0:00:02 > 0:00:04Bag snatchers, robberies and street crime.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07According to police figures, more than 3,500 theft incidents
0:00:07 > 0:00:09are reported every day in the UK.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13I knew it was bad but I didn't think it's that bad.
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 > 0:00:25We're hiding satellite tracking devices inside a range of
0:00:25 > 0:00:30desirable everyday items, like cameras, smartphone and bicycles,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32to trace the looters' footsteps.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35The thieves may think they've got away with it, but we're
0:00:35 > 0:00:37tracking their every move.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41With secret filming, CCTV and police raid footage,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44we'll get an insight into the criminal mind-set.
0:00:44 > 0:00:45No, honestly I don't know!
0:00:45 > 0:00:48And uncover the unseen journey that our treasured possessions
0:00:48 > 0:00:50take when they're stolen.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Today we're on the trail of a sneak thief who has no idea
0:01:01 > 0:01:04he's just stolen a smartphone with a tracking device inside.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06I was there and I saw him and I'm like, Argh!
0:01:06 > 0:01:09He's spoken to them, all the time keeping his eye on the phone
0:01:09 > 0:01:12and then he's taken it. It's shocking.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Dedicated trackers hunt down a stolen motorbike
0:01:16 > 0:01:18in a Europe-wide cross-border chase.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Through six countries, had no idea where this bike was going to end up.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24It's been on a better holiday than I have this year.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26And the search is on, as one couple's transport of delight
0:01:26 > 0:01:29is towed away by robbers.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Disbelief, then absolute panic.
0:01:31 > 0:01:32They stole part of my life.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Developments in mobile phone technology have led to the rise
0:01:41 > 0:01:47of the smartphone. Around 35 million people in the UK own one.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50They're such an integral part of our everyday lives
0:01:50 > 0:01:52that apparently one in six adults
0:01:52 > 0:01:55checks their phone more than 50 times a day.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Because these devices can be packed with
0:01:57 > 0:02:00everything from our contacts and diaries to our bank details,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03when our phones are lost or stolen, it can be devastating.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Just being able to pick up my phone and talk to people... I think
0:02:08 > 0:02:12you forget how often you just pick it up and take it out your pocket.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15If I lost my phone, I'd probably... I'd probably be lost.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17It's one of life's necessities nowadays.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19I mean, 20 years ago, obviously it wasn't.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21But the desirability of these pocket-sized
0:02:21 > 0:02:25"all-in-one" media devices makes them a prime target for thieves.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Someone did attempt to steal my phone from me
0:02:29 > 0:02:32but they, um, they picked the wrong person.
0:02:32 > 0:02:33I was out walking my dog
0:02:33 > 0:02:36and he tried to take my phone and I fought him off.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Former Metropolitan police inspector Keith Farquharson is helping us
0:02:45 > 0:02:48with our enquiries into smartphone theft.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Mobile phones are now the most common item of property stolen,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54even more than bags or purses.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Roughly 300 are reported stolen per day in London,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00and obviously across the country it's going to be far, far more.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04And once your property is stolen, it's very difficult to trace,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08unless, of course, you've fitted it with a GPS tracker like this.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12The core of that technology is the ability of this device
0:03:12 > 0:03:14to measure the range from here
0:03:14 > 0:03:18out to orbiting satellites that may be 20,000km away,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20way out in space.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24But a tracker that size is way too big for the standard phone.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Now this device can be stripped down, made much smaller,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31so small that you can hide it within everyday items that you might
0:03:31 > 0:03:33carry around with you.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35A thief would not be able to know that you have
0:03:35 > 0:03:38protected your belongings with a tracking device.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41We didn't want to use a tracking app in case thieves wiped
0:03:41 > 0:03:42and reset the phone.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44So we took a smartphone
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and kitted it out with a very small GPS tracking device.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49The phone still works
0:03:49 > 0:03:53but to fit the tracker inside, some of the functions were lost.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56We're heading to the London Borough of Westminster,
0:03:56 > 0:04:00the city's top location for crime, and personal robbery in particular.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05More than 1,600 incidents in the year to March 2015.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08We're going to run this scenario in Soho,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10a neighbourhood in the London borough of Westminster,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13which has the highest crime rate in London.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16It's a really busy street, outdoor drinking. You've got to be
0:04:16 > 0:04:20really confident and daring to be a thief in this area.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23There are places like this across the country.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25We all know where they are in our towns and cities.
0:04:30 > 0:04:31It's late afternoon
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and one of our team poses as a customer at a cafe
0:04:34 > 0:04:36in the heart of Soho.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40The smartphone is clearly visible on the table.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Unfortunately it's a sad fact that students
0:04:43 > 0:04:45and young women under the age of 24
0:04:45 > 0:04:49are more susceptible to the kind of item theft and bag snatching.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52This isn't entrapment. She's not leaving the phone unattended.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55It is something we might all do on an night out.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Now she's been joined by a friend,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01and they soon become engrossed in their conversation.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04It's looking quiet so far
0:05:04 > 0:05:08and no-one is paying any attention to the phone
0:05:08 > 0:05:10but wait a minute! Who's this guy?
0:05:11 > 0:05:13It looks like he's going for it.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Maybe this is some kind of bizarre distraction technique?
0:05:21 > 0:05:25No, quite the opposite. It looks as though he's helping to clear up.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29As we can see here, in the confusion,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32he's actually handed the phone to our researcher.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Now he's off and out of curiosity,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40our camera follows to see what he's up to.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Amazingly, it seems our man is a Good Samaritan,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48on a mission to help keep Soho tidy.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51He's clearing up empty beer glasses at the pub and
0:05:51 > 0:05:55now he's picking up litter from the street - just incredible. Good work!
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Our surveillance operation continues at the cafe,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02and as evening draws in, our two young friends
0:06:02 > 0:06:04are still enjoying their coffees.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Now, here's someone stopping for a chat.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Seems to be an innocent conversation.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17He's going. No, he's back again.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20He's clearly checking out the phone.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29And there it goes. He waited till the girls were distracted
0:06:29 > 0:06:32and then he pounced and he's away into the night.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35We can now pick up the smartphone with the tracker.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39It shows the thief heading south through the back streets of Soho.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Later on Thief Trackers, we trace the smartphone on its journey
0:06:46 > 0:06:49through the back streets of London's West End.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52I was there and I saw it and I'm like, "Argh!"
0:06:52 > 0:06:54It doesn't surprise me,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57anything any more on this street unfortunately.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Thieves can strike at any time and anywhere.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06It was in Ross-on-Wye, on the border of England and Wales, where one
0:07:06 > 0:07:10heartless robbery shattered a couple's golden anniversary dream.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19We were going to have a golden year of holidays.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22They stole part of my life.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Cutting-edge tracking technology soon came to their aid.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Caravan enthusiasts Henry and Jen Savage had been enjoying
0:07:37 > 0:07:40the freedom of the open road for six years, hitching up
0:07:40 > 0:07:44and moving out to wherever the fancy took them, be it in Britain
0:07:44 > 0:07:49or the Continent and in 2013, they planned a celebratory trip.
0:07:49 > 0:07:522013 was a special year.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54There it is. That the one we're looking for.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56It was our 50th wedding anniversary
0:07:56 > 0:07:58and we treated ourselves.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02We treated ourselves to a beautiful caravan, which
0:08:02 > 0:08:04we called Daisy - we always name our caravans.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08We bought probably the best caravan that's out there. Everything
0:08:08 > 0:08:11you've got in your home, was in that caravan.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Lovely, especially in the sunshine.
0:08:13 > 0:08:19She was going to be our whole year's celebration. We were going to go on
0:08:19 > 0:08:24as many holidays in that year as we could fit in.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26What more could you want?
0:08:26 > 0:08:28- Another one!- Yeah!
0:08:28 > 0:08:33Henry's got cancer. He hasn't got long to live.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Time's precious, yeah, how many years have you got that you can
0:08:36 > 0:08:41tow a caravan round the Continent and, you know, from 70 onwards.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Whether you're working or you're retired,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46holidays are really important.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48The couple set about planning what might have been
0:08:48 > 0:08:50their very last trip together.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54We had a phone call from our friends
0:08:54 > 0:08:57said would we like to go for lunch?
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Off we went for lunch, had a lovely lunch with our friends,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01got back here about five o'clock.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Parked up and went - what's wrong?
0:09:06 > 0:09:07Where's the caravan?
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Where is the caravan?
0:09:11 > 0:09:14My God! The caravan's gone!
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Disbelief, and then absolute panic, you know - am I insured,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21you know, all the things that would run through your head.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Who's taken it and where's it gone?!
0:09:23 > 0:09:26And then wondering, if I drove down the road, would I catch them up?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Have they just left? You don't know what to do!
0:09:29 > 0:09:32In fact, they quickly notified the police -
0:09:32 > 0:09:34but with several hours' head start,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36the thieves could have been anywhere.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Over 4,000 caravans are stolen each year in the UK
0:09:40 > 0:09:43but only 3% are ever recovered.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46For this reason, Henry had invested in a state-of-the-art
0:09:46 > 0:09:50tracking system, that uses GPS, mobile phone technology
0:09:50 > 0:09:55and an ultra-high-frequency radio transmitter.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58I fitted it, yeah, we tested it - it worked lovely,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02but we bought it because it was so high-security.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04So with a tracker fitted,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08surely it would be a simple task to pinpoint the stolen caravan,
0:10:08 > 0:10:09wouldn't it?
0:10:12 > 0:10:14I phoned the tracker people
0:10:14 > 0:10:18and he said, "Unfortunately, you've turned off the motion sensor.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22I said, "Ooh, yes, we were packing it this morning to go to Scotland
0:10:22 > 0:10:25"and we turned it off and I forgot to turn it back on when we went out."
0:10:25 > 0:10:28So he said, "Don't worry, it'll give out a signal,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32"one at 12 o'clock lunchtime, one at 12 o'clock midnight.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36"At 12 o'clock midnight, I'll phone you, I'll tell you where it is."
0:10:36 > 0:10:40And so we just waited... till midnight.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42And midnight came and we didn't' get a phone call,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45and I said, "He didn't find it. He didn't find it."
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Half-past 12 came and the phone rang
0:10:47 > 0:10:51and I picked it up, expecting him to say "sorry" but he didn't.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53He said, "I've found it! I've found it!"
0:10:53 > 0:10:56The bearer of good news was Richard Taylor,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00whose company had been tracking the caravan for Henry and Jen.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02We had an approximate location um,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05and then we were looking to try and get some GPS positions but they
0:11:05 > 0:11:10were very vague - it was indicating that this caravan was not outside.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11It was probably inside a building
0:11:11 > 0:11:13or an underground car park or a lock-up.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17The tracking data showed that the caravan was in Cheltenham,
0:11:17 > 0:11:21little more than 25 miles away from Henry and Jen's home!
0:11:21 > 0:11:24The only problem was the faint GPS signal meant
0:11:24 > 0:11:27they couldn't get an accurate fix.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Richard wasn't easily deterred
0:11:29 > 0:11:33and knew he'd have to get to the scene if they were to recover Daisy.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34And then he said, "I'll go."
0:11:34 > 0:11:38And he did - there and then, he drove down to where
0:11:38 > 0:11:39he got the signal from,
0:11:39 > 0:11:40so that he was there.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Considering Richard is based in Southampton,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48the hour-and-a-half drive to Cheltenham shows admirable
0:11:48 > 0:11:51determination to recover their stolen property.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55The tracking software zeroed in on the mobile phone mast
0:11:55 > 0:11:59nearest to the tracker then, once in Cheltenham, Richard used
0:11:59 > 0:12:02radio frequency tracking to get an exact location.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I remember travelling down one of these hills here and picking up
0:12:07 > 0:12:09the signal in the car from probably about a mile away
0:12:09 > 0:12:11and that's always a good sign -
0:12:11 > 0:12:13it means the device is working and we're going to find,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16we're going to find the asset or at least the tracking device.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20If only it were that easy! It may be a big white caravan,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23but it still continued to evade him.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26I rendezvoused here with the police and we had a signal from the
0:12:26 > 0:12:30device but in this case, the target was in one of a group of buildings.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32If it's in a single building, then the police will
0:12:32 > 0:12:35knock on the door and go in, whatever time of night it is.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37But when it's in a group of buildings like in this
0:12:37 > 0:12:39instance, you can't physically see the asset,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42then the police can't do anything at that point,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45so we had to wait for a warrant in the morning.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50The caravan was within touching distance
0:12:50 > 0:12:53and Richard didn't want to lose it with a last-minute hitch.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55It was going to be a long night.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02When it came through to the morning, um, there was
0:13:02 > 0:13:05some activity occurring.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07A few lorries, trucks pulled up so I thought, well,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10I'll get out of my car and stretch my legs and take a wander.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16And deep embedded within the building,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18right up a ramp through a couple of doors,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22I could just make out a caravan was inside that building.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Once I'd eyeballed the caravan through the doorway,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30two police cars turned up at the location.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32We walked straight up to the owners
0:13:32 > 0:13:34and asked, "What's that caravan doing there?"
0:13:40 > 0:13:44It seems Daisy was stolen to order by a serial car thief,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47then hidden in the lock-up awaiting collection.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50The crook was convicted for 26 months
0:13:50 > 0:13:52but because the crime had been so invasive
0:13:52 > 0:13:54to Henry and Jen's property,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57they were left feeling bittersweet by its recovery.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02He and I were going to build lots of wonderful memories
0:14:02 > 0:14:07during that year which now, looking back, I haven't got.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11I've got memory of violation
0:14:11 > 0:14:15and theft instead of memories of happy holidays.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17You and me - that's a good one.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20So what they stole from me is memories.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25In spite of their unhappy experience, Jen and Henry certainly
0:14:25 > 0:14:30tried to make the best of things - and not be caught out a second time.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33We were very nearly giving up caravanning at that stage, er,
0:14:33 > 0:14:39we persevered - we... a few months later we sold that caravan
0:14:39 > 0:14:42a couple of months later we bought, we decided, we would
0:14:42 > 0:14:46carry on we'd have another one but only with even more safety devices.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Let's return to our very own undercover operation,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and track the smartphone stolen in London's West End.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04We used a tracking device specially built into the phone.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06While our victims were enjoying a chat outside a cafe,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08a sneak thief took the phone,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11unaware that he was caught on camera.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23We returned to the scene of the crime
0:15:23 > 0:15:25to show our footage to the cafe manager.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Yeah. Nice.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31The thing is, I've seen it happen in real life as well once with
0:15:31 > 0:15:35a customer over there, it was... the customer was sitting
0:15:35 > 0:15:36on the actual table
0:15:36 > 0:15:39and because they were talking and leaning forward,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42a lady just come behind and just grab it
0:15:42 > 0:15:44but I was there and I saw it and I'm like, "Argh!",
0:15:44 > 0:15:46screaming after her.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Unfortunately these things happen really often.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51The regular customers that we have,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54they become more aware and now they keep a close eye to that,
0:15:54 > 0:15:55but mostly with tourists it happens.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59You have too many tourists that don't pay attention and it's gone!
0:15:59 > 0:16:01It doesn't surprise me,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04anything any more on this street, unfortunately.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08For thieves as brazen as this one, stealing a smartphone can be easy
0:16:08 > 0:16:10and there are plenty of avenues
0:16:10 > 0:16:13for them to cash in on their criminality.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15There's a big second-hand market for mobile phones.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18They're readily transferrable items - they're very easily
0:16:18 > 0:16:23disposed of and they're very easily turned into ready cash for them.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26But there is a way to make life tricky for phone thieves.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30Every phone has a unique number, known as an IMEI number.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32They can be displayed on screen
0:16:32 > 0:16:35and are often printed inside the battery compartments.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37When reporting the theft of a phone,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39quote this number,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and the handset can quickly be blocked and made unusable.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Phone theft victims sometimes experience more than just
0:16:46 > 0:16:48a financial loss.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Dave Tuczemskyi's wife had her phone and handbag stolen from their car,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55right outside their house.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59It was literally within the space of 60 seconds.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02My wife went into the house, left the door of the car ajar.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05She only went to pick up her coffee
0:17:05 > 0:17:07and by the time she'd come back out, she got back in the car,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10sat in the seat, and her bag had gone.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13She was quite upset. She was in tears. I mean, the phone's
0:17:13 > 0:17:16got everything personal - you know, it's got photographs
0:17:16 > 0:17:20of the family - we've got three children - and it's the fact that
0:17:20 > 0:17:26somebody that she doesn't know has stolen those personal possessions
0:17:26 > 0:17:29and they've got access then to, you know,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31personal data, personal photos.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Thankfully they had installed a tracking app on their phone.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Dave and his cousin gave chase,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39tracking the phone eight miles across town,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42where they finally caught up with the thief.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46He threw the phone into a garden,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48so I stopped to get the phone,
0:17:48 > 0:17:50my cousin carried on chasing.
0:17:50 > 0:17:51Chased him round the corner,
0:17:51 > 0:17:55caught him, at which point the police arrived, er,
0:17:55 > 0:18:00and he was duly arrested, we had the phone back, um,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and he was sentenced a couple of months later
0:18:02 > 0:18:06to three months' imprisonment.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Dave and his family were lucky and very wise to have called in the
0:18:09 > 0:18:14police, who always caution against tackling thieves single-handed.
0:18:14 > 0:18:20We're more security conscious, we have a CCTV camera on the front
0:18:20 > 0:18:23of the house, er, if we leave the car, if my wife leaves the car and
0:18:23 > 0:18:27goes back into the house for 30 seconds, it gets locked up.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Now, it's unlikely our smartphone thief made it to open country,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32so where did he take it?
0:18:32 > 0:18:35The tracking data tells us what we need to know.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40The thief walked a short distance to a secluded back street
0:18:40 > 0:18:43less than a minute from the cafe where he stole our phone.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Keith picks up the trail.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49This fits in with the characteristics
0:18:49 > 0:18:51of the crime that the thief would take it
0:18:51 > 0:18:52into a place like Romilly Street
0:18:52 > 0:18:54which is quiet, out of the public eye,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57to have a look at the phone and assess what to do with it.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01The signal indicates the thief stayed there for around 25 minutes,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03possibly to see if it was locked,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07then he headed north along Greek Street towards Soho Square.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10He seemed to be working a very small network of streets.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Less than an hour after the theft,
0:19:12 > 0:19:13the phone had left
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Romilly Street and was here at Soho Square with a really strong signal.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Then, something unexpected happens.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23The thief brought the phone here to have another look at it,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25decided he didn't like what he saw
0:19:25 > 0:19:27and decided to destroy it or get rid of it in some way.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31Maybe throwing it down into a dumpster, or down a drain.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33The phone had lost some functionality after
0:19:33 > 0:19:37the tracker was installed, and it's likely the thief noticed that,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39got spooked and destroyed it.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42We'll never know its final resting place.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45What we do know for certain is that this is the man who stole it,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47in crystal-clear surveillance footage.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49The authorities are welcome
0:19:49 > 0:19:52to take a closer look at this Soho street-thief.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Opportunist thieves like him will snatch whatever they can
0:19:58 > 0:20:03at random but there are criminal organisations who steal to order,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07targeting high-value luxury items for overseas buyers
0:20:07 > 0:20:08as happened in East London,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12when an audacious motorbike theft...
0:20:12 > 0:20:15by a gang of international thieves...
0:20:15 > 0:20:18They have a sponge-like quality for stolen vehicles.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21..led to a marathon chase across Europe,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24powered by a hi-tech tracking device.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Through six countries, had no idea where this bike was going to end up.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Meet Nicola Casalini, an investment banker from Italy,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37now living and working in London.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40A biking enthusiast who loves nothing more than
0:20:40 > 0:20:42taking his pride and joy for a spin.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01Motorbikes of this kind retail from £12,000 right up to 30,000,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04so it's only sensible to watch over them with tracking devices,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06as Nicola did.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Nicola thought his bike safe with a tracker installed,
0:21:24 > 0:21:28but he hadn't realised the brass neck of some thieves.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31In March 2014, he found out the hard way.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Nicola went to pay, locking the bike and taking his key.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Unfortunately, he hadn't immobilised the wheels -
0:21:47 > 0:21:49a mistake he would soon regret.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Two thieves rode up on a scooter and used it to push
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Nicola's superbike off the forecourt and into the road.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21All over in seconds - a scenario familiar to Ken German,
0:22:21 > 0:22:26former head of the Stolen Motorcycle Team at the Metropolitan Police.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31The Ducati Panigale 899, a wonderful piece of Italian
0:22:31 > 0:22:35engineering, most desirable, and that's the problem.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37It's very thieveable at the moment.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Nicola's missing machine just added to the growing list of
0:22:40 > 0:22:42motorbike thefts.
0:22:42 > 0:22:4722,500 motorcycles were stolen last year.
0:22:47 > 0:22:5013,500 of them are still out there somewhere.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54That's an astonishing 60% of stolen motorbikes that are
0:22:54 > 0:22:59never recovered, with an estimated worth of £81 million.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Understandably, the huge amount of money that can be made out of
0:23:05 > 0:23:08motorcycles and parts is looked on favourably by
0:23:08 > 0:23:10organised crime groups.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Sometimes, thieves use stolen bikes as getaway vehicles,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16but often they have sneakier intentions.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20As every motorbike engine is stamped with a unique vehicle identification
0:23:20 > 0:23:25number or VIN, there are two scams that thieves will attempt.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30One is to clone or to ring, that is change the VIN engine number
0:23:30 > 0:23:33and turn it into another machine, a similar machine, er,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35or to steal it to strip it down.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39Parts are very valuable, I have to say, and very much in demand.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Faced with the prospect of his new love being reduced to her
0:23:42 > 0:23:45component parts, Nicola immediately called the police
0:23:45 > 0:23:47and his bike tracking company.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Once the vehicle's moved for more than 20 seconds,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51the system triggers an alert.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54It's real time, so you can actually go on the internet
0:23:54 > 0:23:56and track your own bike, for example.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59It gives us the ability to give the police a real-time location.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12The last location was some block of flats by the Old Kent Road,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14and then the signal was lost.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18GPS has to see sky, so they put it into a flat,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20and by doing so we'd lost GPS.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31It turned out to be a large block of flats but all was not lost.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34This tracker is an advanced type,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37working with both GPS and radio signals.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41The radio frequency can be picked up with a hand-held detector,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43even if the GPS signal is blocked.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47We worked with the police to go through some of the flats to try
0:24:47 > 0:24:51and pick up this RF signal, which we picked up and was quite strong,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53but unfortunately there's only so many doors we can knock on
0:24:53 > 0:24:54to get a response,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58so we weren't able to get a search warrant for every door.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02When you can't get your finger on it, that's insanely frustrating!
0:25:02 > 0:25:04It's just so close yet so far.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07All Bill and his team could do was wait,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11hoping the thieves would move the big red bike out of their bathroom
0:25:11 > 0:25:14so they could pick up its trail again.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16They didn't have to wait long.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31The unit came back to life within a couple of days,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34and we went there to triangulate on the SIM card,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37and we could see it moving out towards the coast, towards Dover.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Although it didn't pinpoint an exact location,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Bill and his team could at least follow the bike's movements.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47Back at base, William Bardem kept a watching brief,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49hoping for the all elusive GPS fix.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52We were very happy, actually, because we knew that the unit was
0:25:52 > 0:25:56still fitted, we could get our second chance to try and find it.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00But if they were going to find it, they'd need their passports.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Interpol were alerted as the chase went continental.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08It went across the Channel, into France, then into Belgium.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11In Belgium it did actually stop,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14and we did pick up a GPS signal.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17There is a theory that maybe they moved it out into a smaller van,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20but then, er, that GPS location obviously went when it moved back
0:26:20 > 0:26:21into another van and moved off again.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24The feeling in the office was a bit of excitement,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26a little bit of tension as this had not happened to us before,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and we had no idea where this bike was going to end up.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31It's been on a better holiday than I have this year!
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Unbelievably, Bill's team tracked the bike on a European tour
0:26:35 > 0:26:40through six countries as it headed east to its destination.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41In some parts of Europe,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45legal ownership of a vehicle becomes somewhat vague.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Some countries actually don't mind you owning
0:26:48 > 0:26:52and keeping a stolen vehicle if it's come from another country.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55They have databases offering them for sale.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Some of them have still their registration marks
0:26:58 > 0:27:01and their VIN numbers on them without being altered.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04After travelling more than 1,200 miles,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08the stolen motorbike was finally unloaded in Vilnius, Lithuania -
0:27:08 > 0:27:11the moment Bill and his team were waiting for.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16When the bike eventually came out of the back of the van,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18we picked up GPS quite quickly.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21We could give the police quick notification of that,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23and as they got on site they found a ring.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25It was a Bulgarian ring, I believe.
0:27:25 > 0:27:26So a few other bikes from America,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28some Ducatis and Harleys were there as well,
0:27:28 > 0:27:32so I think they were breaking the bikes down and making their own.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35It was great, I was running around the office telling everybody, erm,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39what we'd achieved. It was, erm, a very good feeling.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43Nicola was eventually reunited with his scarlet superbike,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47but only after wading through a large quantity of red tape.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07A valuable lesson -
0:28:07 > 0:28:11and a great result for the GPS trackers in the fight against crime.