to have been fairly peaceful and

harmonious. People are enjoying themselves. As we move through the

morning, the police will move towards getting everyone safely off

site. We've got a piece of kit here that

was used by police that night at Stonehenge. Joining me now is crime

prevention officer Amanda Clark to tell us more. It was a huge

operation. Playing a part in the operation was this machine. It's

called the Ion Track Itemiser, or the Itemiser, for short. It can

check whether drugs are present on swabs we take from various surfaces.

On the night, we randomly swabbed vehicles to test for evidence of

drugs. Can we see how it works? take the swab like this. Made of

Kevlar. Making sure it's not contaminated, by wearing rubber

gloves. We have put traces of drugs that could be detected here, so

hopefully the machine will find something. Once done, we put this

swab into the Itemiser. Let's see if it's found anything. You put it

in here. The Itemiser tests by burning all bacteria, and leaves

the core drug substance, which is what we test for. That shows that

drugs have been found? This will test for all Class A to Class C

drugs. There you see it. Why is this so useful for the police? It's

a very quick way of confirming someone has drugs in their

possession, without needing dogs or lab testing. We use it at licensed

premises. And at public events. To supply -- to stop the supply of

drugs going on in those events. What when you have done before? --

what would you have done before? detects minuscule particles, we

wouldn't have known they were there before. We have been using this for

seven years. Great piece of equipment. Thanks, Amanda. Back to

you, Rav. Time for some more crooks caught on

camera. A supermarket in Gosport, Hampshire,

February this year. Look at the man in the woolly hat, he doesn't

appear to know any of the other customers. What's going on? He

starts ticking goods from the shelf and put in them into this woman's

bag. She is off, straight out of the door. Who is this? It seems

like he's found another little helper. Off she goes. There's

another one. It's the same routine again. Off the shelf. And, into a

bag. They get away with around �200 of staff. If you recognise this

greedy gang, ring us now. January this year at the west field

shopping centre in Stratford, east London. This man is helping himself

to some clothes. Bold as brass, he strolls out before making a run for

it. If you recognise this shoplifter, let us know.

Next, a coffee shop in Westminster, London, February this year. This

man seems more interested in the bad behind him than in drinking

coffee. He gets in close. You need to look closely. Do see his hand in

the bag. He slips something under his coat. And he is off. It turns

out an Apple laptop was nipped under everyone's noses. Make sure

this thief is caught before he ends up on a table near you.

If you recognise anything there, give us a call. Our number is on

the screen. Or call Crimestoppers anonymously, 0800 555 111.

Now back to Dave in Salisbury. Now, a scam you need to watch out

for, which involves strangers pretending to ask for directions,

so they can distract you and steal something from your bag. I have DC

Anthony King with me. You're investigating a case which happened

in this area in March this year. What happened? An 89-year-old woman

was walking near Kyngeston Court in Warminster. A small black car

pulled up, and a man asked her for directions. Nothing too unusual in

that. But what happened next? pulled out a map, and asked for

directions nearby. The elderly woman also noticed there was a

woman sitting in the car when it happened. She gave him directions,

and the man got back in his car and drove off. When did she realise

something had happened? When she got home, she discovered that her

purse containing cards and cash was missing, and that her card had been

used to fraudulently obtain over �1,000. Poor woman. So how do you

think it happened? It is possible that the PIN number was written

down somewhere. What is the advice to people in this situation? Most

people asking for directions are genuine. However, if you have

personal property, you need to make sure it is in front you and you can

see it at all times. This image was taken when the

�1,000 was taken out of her account. From the CCTV, a man and a woman

were identified at more than one location at the time of those

withdrawals. Wiltshire Police are keen to speak with those

individuals. This is a really mean crime against a trusting elderly

person. This particular lady is ill, it has caused an awful lot of

stress. If anyone out there has any information on who these people are,

please get in touch. Now over to Rav.

If Thanks, Dave. Now time to catch up on what's been coming in on your

calls and e-mails today. Some good information on two of the crimes we

have featured, on one of our Wanted Faces, there he is. Police are

following this up. Also, we showed U2 man who pretended to be police

officers who stole money from an old man. Possible leave have come

in. Thank you to everyone who has got in touch. Let's find out what

Dave and Alex have got planned for tomorrow.. We'll be at Wiltshire

Police headquarters in Devizes, to see how the force tackles crime

from the skies. And we'll hear a troubling tale of

a conman who is wanted by Wiltshire Police and five other forces.

See you tomorrow. Thanks to the team in Salisbury.

And that's it for today. For more details about all the crimes on

today's programme, head to bbc.co.uk/crimewatch roadshow.

Finally, we'll leave you with another look at today's Wanted