0:00:03 > 0:00:05According to police figures,
0:00:05 > 0:00:10more than 3,500 theft incidents are recorded every day in the UK.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13They stole part of my life.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16But have you ever wondered what happens to our belongings
0:00:16 > 0:00:17when they're stolen?
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Thief Trackers tells the story of where they go.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24We're hiding satellite tracking devices inside a range
0:00:24 > 0:00:28of desirable everyday items, like cameras,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32smartphones and bicycles, to trace the looters' footsteps.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34The thieves may think they've got away with it,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37but we are tracking their every move.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41With secret filming, CCTV and police raid footage,
0:00:41 > 0:00:45we'll get an insight into the criminal mind-set
0:00:45 > 0:00:48and uncover the unseen journey that our treasured possessions take
0:00:48 > 0:00:50when they're stolen.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Today we're on the trail of petty thieves who think nothing of stealing
0:01:01 > 0:01:04charity donations from right outside the shop.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07It's a feeding frenzy, they don't care who's watching them.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10It's particularly shocking taking it from a charity shop.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Lancashire cricketers team up with a police dog
0:01:12 > 0:01:14to bowl out a sneaky phone thief -
0:01:14 > 0:01:17modern tracking technology meets old-school policing.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Looking back, it was one of the funniest
0:01:20 > 0:01:2345 minutes, I think, of my life.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26And cutting-edge technology puts the police in the picture
0:01:26 > 0:01:29when a robbery victim tracks down a stolen laptop.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32We had information on the network they were logged into.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36We even had an approximate address, based on their IP address.
0:01:38 > 0:01:44The 10,500 charity shops across the UK depend on the generosity
0:01:44 > 0:01:46of the general public for donations,
0:01:46 > 0:01:51raising around £219 million for good causes every year.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Many people drop off their donations in the evening
0:01:54 > 0:01:58because they're either at work or just too busy to get to the shop
0:01:58 > 0:02:02during opening hours, so they leave their bags outside on the pavement.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05However, there is a growing and disturbing trend
0:02:05 > 0:02:07that we want to highlight.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12These items are being stolen right from the charities' doorsteps.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Across the country, local newspapers are highlighting this story.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18From Derbyshire, to Devon, to Scotland,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22there have been increasing numbers of incidents reported.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24The sad truth is that it's a criminal trend
0:02:24 > 0:02:26becoming all too prevalent.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Keith Farquharson, a former Met Police inspector,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35is assisting us with our inquiries.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39This is quite a common crime and people that do it would see it
0:02:39 > 0:02:42as a victimless crime, but quite honestly, it isn't.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45It is against the law, it is theft and the owner is still
0:02:45 > 0:02:49the person who placed the bag until the charity shop take it over.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55One such victim of this heartless thieving is the Mind charity shop
0:02:55 > 0:02:58in the south London Borough of Wandsworth.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Met Police figures show that this area is one of the top four
0:03:01 > 0:03:05London boroughs for handling stolen goods, with over 1,000 items
0:03:05 > 0:03:08reported during the year 2014.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11The people that run the charity shop behind me have informed us that
0:03:11 > 0:03:15they've been subject to quite a large number of thefts from bags
0:03:15 > 0:03:17that have been placed overnight by members of the public
0:03:17 > 0:03:19donating to the shop.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Mona has worked in the shop for 20 years - the last 16 as manager.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27Not only is she angered by the thieving, but also the mess
0:03:27 > 0:03:31left behind once the vultures have finished rummaging through the bags.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35They're usually ripped open, they're thrown all over the floor
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and it seems to be that they're looking for the goods,
0:03:38 > 0:03:43things they can use, and the others are just thrown around.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47And I have to clean up other messes as well.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49And it doesn't end there.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Outside the shop is a textile bank.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54People who live opposite here tell me that, during the night,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58people have been in it with hooks and trying to get it out.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02And there was one incident as well where there was a man in there
0:04:02 > 0:04:05and he couldn't get back out again.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09So we needed to break the lock to try to get him.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11He was then arrested.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Time for Thief Trackers to go undercover to monitor the extent
0:04:15 > 0:04:17of this distasteful charity-thieving.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25We put together a bag of everyday items and wrote out a tag,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28making it clear that this bag is intended for the charity.
0:04:31 > 0:04:355pm and it's after closing time at the shop.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41Just before 7pm, the Thief Trackers' team drop off our charity donation.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Shortly after, more kind-hearted folk leave their own donations.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50In the two hours since the shop shut,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53look how much has been left outside by donors.
0:04:53 > 0:04:58How many of these bags will survive the night until the shop opens again?
0:04:58 > 0:05:00It's almost 7.15pm.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Here's someone stopping for a look.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07She's having a good nose in the bags.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13But by the look of her trainers, she can't be short of a bob or two.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20She's searched through the open bags, but not touched our sealed bag.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Wow, look at that!
0:05:22 > 0:05:27This thief has pinched a whole bagful of charity donations.
0:05:27 > 0:05:3045 minutes have gone and there's been no further thieving.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Hang on, there's someone else with a bag. Maybe she's donating.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Or maybe not.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42She likes the look of that bag.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Oh, and that one, too!
0:05:47 > 0:05:50That's two bags of charity stock she's pinched
0:05:50 > 0:05:53without even looking to see what's inside.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Seconds later...
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Hey! Mind our camera!
0:06:02 > 0:06:05He's having a good look at our bag.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07It looks like he's got an accomplice.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Unbelievable.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Mind is a charity that raises money
0:06:14 > 0:06:17for some of the most vulnerable people in our society,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20but these two have absolutely no thought for the needy
0:06:20 > 0:06:24who might benefit from the funds that these goods would have raised.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29He's ripped our bag open to have a good old rummage.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Oh, he likes the handbag!
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Incredible, in one minute they've been through absolutely everything.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41He's found a coat now.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45But they can't decide whether they like it or not.
0:06:45 > 0:06:46Obviously not,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49because they've dropped it into the textile bank.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Clearly it's not valuable enough to tempt them.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55They like this handbag, though, and that's them done.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02It was a big laugh for those two, but this kind of theft occurs
0:07:02 > 0:07:06outside of this one shop almost every night of the week.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09That's thousands of pounds a year in lost takings
0:07:09 > 0:07:11that could help those in need.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Later on Thief Trackers, we play back our evidence of the thieving.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19People just come and take things straight away.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23And it's time for our own donation - with a tracker inside it.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26We're soon on the trail of a scavenging thief.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31The GPS showed that it was in this block at around about 6.10 at night.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41High-value electronic items can be a prime target for thieves
0:07:41 > 0:07:44looking to make a swift return on their criminal activity.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48There were almost 300,000 computer equipment thefts
0:07:48 > 0:07:52in the UK during the year to March 2014.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55But in Elephant & Castle, south London,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57the victims are starting to fight back,
0:07:57 > 0:08:02turning detectives and mounting their own covert surveillance operation.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09This fella struggling to hang up a picture is Jordan
0:08:09 > 0:08:14and he runs a printing shop. That's Josh and Amy - they work here, too.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17We're a large format printing business.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19We print things that are generally quite big,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21like posters, roller banners, canvases
0:08:21 > 0:08:25and we also have a website where our orders are placed by customers.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Having a computer, and the laptop in particular,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29is critical to what we do, really.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34But all their fancy Dan computers make them an ideal target
0:08:34 > 0:08:37for a bit of light-fingered skulduggery.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40The day that the theft occurred
0:08:40 > 0:08:42started like pretty much every other day.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45I think Josh had popped out to grab his lunch
0:08:45 > 0:08:47and Amy was in the shop on her own.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51She had a customer on the phone and then she noticed two guys
0:08:51 > 0:08:54who came into the shop and just started talking at her, really.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Unfortunately, I was only focusing on one gentleman that was in there.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00You're far too polite, Amy.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02There's other ways to describe these crooks,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06but gentleman isn't one of them, considering what they're about to do.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Whilst I was focusing and also on the phone,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12the other gentleman went behind me and took the laptop.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14And there goes the gentleman thief...
0:09:14 > 0:09:16and your laptop!
0:09:19 > 0:09:22We didn't initially realise that the laptop had been stolen,
0:09:22 > 0:09:26actually, and it wasn't until Josh came back with his lunch.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29He expected to find his laptop on his desk
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and started questioning where it was.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35We'd spent about half an hour trying to look for it.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37We thought we'd misplaced it ourselves.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40It started to dawn on us that, in fact, somebody had taken it
0:09:40 > 0:09:43from right under our noses, basically.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45It's just general shock and disbelief
0:09:45 > 0:09:48that that actually happened in the middle of the day.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52My first feeling was, "Oh, my God, how do we get this back,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54"how do you rectify this?"
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Because they'd been turned over by burglars in the past, they'd taken
0:09:57 > 0:10:01the precaution of fitting their laptops with tracking software.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04There are various types available, but they use one called Hidden,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08developed by Toby here, who's going to tell us what it does.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Hidden remains dormant on your laptop when it's installed
0:10:11 > 0:10:15until it's stolen, at which point you can activate tracking online
0:10:15 > 0:10:18and Hidden will start to take screenshots of the computer.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21It will report its location, just trying to collect as much evidence
0:10:21 > 0:10:25as you can to help the police retrieve what's been stolen.
0:10:26 > 0:10:27Having called the police,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31they activated the tracker online by marking the laptop as stolen.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35The invisible software then locks the owner's account,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38preventing access to personal data.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41You also need to set up a guest account that the people
0:10:41 > 0:10:44who have the computer can log into, they can use it,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47and potentially give away a bit of information about their identity
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and who they are and where they are.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52It wasn't until maybe four or five days after the laptop
0:10:52 > 0:10:55had been stolen, actually, that we got a report and I was out
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and about at the time and I got an e-mail on my phone saying,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00"Receipt from tracking data." I was like, great.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02So I rushed back to the office,
0:11:02 > 0:11:07logged in, had a look at what we had and we had screenshots
0:11:07 > 0:11:09from what they'd been doing on the computer,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12we had information on the network they were logged into,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16and we even had an approximate address based on their IP address,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18which was an address in east London.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20It seemed as if they'd hit the jackpot,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23but the data wasn't detailed enough for the boys in blue.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27They said, "Well, look, until we've got a precise address,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31"we can't go knocking on or kicking in doors to retrieve it."
0:11:31 > 0:11:35So we had a range and it was just a kind of waiting game
0:11:35 > 0:11:37from then, really.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41So in the meantime, Jordan and his team took advantage
0:11:41 > 0:11:44of another surprising function within the tracking software.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48It controls the laptop's onboard camera,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51taking photos of whoever is using the device.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52Say cheese!
0:11:52 > 0:11:57So we quickly ascertained from their Facebook page that the guys who had
0:11:57 > 0:12:00it were Romanian, they were logged in, they were speaking Romanian.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05They watched a four or five hour wedding video from Romania.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08It became a bit like an obsession, really, it was quite, you know,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10sort of voyeuristic, really.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Well, everyone's got to have a hobby.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Just out of interest, what websites were they looking at?
0:12:17 > 0:12:19All above board, thankfully.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Oops, nothing to see here!
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Alone at last, enjoying the internet.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30With the app, you can actually control the computer
0:12:30 > 0:12:31remotely as well.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Brilliant! This sounds like it could be a lot of fun.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36We're thinking, if we never get their address,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38we'll just bombard them with annoying YouTube videos
0:12:38 > 0:12:42and just turn the volume right up and play a really annoying pop song
0:12:42 > 0:12:46at them, play it ten times over on repeat just to annoy them.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50Justin Bieber at full volume 24/7...
0:12:50 > 0:12:53that's enough to make anyone crack!
0:12:53 > 0:12:54It was a Sunday afternoon,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58I was just logged on out of interest to see what they were up to
0:12:58 > 0:13:00and one of the guys was translating a bail letter.
0:13:00 > 0:13:01Just a bit ironic, really.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03And it was obviously in English,
0:13:03 > 0:13:05they were translating it to Romanian.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09They fired up Google Translate and we had three or four screenshots,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12including an image from the built-in camera,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15of the guy holding the bail letter while he translated it to his friend
0:13:15 > 0:13:19and it had, you know, house number, postcode, the lot.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21That's not the cleverest of moves.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24What's Romanian for, "You're nicked"?
0:13:24 > 0:13:28I couldn't really believe my eyes. I was like, this is what we needed.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Called the police, they popped over to east London, knocked on the door.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36They first denied they had any knowledge of a laptop.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39They showed them an iPad with some screenshots taken from the computer,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41said, "I think you do have it,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43"because you look awfully like this guy,"
0:13:43 > 0:13:45and they gave up, willingly gave a statement to the police
0:13:45 > 0:13:47by all accounts saying, you know,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49"This is where we bought it, from a market in East Ham,"
0:13:49 > 0:13:53and what have you. And I suppose, you know, you sort of feel sorry
0:13:53 > 0:13:58for them cos they've been relieved of whatever cash in buying this,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and the only person that really won was the guy who came in the shop,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04grabbed it and flogged it to them on the cheap.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08They've now installed tracking software on all their computers
0:14:08 > 0:14:12and are keeping a beady eye out at lunchtime for would-be villains.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Prevention is better than a cure, we found,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17so make sure you just keep an eye on your things.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20If they're easily stolen, put them away.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24And buyer beware, if you've bought a cheap laptop down the market,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26be sure you keep your flat tidy.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28You never know who's watching.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Tracking stolen goods is no easy task.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36At Thief Trackers,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39we're investigating the theft of charity donations.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42So far, we've caught robbers on camera lifting bag-loads of goods
0:14:42 > 0:14:47from outside this Mind charity shop in south London.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51The next day, we returned to show Mona, the shop's manager,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53the video from our night's filming.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59It's not even there very long, somebody passes and takes the bag!
0:14:59 > 0:15:02And it makes me really quite angry to see that.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05I see how much stuff people just put there,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09which I could use in the shop for the charity, and people just...
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Yeah, just come and take it.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15That's all the mess they're making now,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17they're going right through it, looking at everything.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21It takes such a long time in the morning for me to clean that up.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24If it's on the floor and if it's raining or it's dirty, I can't even
0:15:24 > 0:15:29get rags for it, because it's so dirty, the ragman wouldn't take it.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Once Mona has cleared up the mess from an evening's scavenging,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35it costs the charity money to have it taken away.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38If people donated and it's been thrown in the street,
0:15:38 > 0:15:39they don't donate money to us,
0:15:39 > 0:15:44they're actually making us pay money out for this to be collected.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Having seen the extent of the thieving, we want to find out
0:15:49 > 0:15:52where these donations end up once they're stolen,
0:15:52 > 0:15:57an impossible task unless your item has a GPS tracker like this one.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01It has a small battery that can last for up to two weeks,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03depending on how many signals the tracker sends.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07This tracking device can come up with a series of numbers that
0:16:07 > 0:16:09describes its position.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Once you've got those numbers, you can plot the position
0:16:12 > 0:16:16of the device on a map and you can display that on a computer screen.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17How does it do that?
0:16:17 > 0:16:21It does that using GPS, the Global Positioning System.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24And the core of that technology is the ability of this device
0:16:24 > 0:16:28to measure the range from here to orbiting satellites.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Those satellites could be 20,000km away.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37Not all charity shops accept electrical items, but this one does.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40We're fitting our tracker into a DVD player.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45With the tracker secured, we bag up our player, label it clearly
0:16:45 > 0:16:49as a charity donation and drop it off outside the shop.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54It's not even six o'clock in the evening
0:16:54 > 0:16:56and our first rummager arrives
0:16:56 > 0:16:58for a good sift through our bags.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04He's had a good look, but sees nothing that takes his fancy,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07leaving the items strewn on the ground.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10It's not long before someone else turns up
0:17:10 > 0:17:12for a root around in our charity bag.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18Takes a good look at the clothing, but not interested.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20There's more for the clothing bank.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Here comes another curious customer...
0:17:22 > 0:17:25And look at that, he's straight in there,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29no honour amongst thieves as he grabs the DVD player.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33You can see the silver bay showing up under his arm.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35And there he goes, he's off.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39And now we can pick him up with the tracker.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42The tracker shows the thief moving slowly around the corner,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46into Union Road, where the signal comes to a stop,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50not even five minutes' walk away from where it was stolen.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Our expert Keith is soon on the trail.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57The shop closes at approximately 5.30pm most days of the week
0:17:57 > 0:18:02and the GPS tracking showed that the item was actually taken
0:18:02 > 0:18:04at just after 6pm.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07The GPS showed that it was in this block
0:18:07 > 0:18:10at around about 6.10pm at night,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14therefore confirming that the thief or whoever did take it
0:18:14 > 0:18:17was living close to the actual shop itself.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Once inside a building,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22the tracker can only report its last-known position.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25So if the tracking device is inside a building,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28then its ability to make measurements to the GPS satellites
0:18:28 > 0:18:32is a bit degraded, so you might be able to work out the device
0:18:32 > 0:18:35is inside a particular building, but you wouldn't be able to figure out
0:18:35 > 0:18:39from the GPS data exactly which room it's in.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41We didn't let that deter us
0:18:41 > 0:18:44and turned to more conventional tracking methods.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48We went out on foot to leaflet the area and knock on doors
0:18:48 > 0:18:51to try and locate our DVD player and the thief,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55to find out why he felt the need to steal from charity.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00We spoke to several residents and, sure enough,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03having seen a picture of our thief, neighbours pointed out his address.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06We left messages for him to contact us,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10but it's no surprise that, so far, we've had no response.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12It's morally reprehensible,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15it's the same as taking a charity collection box, if you like.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17You can equate it to exactly the same.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Donate when we're open to make absolutely sure
0:19:20 > 0:19:25we get the stuff you are donating and not just leave it outside
0:19:25 > 0:19:28to be stolen or sold or just destroyed.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31If the authorities want to take a look at our video evidence,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33they're welcome to contact us.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Not all thieves operate in such a casual and opportunistic fashion.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Others are more devious and calculating,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49as in our next case in Lancashire in the North West of England.
0:19:50 > 0:19:56Around five miles out of Blackburn lies the small town of Oswaldtwistle.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59This is the story of a thief who had the barefaced cheek
0:19:59 > 0:20:02to steal from a cricket club dressing room during a match.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04The way he did it was really devious.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06It looks like a seasoned pro.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09He was chased across town by both teams...
0:20:09 > 0:20:11We looked a bit like Keystone Cops, I think.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14..and eventually caught by a combination
0:20:14 > 0:20:16of mobile tracking technology...
0:20:16 > 0:20:18and man's best friend.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26It's an archetypal English summer - the sound of leather on willow,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28polite applause from the pavilion...
0:20:28 > 0:20:32oh, and the rain.
0:20:32 > 0:20:33We play for Haslingden Cricket Club,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36we're a cricket team in the Lancashire league, which is
0:20:36 > 0:20:40one of the most prestigious leagues in the North West.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Even on the gloomiest day, the genteel game of cricket
0:20:44 > 0:20:47seems far removed from the world of crime,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50but thieves can strike anywhere, any time.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55One Sunday in June 2014, that's exactly what happened here,
0:20:55 > 0:21:00as a sneak thief hatched a plan to riffle through the dressing rooms.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03There'll be obviously mobile phones, wallets,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05keys for cars, etc, that were parked on the ground.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Obviously all our cricket gear, as well.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Thousands of pounds' worth of cricket equipment.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15It's our little sanctuary, as such, for seven hours of the day.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18A criminal was about to step over the boundary.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21He knew enough about the game to pick the right moment to strike.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25If you're fielding, then obviously all 11 players come out
0:21:25 > 0:21:26onto the field at the same time,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29leave all your belongings in the dressing room.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32As the changing rooms were in constant use,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35they were rarely locked and besides, the team never imagined
0:21:35 > 0:21:38their countryside pavilion would be a target.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41You trust everyone obviously around the cricket club and that,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44so you don't expect anything of it.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47But the one thing this crook hadn't banked on
0:21:47 > 0:21:49was the good old English weather.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52And as the rain came down, the players came off.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55So as we were walking off, one of the opposition batsmen
0:21:55 > 0:21:57in full batting gear and spikes
0:21:57 > 0:21:59was running up the side of the ground up there.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01So I kind of made a pass-away comment, saying,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04"Why're you warming up? We're coming off for rain anyway."
0:22:04 > 0:22:07And he said, "No, no, no, I think somebody's just been
0:22:07 > 0:22:10"in your dressing room and stolen some phones."
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Players from both sides immediately tried to find the suspect.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16We went up to the main road to see if we could see anybody
0:22:16 > 0:22:19and there was nothing untoward at that moment in time.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21But in the interim, all the other players had gone back
0:22:21 > 0:22:23in the dressing rooms and checked their pockets
0:22:23 > 0:22:27for their mobile phones, the vast majority of which were missing.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31Before the rain had interrupted him, it seems the cunning phone snatcher
0:22:31 > 0:22:35had collected a tidy haul by mingling in with the watching crowd.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38He actually sat outside our dressing room,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40pretended to be one of our club officials.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42When we took a wicket or bowled a good ball,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45he sort of clapped and cheered and so the opposition thought
0:22:45 > 0:22:49he was just a member of our kind of backroom staff, so to speak.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Then he kept milling in and out of the dressing room
0:22:51 > 0:22:54and he did it at a couple of times apparently, so he went in,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57came back and sat in his place, and then he went into the bar and
0:22:57 > 0:23:00waved at people in the bar, so it looked like he actually knew people.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02And then he's carried on walking down the ground,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05but fortunately one of the opposition had enough nous
0:23:05 > 0:23:07to think that something was slightly untoward.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10The cheek of it! But although the thief gave them the slip,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12he was batting on a sticky wicket.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Foolishly, he'd stolen mobile phones
0:23:14 > 0:23:18that can be tracked by GPS technology.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Fortunately, somebody had the Find My iPhone app on his phone.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24We keyed in the details of one of the phones that was missing.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28And then obviously we got a live GPS signal
0:23:28 > 0:23:30and we could track the phone from there.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32There was no kind of consensus decision or whatever,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35we just all decided at that point we were going to chase him.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39Usually in a situation like this, the best thing to do is to call
0:23:39 > 0:23:42the police rather than tackle a thief yourself.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48The first couple of updates showed him running to the top of a hill,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50so it was kind of almost like Benny Hill at one point
0:23:50 > 0:23:53where four or five of us were running up to the top of this hill,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55refreshed the app and then it turned out
0:23:55 > 0:23:57that he'd run back down the hill.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Then we all ran back down the hill to try and find where he was.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Looking back, it was one of the funniest 45 minutes,
0:24:03 > 0:24:04I think, of my life.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08The players knew the thief was nearby,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11but needed help to pinpoint his exact location.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Time now for the professionals to join this extraordinary chase.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18A colleague of mine from the traffic department
0:24:18 > 0:24:21had been stopped by a member of the public, who told them
0:24:21 > 0:24:23that they'd had mobile phones stolen.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26The offender was believed to be running across fields
0:24:26 > 0:24:29in order to make his escape.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32As a dog handler, this is bread and butter stuff.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35So I shouted up to say that I would attend also.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40The hunt was on, as modern GPS technology gave way to
0:24:40 > 0:24:42a traditional sniffer dog.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Come on, let's go!
0:24:44 > 0:24:47'When I got there, I discovered that there was a whole team'
0:24:47 > 0:24:49of cricket players in full cricket whites running around
0:24:49 > 0:24:52the streets, making quite a racket.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56It was quite funny, really, it was a bit like a Monty Python sketch.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59They could obviously find the general area of where the criminal
0:24:59 > 0:25:02was hiding, but they couldn't pinpoint his location.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05So what can a dog do that a GPS tracker can't?
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Well, a dog's sense of smell
0:25:07 > 0:25:10is roughly 50 times more acute than a human's.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14Picking up a criminal's scent is a walk in the park.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16The cricket team said, "He's here somewhere -
0:25:16 > 0:25:18"he has to be here somewhere,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20"the phones are giving off their location in this area."
0:25:20 > 0:25:24So I went into the field and worked my way back towards the road,
0:25:24 > 0:25:29and obviously that's where Sirius has picked up his scent,
0:25:29 > 0:25:31become interested in the area
0:25:31 > 0:25:33and started barking.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37That's when the guy, our suspect,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39has obviously been spooked by the dog,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41run out of the wooded area
0:25:41 > 0:25:44and straight into the arms of the cricket guys.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47And one of the cricketers leading the chase
0:25:47 > 0:25:48was an off-duty police officer.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50At that point, he kind of gave himself away
0:25:50 > 0:25:51by turning and running,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54which obviously was like a red rag to a bull to a police officer,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57because he immediately hightailed it after him,
0:25:57 > 0:25:59jumped over a fence into some nettles
0:25:59 > 0:26:03and pushed the villain down to the floor
0:26:03 > 0:26:07and managed to drag his arm behind his back and place him under arrest.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09That was the end of his innings.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12And there was a nasty sting in the tail.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15He was covered head to toe in nettles,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17so bad that he actually needed medical treatment
0:26:17 > 0:26:19once we got him into custody,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21so he was pretty quiet when we found him.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Their joy at having knocked the thief for six was short-lived
0:26:25 > 0:26:28when they realised he didn't have the phones on him.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29He was protesting innocence, saying,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31"No, I've not taken any phones,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33"I don't know what you're talking about."
0:26:33 > 0:26:36This remarkable story didn't end there.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39The cricketers once again turned to modern technology
0:26:39 > 0:26:43and used a tracking app to send a signal to one of the missing phones.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45They used a ping noise locator,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48which emitted a regular rhythmic noise.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Bearing in mind a dog can hear four times the distance of a human,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55it was time for Sirius to join in the hunt again.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58We put Sirius into the area where these phones were,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00where the noise was being emitted,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and he discovered where they were hiding.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08Thankfully, Sirius managed to track down all 12 of the missing phones.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Good boy - back in your basket!
0:27:10 > 0:27:13So he could do nothing but hold his hands up and admit it.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17The cricketers had finally run their man out,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21and their daring deeds even bowled over social media.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Yeah, we were a Twitter phenomenon!
0:27:23 > 0:27:26For about five or six days.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29If it didn't all work out and the things had been stolen
0:27:29 > 0:27:31I don't think it would have had the same reaction,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33but because it all worked out in the end,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36it was something to laugh and joke about and it were all good fun.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Thanks to a combination of modern tracking technology
0:27:40 > 0:27:41and a dog's amazing senses,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44the phone-snatcher got six months.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Howzat for a result?