0:00:03 > 0:00:07According to police figures, more than 3,500 theft incidents
0:00:07 > 0:00:10are reported every day in the UK.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13I knew it was bad, but I didn't think it was that bad.
0:00:13 > 0:00:14But have you ever wondered
0:00:14 > 0:00:17what happens to our belongings when they're stolen?
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Thief Trackers tells the story of where they go.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23We're hiding satellite-tracking devices
0:00:23 > 0:00:26inside a range of desirable everyday items,
0:00:26 > 0:00:30like cameras, smartphones and bicycles,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32to 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 > 0:00:44we'll get an insight into the criminal mind-set...
0:00:44 > 0:00:45- MAN:- Honestly, I don't know!
0:00:45 > 0:00:47..and uncover the unseen journey
0:00:47 > 0:00:50that our treasured possessions take when they're stolen.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Today, the issue of car break-ins.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01We track an opportunist thief...
0:01:01 > 0:01:04The car window's open just a small amount,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07it's broad daylight, he's a very confident thief.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11..who's unaware that the stolen item is fitted with a tracking device.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17Plus officers come face-to-face with the scariest stolen tractor
0:01:17 > 0:01:19on the rampage in West Yorkshire!
0:01:19 > 0:01:21This guy was basically trapped into a corner
0:01:21 > 0:01:23and was fighting his way out.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24It was very unnerving, yeah.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28You get a ten-tonne machine coming towards you.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30And the businessman's tracker trap
0:01:30 > 0:01:33set to catch a gang of chocolate bandits!
0:01:35 > 0:01:37It's a great way of securing what you've got.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40They're going to come in if they want to come in,
0:01:40 > 0:01:41you might as well catch 'em.
0:01:43 > 0:01:50By the end of 2014, there were almost 30 million cars on the UK's roads -
0:01:50 > 0:01:52we're certainly a nation of car lovers.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55But car crime is an ever-present danger,
0:01:55 > 0:02:00and, in the same year, there were more than 350,000 incidents,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03including car break-ins and vehicle robberies.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08One victim of car crime is Sheena from Hertfordshire,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12whose car was broken into in February 2015.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Her 28-year-old son, Luke, had died,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17and while Sheena was visiting his graveside,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19her bag was stolen from her car.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22My son had died a few weeks previously
0:02:22 > 0:02:25and it was the first opportunity I'd had
0:02:25 > 0:02:27to go back and to take some flowers.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31As we were walking back to the car,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35I could hear a car alarm going and I said to my daughter,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39"That's my car alarm." And we ran then out of the cemetery
0:02:39 > 0:02:43and I could see that the window was smashed.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45And I knew that they'd taken my bag.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51And my son's toy was in the bag and it was horrendous.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56The toy soldier was one of a set that he'd had as a little boy,
0:02:56 > 0:03:01there were 24, he used to call them his boys,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03and this was the only that had survived.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06And I used to say to him,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08"One of these days, I'm bringing the toy back to you
0:03:08 > 0:03:10"and you can look after it."
0:03:10 > 0:03:14And he said, "No, you keep it, Mum, because you'll keep it safe."
0:03:14 > 0:03:19And then I couldn't, because somebody stole it.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Normally, I wouldn't leave my bag on the seat.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26I just got out of the car and didn't think to move the bag.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30And would have thought that, in a cemetery car park,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32it would have been fairly safe.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37The biggest part of my bag being taken was Luke's toy.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40It's...it's worth nothing, it cost nothing,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42it's a tiny two-inch wooden soldier.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44I can't replace that.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48That was the last remaining thing that I had
0:03:48 > 0:03:51to connect me to him and that's gone!
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Coming so soon after the death of her son,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Sheena's experience of car crime hit her hard.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01But, fortunately, there is some good news.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03A couple of weeks ago, when I returned home from work,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06I'd had a call from the police in King's Lynn
0:04:06 > 0:04:10to say that they had found my bag with Luke's toy intact.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15This is the tiny, tiny, insignificant-to-anybody-else toy,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18but it means a huge lot to me,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21cos I'm close to Luke when I have this toy.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24The toy doesn't go out of my house any more,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27it sits by my bedside table, next to a photograph of Luke,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29where it's safe and I can see it every day.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33A bag stolen in Hertfordshire and finally traced in King's Lynn?
0:04:33 > 0:04:38That's quite a trek. Now, car break-ins happen all over the UK,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41but London is the national hot spot.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43More than 82,000 incidents
0:04:43 > 0:04:46were recorded by the Metropolitan Police in 2014.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Former Metropolitan Police inspector, Keith Farquharson,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55is helping us with our investigation.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58We're running this scenario in the London borough of Newham.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01This borough has the highest incidence of car crime
0:05:01 > 0:05:02in the whole of London,
0:05:02 > 0:05:07currently running at 3,500 crimes in the year 2014-2015.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10We're also looking at a street with a high incidence of car crime.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13We aren't planning to have the actual car stolen,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16we're keen to find out where an item might go
0:05:16 > 0:05:19once it's stolen from our car.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22We're using a second-hand games console as bait,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25but other items that rank high in incidences of car theft
0:05:25 > 0:05:30are exterior fittings such as wiper blades, car badges and aerials.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32So far in the series,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35we've looked at the way thieves operate.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38For instance, snatching possessions like bags or phones
0:05:38 > 0:05:41when victims least expect it.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45This time, we're putting out a car that's deliberately laden with items
0:05:45 > 0:05:50to see how thieves would react to a vehicle parked by an unwise consumer.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Alongside our games console,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57we'll leave a few other items including a smartphone.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Electrical items are among the top three items stolen from vehicles.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Should any of our items be stolen, we'll trace their journeys
0:06:06 > 0:06:10with the help of GPS tracking devices like this.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12The basis of that technology
0:06:12 > 0:06:15is this device can make range measurements from here
0:06:15 > 0:06:17to satellites orbiting in space,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20and those satellites might be 20,000km away.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24That gives you the ability to plot that position on a map,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27display it on a computer, so you'll know where the device is.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30We've parked our car in position in Newham.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32According to police.uk,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36this London borough has a very high incidence of car crime.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Our crew will monitor the items from another vehicle parked nearby.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44What kind of thieves will they attract?
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Thieves often use the cover of darkness.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Sure enough, it isn't long
0:06:53 > 0:06:57before our vehicle and its contents attract some interest.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02A group of men start to scope out the car and take a good look inside.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09The group stay just out of shot.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Then one of them comes over for a closer look.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18But it seems he's not brazen enough to break in.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22But what about this guy?
0:07:23 > 0:07:26He comes close to the car for a really good look.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Then he walks off as well.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31It's possible that they think a car full of gadgets
0:07:31 > 0:07:34may be too good to be true.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37The group has been here for a while now,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39then another character arrives.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43He seems to be pointing out the shop's CCTV cameras to the other men
0:07:43 > 0:07:47and that's made them more wary of our car.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54These men seem to think our laden vehicle is a police trap,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58so it's a little too hot for these lads.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03A few days later, we tried again some distance away...
0:08:03 > 0:08:06and, eventually, this is what happened.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08CAMERA WHIRS
0:08:08 > 0:08:11A young lad is loitering near the car.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12He's on the phone to someone,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16but it definitely seems like the car has caught his eye.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Maybe he's sizing it up?
0:08:19 > 0:08:24He wanders off, but then he returns with an accomplice.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29They seem to be waiting until the coast is completely clear.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43He takes the phone from the dashboard before calmly walking away.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46This thief is an opportunist
0:08:46 > 0:08:50who's taken advantage of the gap in the window and gone for it.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Clearly, not so committed a thief as to smash the window,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57but he has the idea that the phone is valuable enough to steal.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Later, we follow the trail of the stolen smartphone
0:09:03 > 0:09:06as it weaves its way across East London.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08The tracking data shows that the phone
0:09:08 > 0:09:10ended up in a house in Ham Park Road.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Opportunist thieves will often take a moment to seize our property,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21hoping to make a few pounds from a quick sale.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25But organised crime gangs look for higher rewards.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Their typical targets include building sites.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34In the construction industry, around £70 million worth
0:09:34 > 0:09:37of heavy plant machinery is stolen each year.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Vehicles like this telescopic handler
0:09:39 > 0:09:43cost between £10,000 and more than £100,000 apiece.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48Often left on-site and unattended, they are frequently targeted.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Tracking companies are doing their utmost
0:09:50 > 0:09:54to combat this kind of heavy-duty hijacking.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Specifically, for a tele-handler,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59these are really quite high value machines and they tend to be stolen
0:09:59 > 0:10:01by serious organised criminal gangs.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03And those kind of people will steal them,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05literally, to transport and to sell.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08If you wanted to take £100,000 in cash or drugs
0:10:08 > 0:10:10across borders and into another country,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12you've got a serious challenge on your hands,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14and the penalties for doing so would be huge.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19If, however, you want to do that and you steal the machine locally,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22you are effectively taking £100,000 over to the end destination
0:10:22 > 0:10:24where you will readily be able to turn it back into cash.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28A brazen example of this
0:10:28 > 0:10:32occurred in the West Yorkshire town of Castleford in 2011.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Peter's tracking company swung into action,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39following a phone call from one of his clients.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41He rang us up and was actually just asking about
0:10:41 > 0:10:44some of the units on his tracking software.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48He incidentally mentioned to me that he'd had a theft that day.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Obviously, we were hoping he had a tracking system on there,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52he said it didn't.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54While we were checking the locations of machines on his list
0:10:54 > 0:10:58and getting live locations, he said, "Oh, that's weird,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00"that's not meant to be in that location. What can that be?"
0:11:00 > 0:11:02And he sort of hung up the phone very promptly
0:11:02 > 0:11:04and rang us back five minutes later and went,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06"It's got a tracking system on it."
0:11:06 > 0:11:08It's from a job that we had previously,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10we didn't take the tracking system off.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12We immediately called the head of our investigations team,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14a chap called John Mussett.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16I just called him up and said, "Get in the car now,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18"we'll give you more details en route."
0:11:18 > 0:11:21That's right, there's been a scary ten-tonne machine
0:11:21 > 0:11:24on the loose in West Yorkshire for nearly three days
0:11:24 > 0:11:26and the owners have only just noticed!
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Peter's colleague, John, quickly set off in pursuit.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32The tele-handler was somewhere near Castleford
0:11:32 > 0:11:36and John had to get there fast to pinpoint the signal and location.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42So we're on our way up to Castleford, travelling up the A1.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45The tracking circle was showing up
0:11:45 > 0:11:48near to a place called Fairburn Ings, which is a nature reserve,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52but also covering part of Castleford town centre.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54I found it using the rangefinder,
0:11:54 > 0:11:58which is a directional signal that the unit gives out.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01So, basically, follow the loudest noise
0:12:01 > 0:12:04and eventually it will take you to the machine.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08So, on this occasion, it took us to a triangular piece of wasteland
0:12:08 > 0:12:10at the side of the railway line,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13where I could see the roof of the tele-handler
0:12:13 > 0:12:14hidden amongst the trees.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18The vehicle had been hidden from view,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22a standard tactic used by organised criminals.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Because the machine had been missing for several days at this point,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29it had obviously been left there to cool off.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Thieves will leave a machine to cool off,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34because they know that a lot of these high-value assets
0:12:34 > 0:12:37do have trackers and they don't want to be caught red-handed with them.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40So they will leave them somewhere out of the way,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43probably where the public don't have an easy view of the machine,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46just to cool off, and they'll go back after a couple of days later.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48If the machine is still there,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50they will assume there is no tracker fitted and move it.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Tracking the machine was relatively easy.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59However, retrieving the tele-handler turned out to be anything but.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03At the point that I'd arrived and found the machine,
0:13:03 > 0:13:05unbeknownst to me initially,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08one of the thieves was in there about to move it.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11So, when I looked again into the scrubland,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14the machine was actually moving in amongst the trees.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18John dialled 999 and alerted the police.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20I was really pumped up at that point,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23cos I knew that we were going to end with some kind of a pursuit.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25We've had a few pursuits over the time,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28and whenever that happens, two things cross our minds.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31A, it's an unusual situation and it is, I'll be honest,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33it's a bit exciting when these things happen.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36But also with the responsibility for our investigators on the ground,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38we are obviously a little bit concerned.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43So, there's a tele-handler chugging along at 15mph
0:13:43 > 0:13:45through the streets of Castleford.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49John kept the police updated throughout his frustrating journey.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55H wasn't aware I was following him at that point,
0:13:55 > 0:13:56I was several vehicles back.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59It was awkward, because he was going so slowly
0:13:59 > 0:14:03and there was a lot of traffic, so I had to keep turning into side roads
0:14:03 > 0:14:06to avoid getting too close behind him.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09But, eventually, after probably five minutes or so,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13we'd ended up with two panda cars behind me
0:14:13 > 0:14:16and then a couple of other marked vehicles, panda cars,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18coming in the opposite direction.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Now, at this point, he became aware that something was amiss,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25I believe that the police were actually on to him.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28The chase had been on for several miles now
0:14:28 > 0:14:30and had reached Sheepwalk Lane,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33where the thief tried a manoeuvre to lose the police.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36He came to a road junction, he turned left,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and then did another left turn into what transpired was a cul-de-sac.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Ah, yes, I remember it well.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47But the crook's error almost had disastrous consequences for John.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50This is the cul-de-sac that the tele-handler turned down.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53I think probably the thief didn't realise it was a cul-de-sac
0:14:53 > 0:14:55when he turned into it.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59I got halfway down and realised that it was a cul-de-sac myself,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01so I pulled over onto the left-hand side,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03onto the footpath, to keep out of the way.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06The two panda cars went past me towards the tele-handler,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08but when he got to the top of the cul-de-sac,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10he decided he wasn't stopping.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14So he did a three-point turn with the machine
0:15:14 > 0:15:16and came back towards us.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19The thief wasn't going to give up easily,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22he knew this machine could do a lot of damage.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25This guy was basically trapped into a corner
0:15:25 > 0:15:27and was fighting his way out.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30And he had something much more powerful
0:15:30 > 0:15:32than anyone else involved in that.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Whether it was police cars or my cars,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36they'll just go straight through the police cars
0:15:36 > 0:15:37as if they weren't there.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42So the two panda cars reversed past me...at speed.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44And then I had to reverse
0:15:44 > 0:15:46and luckily one of the other patrol cars
0:15:46 > 0:15:48that was on the main road behind us
0:15:48 > 0:15:51had stopped all the traffic so we could get out of the way
0:15:51 > 0:15:54to let the tele-handler get out of the cul-de-sac.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55It was very unnerving, yeah.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58You get a ten-tonne machine kind of coming towards you
0:15:58 > 0:16:02and you're stuck with your reverse gear hoping that the two patrol cars
0:16:02 > 0:16:04that were behind me were going to keep moving.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07At the wheel of a slow, heavy-duty loader,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10there was no way the crook could outrun the police.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14But they had no idea the lengths this thief would go to
0:16:14 > 0:16:16in order to evade capture.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Yeah, he travelled a few hundred yards out of the houses
0:16:20 > 0:16:21and then did a right turn
0:16:21 > 0:16:23and crashed straight through this hawthorn hedge.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29To watch that, it was impressive, he didn't slow down at all,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33and obviously the weight of that machine, about ten tonnes,
0:16:33 > 0:16:35just took him straight through the hedge.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39And off he went, straight through the crop.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43He was pretty intent on not stopping and surrendering to the police,
0:16:43 > 0:16:44even though there were, by that time,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47at least six marked police vehicles near to him.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50The tele-handler thief clearly worked on the principle
0:16:50 > 0:16:52that it was his way or the highway!
0:16:52 > 0:16:56But an imminent collision with the M62 motorway
0:16:56 > 0:17:00brought his dreams of a smart getaway to a standstill.
0:17:00 > 0:17:01SIREN WAILS
0:17:03 > 0:17:05The officers came into the field. At this point,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08the thief had stopped in the middle of the field,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10but wouldn't get out of the tele-handler.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14So they ended up tasering him in the cab and he fell out of the cab.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17He got up, ran at the police officers,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19so they had to taser him a second time.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21That subdued him and he was hand-cuffed and arrested.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Without a tracking system, we would never have seen this again
0:17:27 > 0:17:29unless it was a pure coincidental find.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31We just wouldn't even know where to look.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34It was a cracking result, it was a good track,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36it was an interesting pursuit with the police,
0:17:36 > 0:17:37and it was a good result at the end,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40the customer got his machine back with minimal damage,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43and also we got the offender arrested.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47No doubt the residents of Castleford were extremely relieved
0:17:47 > 0:17:51to have this fearsome ten-tonne vehicle off their streets.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Earlier, we considered the high incidence of car crime -
0:17:58 > 0:18:04350,000 each year in the UK, including car break-ins.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07So where do those items go when they're stolen?
0:18:07 > 0:18:12To find out, we fitted a GPS tracker into a games console,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14also a smartphone.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15We put them in a car
0:18:15 > 0:18:18in a London neighbourhood with a high crime rate.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21After two attempts in different locations,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23it was the phone that was stolen.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25The car window was open just a small amount -
0:18:25 > 0:18:27just enough for him to get his hand through.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30It's broad daylight, he's a very confident thief.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35So what has happened to our stolen phone?
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Keith is on the case.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41The thief struck at 1.50pm.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44The data was a little slow to start reporting.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47However, it gradually came online over the next 12 hours
0:18:47 > 0:18:51and finally, at 4am, it showed the item moving north.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54But the thief didn't get far.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56No more than a few streets away,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59around five minutes from where the phone was stolen.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02The tracking data shows that the phone ended up
0:19:02 > 0:19:03in a house in Ham Park Road
0:19:03 > 0:19:08That's where it stayed - the signal didn't move from that point onwards.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12But pinpointing the exact location isn't straightforward.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15With GPS tracking data, it's not always possible
0:19:15 > 0:19:17to be able to narrow it down by one house.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19We would then have to resort to more traditional methods -
0:19:19 > 0:19:21a leaflet drop, intelligence,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24or hopefully a Crimestoppers phone call -
0:19:24 > 0:19:27to indicate where the phone may have gone to.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30So we turned to more traditional tracking methods.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32We sent leaflets to some of the houses
0:19:32 > 0:19:37to see if anyone had recently bought a second-hand smartphone.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38We had no response.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Then, a day after our leaflet drop,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43the tracker signal stopped.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48It's very likely that our inquiries spooked whoever has the phone.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52They discovered the tracker and destroyed it.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Being such a short distance away from where the phone was stolen,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58it's highly likely that the thief lives on the street,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02so it's not surprising we didn't hear from anyone!
0:20:02 > 0:20:04It's a stark warning to us all
0:20:04 > 0:20:08that if we're unwise enough to leave our valuables on view for all to see,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10they will most likely be stolen.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12So we know where the phone went,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16and the authorities are more than welcome to take a closer look
0:20:16 > 0:20:19at our surveillance footage of the phone snatcher in action.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Thieves will make off with anything that isn't screwed down.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Everything from our personal possessions
0:20:32 > 0:20:33to our business commodities.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37So it's no surprise that companies are turning to modern technology
0:20:37 > 0:20:39in the fight against crime.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Our next story takes place in Mansfield,
0:20:42 > 0:20:47a market town 15 miles north of Nottingham, close to the M1 motorway.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52It's the location of a robbery from a hard-working businessman
0:20:52 > 0:20:54that left a bad taste in the mouth.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58It's gutting. You work hard, you put as much time and effort
0:20:58 > 0:21:00into growing the business as you can
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and then somebody just comes and takes everything!
0:21:12 > 0:21:17Meet Andrew Widdowson, Mansfield's very own Willy Wonka.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21His particular chocolate factory is a warehouse chock-a-block with
0:21:21 > 0:21:25vending machines and all the treats you'd need to fill them.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29We're a vending business, we fill and clean the machines,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31take the cash, etc, that's part of the business.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35We're also wholesale, so we wholesale vending ingredients
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and all the associated products with those.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40But all these goodies makes Andrew's warehouse
0:21:40 > 0:21:42a prime target for organised crime.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47We've had three break-ins over the last 12 months.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49The first break-in, crow-barred open the doors,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52they smashed machines that were in here,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54there's nothing in them, but they broke into them anyway.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Absolutely wiped out this place, it was empty.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59They took everything.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06The second break-in, they were disturbed, so I was called.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09I came here in the middle of the night, there was a van in this unit
0:22:09 > 0:22:13loaded up with stock, it was a stolen van which they'd abandoned.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16So why would thieves be interested in fizzy drinks and confectionery?
0:22:17 > 0:22:21The stock that people are interested in is the branded products -
0:22:21 > 0:22:23we have chocolate bars that are branded,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25we have cans of pop, bottles that are branded,
0:22:25 > 0:22:26crisps that are branded.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28That's the sort of thing people can easily sell on.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31The consequences arising from the robbery
0:22:31 > 0:22:34could have been serious for Andrew and his team.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38It's gutting, it can take a small business down,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42and that can take 16 families with it. That's a big impact
0:22:42 > 0:22:46And break-ins have more than just a financial effect on all involved.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51It did make you feel really unsafe with the amount of break-ins
0:22:51 > 0:22:53we've had to know that people have been in,
0:22:53 > 0:22:54they've seen what you've got,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56they've been looking at your personal photos
0:22:56 > 0:22:58that you might have on your walls,
0:22:58 > 0:23:00so they know what your family looks like,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02it makes you feel angry as well
0:23:02 > 0:23:05because they've been allowed to do it that many times.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09The police, they've not got the resources to sit outside all night.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Nobody has the resources to do that,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13so you've got to find a way of making sure that you can
0:23:13 > 0:23:17catch these guys and that eventually it will stop happening.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Andrew wanted results - the prevention stage was over!
0:23:23 > 0:23:26You can spend all the money you like putting in security measures,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and these guys just don't care, they will smash their way past it.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33So it was a case of let's not put any more obstacles in the way,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35but let's find some way of catching them.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Hence I decided to buy a tracking device.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Trackers are such small devices nowadays, we can very easily hide
0:23:43 > 0:23:45a tracker inside a box of confectionary.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48It's very simple, very covert,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and people will just not know they're taking it.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Like many tracking systems,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55this one sends signals to pin-point its location
0:23:55 > 0:23:59and has a battery that can last for several weeks, depending on usage.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01So you know, even if they take it
0:24:01 > 0:24:05and the police don't get it straight away, you might get it the next day.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08You might get it two days later, you might get it in three weeks,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11it doesn't matter - it will be there until it gets recovered.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14The question was, where to hide the tracker?
0:24:14 > 0:24:18We're looking for boxes that we can easily just slightly pop
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and slip it in covertly. The best one of those
0:24:21 > 0:24:23we always found was the Kit-Kat Chunky.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25It's a good piece of stock that people will want to steal
0:24:25 > 0:24:27and not only that, you can just squeeze the box
0:24:27 > 0:24:30and place it inside - nobody's any the wiser.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Until someone tries to have a sneaky nibble!
0:24:33 > 0:24:35And if I move it from here, to here,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38the tracker's just told us that we've done that.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41It knows exactly where it is and where it moves.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43What a clever tracker!
0:24:43 > 0:24:46So it was just a case of sitting and waiting till it happened.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49I'm a pessimist by nature, so I know,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52if it's happened once, it's going to happen again.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Sure enough, it did!
0:24:55 > 0:24:58On the night of the 18th of December 2014,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01the thieves crow-barred open the shutter door for the third time
0:25:01 > 0:25:05and helped themselves, like taking candy from a baby.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10I got a phone call early that morning from the guy who opens up.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12He said we'd been broken into,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15so he contacted the police, I come straight down to work.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16I opened the door, walked in,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19there was pallets in the middle of the warehouse,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22there was boxes ripped open, scattered everywhere,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25it was empty, they just... From seeing it the previous night,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29from leaving at five o'clock to coming in early that morning,
0:25:29 > 0:25:31it's like you were walking into a different place.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33It proved to be a costly robbery.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38The items that were taken were valued at around £3,000.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40The total amount of damage
0:25:40 > 0:25:43was estimated to be in the region of £10,000.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47This was the moment Andrew had been waiting for -
0:25:47 > 0:25:51a chance to catch the thieves with their hands in the sweetie jar!
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I quickly flipped out my laptop, logged on.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01The tracker left the units here at about two o'clock in the morning.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03We know exactly what route they took,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06even how fast they were moving.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09The tracking data showed the chocolate snatchers had driven
0:26:09 > 0:26:12more than 60 miles south, taking their bounty to Walsall.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Thinking they'd got away with this "wholenut heist",
0:26:16 > 0:26:18the Bournville burglars hadn't bargained
0:26:18 > 0:26:21for Andrew's tenacious tracker!
0:26:21 > 0:26:24The tracker was quite clearly in the West Midlands at an address.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27I subsequently made a phone call - 999 -
0:26:27 > 0:26:29and informed the police where it was
0:26:29 > 0:26:32and it was passed on to West Midlands Police.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Initially the police thought the tracker
0:26:34 > 0:26:37and the stolen chocs were still on the road.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40They were saying to me, "What vehicle are we looking for?"
0:26:40 > 0:26:42I was saying, "You're not looking for a vehicle,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45"you're looking for something inside the vehicle."
0:26:45 > 0:26:47I gave them access to my tracking panel
0:26:47 > 0:26:49so they can go on and look where this was
0:26:49 > 0:26:52so they had full access to watch this stock moving around, live.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57Using Andrew's tracking data, the police pinpointed the location
0:26:57 > 0:27:02of the stolen box of treats to a wholesalers in Walsall and swooped!
0:27:02 > 0:27:05And that led to the arrest of three suspects as well,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09so the tracking device in this case was crucial to everything.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Unfortunately, four members of the chocolate-bar gang,
0:27:13 > 0:27:18captured here on the wholesaler's CCTV, managed to escape.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20The fourth one is very interesting because one of his children,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23there's a child there that's about three years old,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26and he's took that child with him to actually sell stolen goods.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Unbelievable! That's "bring your child to work day"
0:27:30 > 0:27:32taken to a whole different level!
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Thankfully, Andrew recovered his stock.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41He continues to use the tracker and has even bought some more.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Anybody that's wanting to catch somebody or has had problems before,
0:27:44 > 0:27:45I'd recommend doing it.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50Take a leaf out of this gentleman's book, research tracking devices
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and consider it, implementing them in your own businesses.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Since this has happened, there's been very little around Mansfield
0:27:56 > 0:27:59in terms of break-ins, particularly on this business park,
0:27:59 > 0:28:00it's dropped completely,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02this was a business that did get broken into regularly.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Since it's happened, I don't think there's been another instance.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Nice work, Andrew. Go on - have a break!