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Bag snatches, robberies and street crimes. | 0:00:02 | 0:00:03 | |
According to the latest police figures, | 0:00:03 | 0:00:05 | |
more than 3,500 incidents of theft | 0:00:05 | 0:00:08 | |
are reported every day in the UK. | 0:00:08 | 0:00:11 | |
The bike had gone. | 0:00:11 | 0:00:13 | |
And I was absolutely gutted. | 0:00:14 | 0:00:16 | |
But what happens to our belongings when they're stolen? | 0:00:16 | 0:00:19 | |
Thief Trackers shows who takes them and where they go, | 0:00:20 | 0:00:24 | |
hiding trackers inside items like cameras, smartphones and bicycles... | 0:00:24 | 0:00:29 | |
..to trace their every move. | 0:00:30 | 0:00:32 | |
The thieves think they've got away with it | 0:00:32 | 0:00:34 | |
but we've got them under surveillance. | 0:00:34 | 0:00:36 | |
Using undercover footage, CCTV and tracking technology, | 0:00:40 | 0:00:44 | |
we'll get an insight into the criminal mind... | 0:00:44 | 0:00:47 | |
..and uncover the unseen journey | 0:00:48 | 0:00:50 | |
that our possessions take when they're stolen. | 0:00:50 | 0:00:53 | |
Today, the Thief Trackers undercover team | 0:01:00 | 0:01:03 | |
are on the trail of a stolen camera... | 0:01:03 | 0:01:04 | |
He's taken the bag. | 0:01:04 | 0:01:06 | |
..snatched by an opportunist thief who makes a quick getaway. | 0:01:06 | 0:01:09 | |
He's on a bike. | 0:01:09 | 0:01:11 | |
-Right. -There he is. -That's the bike right there. | 0:01:11 | 0:01:13 | |
Just keep following. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:15 | |
Plus, TV and West End star Tom Chambers falls victim | 0:01:15 | 0:01:18 | |
to unscrupulous motorbike thieves. | 0:01:18 | 0:01:21 | |
The bike had gone. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:23 | |
There is, you know, five-and-a-half grand | 0:01:23 | 0:01:25 | |
being driven off down the road. | 0:01:25 | 0:01:26 | |
But he's one step ahead of the crooks. | 0:01:26 | 0:01:28 | |
I phoned the police, I said, | 0:01:28 | 0:01:30 | |
"My bike's just been stolen but I know exactly where it is." | 0:01:30 | 0:01:33 | |
And a heartless burglar steals from charity... | 0:01:33 | 0:01:37 | |
We didn't know whether anybody else was still in the building, | 0:01:37 | 0:01:41 | |
which was a bit creepy. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:43 | |
..unaware he's been tagged by cutting-edge tracking technology. | 0:01:43 | 0:01:47 | |
But it was just so clear to see where they'd walked | 0:01:47 | 0:01:50 | |
and where they'd hidden and where they'd looked into the cashbox. | 0:01:50 | 0:01:55 | |
It's not a nice feeling. | 0:01:55 | 0:01:57 | |
The UK is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, | 0:02:04 | 0:02:08 | |
welcoming over 35 million visitors a year, | 0:02:08 | 0:02:11 | |
to enjoy our country's iconic sites. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:13 | |
But for unscrupulous criminals, | 0:02:15 | 0:02:16 | |
every visitor to Britain is a potential target. | 0:02:16 | 0:02:20 | |
Considering they spend almost £22 billion per year, | 0:02:20 | 0:02:23 | |
the tourist hot spots can provide rich pickings... | 0:02:23 | 0:02:27 | |
..as well as in busy transport hubs, | 0:02:28 | 0:02:30 | |
where people are coming and going on the trains, buses and tubes, | 0:02:30 | 0:02:34 | |
often in a hurry and not paying attention. | 0:02:34 | 0:02:36 | |
Helping the thief trackers with their investigation | 0:02:39 | 0:02:42 | |
is our specialist crime adviser Alex Stewart. | 0:02:42 | 0:02:45 | |
He was assigned to some of the toughest areas of London, | 0:02:45 | 0:02:47 | |
both on patrol and as an undercover officer, | 0:02:47 | 0:02:50 | |
in his time on the force with the Metropolitan Police. | 0:02:50 | 0:02:53 | |
From theft, to drugs, to violent crime, | 0:02:53 | 0:02:56 | |
he's seen what life is like on the streets. | 0:02:56 | 0:02:58 | |
Organised criminal gangs know what they're after and who to target, | 0:03:01 | 0:03:04 | |
often stealing to order. | 0:03:04 | 0:03:06 | |
Once stolen, these items are easily concealed | 0:03:06 | 0:03:09 | |
and then moved out of the area using | 0:03:09 | 0:03:11 | |
back streets or public transport. | 0:03:11 | 0:03:14 | |
They're then often sold for cash in second-hand shops, | 0:03:14 | 0:03:17 | |
or on the internet. | 0:03:17 | 0:03:18 | |
We fitted a GPS tracker into a camera. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:23 | |
We won't tell you where - that would give the game away - | 0:03:23 | 0:03:25 | |
but if it's stolen, we can track down the thieves | 0:03:25 | 0:03:28 | |
by following the signal on a phone tablet, | 0:03:28 | 0:03:30 | |
just like your car sat-nav. | 0:03:30 | 0:03:32 | |
Watching their every move is the Thief Trackers undercover team, | 0:03:36 | 0:03:39 | |
who will be mounting a covert surveillance operation. | 0:03:39 | 0:03:42 | |
For their safety, you won't see them, | 0:03:42 | 0:03:45 | |
but you'll hear their voices. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:46 | |
Keep your camera on these guys. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:51 | |
One of the undercover team gets into position | 0:04:00 | 0:04:03 | |
outside a cafe on a busy crossroads | 0:04:03 | 0:04:06 | |
with a camera bag by their feet no more than a few inches away. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:10 | |
Distracted by chatting on the phone and texting - | 0:04:10 | 0:04:12 | |
it's something we all do. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:14 | |
The tracker in the camera bag goes live. | 0:04:15 | 0:04:17 | |
Time to watch and wait. | 0:04:17 | 0:04:19 | |
OK, everyone. Here we go. | 0:04:19 | 0:04:20 | |
And it's not long before someone shows interest in the camera bag. | 0:04:22 | 0:04:25 | |
This guy has been hanging around for some time now. | 0:04:38 | 0:04:41 | |
He's grabbed the camera bag, but for some reason, he's changed his mind. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:28 | |
Still, it's likely there's more than one thief on these crowded streets | 0:05:31 | 0:05:35 | |
and it's not long before a different person | 0:05:35 | 0:05:37 | |
shows an interest in our camera bag with the tracker in it. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:40 | |
But not for long. | 0:05:52 | 0:05:53 | |
Later, the thief trackers are in pursuit... | 0:06:34 | 0:06:37 | |
We're following a tracker right now. They've a bag that's been stolen. | 0:06:37 | 0:06:39 | |
..tracking the thief as he makes his escape. | 0:06:39 | 0:06:42 | |
-There he is. -Right there. | 0:06:42 | 0:06:44 | |
It doesn't matter how rich, poor or famous you are. | 0:06:51 | 0:06:54 | |
Criminals will steal from anyone, anywhere, at any time, | 0:06:54 | 0:06:59 | |
usually when you feel at your safest, at home or at work, | 0:06:59 | 0:07:02 | |
which is what happened to actor Tom Chambers. | 0:07:02 | 0:07:04 | |
Tom has been a regular face on British TV for many years, | 0:07:06 | 0:07:09 | |
most recognisable from his role as hospital registrar Sam Strachan | 0:07:09 | 0:07:13 | |
in Holby City. | 0:07:13 | 0:07:14 | |
I never had you down for a liar and a coward. | 0:07:16 | 0:07:19 | |
She rang you 20 times. | 0:07:19 | 0:07:22 | |
Was that not a clue that something was up? | 0:07:22 | 0:07:24 | |
-Didn't ring me 20 times. -Oh, so she's lying now? | 0:07:24 | 0:07:26 | |
14. 14 times! | 0:07:26 | 0:07:29 | |
14 times! | 0:07:29 | 0:07:31 | |
Is that what it's going to be like for Grace? | 0:07:31 | 0:07:33 | |
You know, sink or swim, and sod the consequences? | 0:07:33 | 0:07:36 | |
Aside from acting, one of Tom's passions is his motorbike. | 0:07:36 | 0:07:40 | |
So, I've always been a bike lover, really. | 0:07:41 | 0:07:44 | |
When I was aged six, I grew up on an old farm | 0:07:44 | 0:07:46 | |
in Derbyshire and loved bikes. | 0:07:46 | 0:07:50 | |
So I ride my bike pretty much every day. | 0:07:50 | 0:07:53 | |
I do use it really as a workhorse. | 0:07:53 | 0:07:54 | |
It is my get-to-work when you know you've got to guarantee | 0:07:54 | 0:07:57 | |
to be somewhere on time. | 0:07:57 | 0:07:59 | |
So, since 1999 until 2009, I had a moped | 0:08:00 | 0:08:05 | |
and it was actually pinched a couple of times. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:08 | |
Then I moved out of London, | 0:08:09 | 0:08:11 | |
and that wasn't going to really work on the motorway, | 0:08:11 | 0:08:14 | |
so I got a big bike - lovely bike, Triumph Street Triple. | 0:08:14 | 0:08:18 | |
When you have something stolen, you do really lose the value | 0:08:19 | 0:08:23 | |
and it might be your love and joy, your pride. | 0:08:23 | 0:08:27 | |
It's more about the emotional attachment you have to the bike | 0:08:27 | 0:08:31 | |
and the other is the fact that you never get a full pay-out, | 0:08:31 | 0:08:34 | |
so I thought I'd like to try a tracker. | 0:08:34 | 0:08:37 | |
To protect his £5,500 bike, he turned to | 0:08:38 | 0:08:42 | |
one of the longest-established tracking companies out there. | 0:08:42 | 0:08:44 | |
I actually bought the company in 2004 | 0:08:44 | 0:08:47 | |
and it was around about that time | 0:08:47 | 0:08:50 | |
that we started to really get into vehicle tracking. | 0:08:50 | 0:08:54 | |
We've got an in-house R&D facility. | 0:08:54 | 0:08:58 | |
We actually design the products here | 0:08:58 | 0:09:01 | |
and we manufacture the products here in the UK. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:05 | |
We would regard ourselves as one of the market leaders, | 0:09:05 | 0:09:09 | |
if not world leaders, in this technology. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:11 | |
A motorbike really is very stealable. | 0:09:13 | 0:09:17 | |
The Yamaha R1, Ducati Panigale, | 0:09:17 | 0:09:22 | |
Triumph Street Triple, which, in actual fact... | 0:09:22 | 0:09:26 | |
..is the motorcycle that one of our celebrity clients, | 0:09:27 | 0:09:32 | |
Tom Chambers, rides. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:34 | |
You know, these are things that have quite high value, | 0:09:34 | 0:09:38 | |
a lot of appeal, easy to move on, either for parts, or as a whole. | 0:09:38 | 0:09:44 | |
And having fitted a tracker, | 0:09:44 | 0:09:45 | |
Tom was impressed just how easy it was to operate. | 0:09:45 | 0:09:49 | |
If your bike starts to move, just move very slightly, | 0:09:49 | 0:09:52 | |
you get a text on your phone saying, "Your bike's moving." | 0:09:52 | 0:09:56 | |
It's immediate. Within seconds. | 0:09:56 | 0:09:59 | |
And his decision to fit a tracker proved invaluable | 0:10:00 | 0:10:03 | |
when he transferred his acting talents to the stage, | 0:10:03 | 0:10:06 | |
treading the boards in the West End, | 0:10:06 | 0:10:08 | |
starring in the Olivier award-winning adaptation | 0:10:08 | 0:10:10 | |
of Irving Berlin's Top Hat. | 0:10:10 | 0:10:14 | |
I had two shows to do in London. | 0:10:14 | 0:10:16 | |
I got on my bike, rode into town | 0:10:16 | 0:10:18 | |
and I had got lazy. | 0:10:18 | 0:10:20 | |
I'd got into the habit of not locking the bike up. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:24 | |
I had a really huge chain, | 0:10:24 | 0:10:26 | |
it was one of these chains that you just can't, you cannot bolt-cut. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:30 | |
I could park it right outside the stage door | 0:10:30 | 0:10:33 | |
and there's a camera as well. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:35 | |
Anyway, what do you do? You're at work every day | 0:10:35 | 0:10:39 | |
and you think, "Oh, I can't be bothered to spend 20 seconds | 0:10:39 | 0:10:42 | |
"just getting the lock and locking it up." | 0:10:42 | 0:10:45 | |
So, I do the matinee. | 0:10:46 | 0:10:49 | |
I get a text saying that "Your bike's moving." | 0:10:50 | 0:10:53 | |
And I thought, | 0:10:55 | 0:10:56 | |
"Hmm. I'll just check." | 0:10:56 | 0:10:58 | |
Went outside, | 0:11:00 | 0:11:02 | |
and the bike had gone. | 0:11:02 | 0:11:04 | |
And I was absolutely gutted. | 0:11:06 | 0:11:09 | |
You're heart's suddenly in your throat. | 0:11:09 | 0:11:11 | |
But then I heard it. | 0:11:11 | 0:11:12 | |
It was literally just there. | 0:11:13 | 0:11:16 | |
My knee-jerk reaction was to chase after it. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:20 | |
I ran down the road after the bike | 0:11:20 | 0:11:24 | |
and then I suddenly thought, "This isn't going to work." | 0:11:24 | 0:11:27 | |
It was just gone. Like that. | 0:11:27 | 0:11:29 | |
And then, of course, your heart is in your throat | 0:11:30 | 0:11:33 | |
and your stomach's turning, you're like... | 0:11:33 | 0:11:35 | |
There is, you know, five and a half grand | 0:11:35 | 0:11:37 | |
being driven off down the road. | 0:11:37 | 0:11:38 | |
I did literally think, "Please, please, let it work properly!" | 0:11:38 | 0:11:42 | |
But with a tracker on his bike, | 0:11:45 | 0:11:46 | |
Tom could track the GPS signal via an app on his phone. | 0:11:46 | 0:11:51 | |
Anyway, I immediately got onto my phone | 0:11:51 | 0:11:53 | |
and you can log in and then you can see exactly where it is. | 0:11:53 | 0:11:57 | |
And so I phoned the police and said, | 0:11:57 | 0:11:59 | |
"My bike's just been stolen, but I know exactly where it is." | 0:11:59 | 0:12:02 | |
And then, you do phone the tracking company | 0:12:04 | 0:12:07 | |
so that they themselves can monitor it. | 0:12:07 | 0:12:10 | |
By the time the police arrive at the Aldwych Theatre, | 0:12:14 | 0:12:17 | |
it had stopped moving. | 0:12:17 | 0:12:18 | |
About four, four-and-a-half miles to Girdlestone Walk, | 0:12:18 | 0:12:23 | |
it finally came to rest. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:24 | |
You know, we were then talking to the police. | 0:12:24 | 0:12:27 | |
And by which time, I had to get ready for the evening performance. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:32 | |
And luckily, one of the crew had a bike licence and all that | 0:12:32 | 0:12:35 | |
and so he said, "I'll go with the policeman | 0:12:35 | 0:12:38 | |
"and hopefully go and retrieve your bike." | 0:12:38 | 0:12:40 | |
When they got to within the area that it was saying, | 0:12:43 | 0:12:46 | |
it wasn't on the road, | 0:12:46 | 0:12:47 | |
so they did have to walk round the back of some housing. | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
Using Street Viewer, we were able to talk the guys in | 0:12:50 | 0:12:53 | |
to exactly where it was. | 0:12:53 | 0:12:54 | |
It was actually hidden round the back of some garages, | 0:12:54 | 0:12:57 | |
round the back of a building. | 0:12:57 | 0:12:59 | |
They were scanning the area to look around but he said | 0:12:59 | 0:13:03 | |
he just saw a bit of number plate having been covered up by a sheet. | 0:13:03 | 0:13:07 | |
It had taken them to within five feet. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:11 | |
When I got the text message to say, | 0:13:13 | 0:13:15 | |
"Don't worry, don't panic, we've got the bike", | 0:13:15 | 0:13:18 | |
I mean, it was literally just the best thing. | 0:13:18 | 0:13:21 | |
My bike was stolen and I had it back within two hours. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:25 | |
Next time, he wasn't so careless and chained up the bike in a garage. | 0:13:26 | 0:13:31 | |
But some time later, the tracker was called into action once more. | 0:13:31 | 0:13:35 | |
I had my bike at home, I had it in the garage. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:38 | |
I was just watching TV and I saw a text... | 0:13:38 | 0:13:42 | |
..saying that your bike had moved. I thought... | 0:13:44 | 0:13:48 | |
HE SIGHS | 0:13:48 | 0:13:49 | |
"I'll quickly go out and check." So I went out and checked | 0:13:49 | 0:13:52 | |
and it was still there. | 0:13:52 | 0:13:53 | |
I thought, "Oh, maybe... | 0:13:54 | 0:13:56 | |
"Don't know why, but anyway, it's fine." | 0:13:56 | 0:13:59 | |
Came back inside and then a couple of hours later, | 0:13:59 | 0:14:01 | |
I was just going to bed and it had... | 0:14:01 | 0:14:04 | |
It had gone off again. | 0:14:04 | 0:14:05 | |
I thought, "Hmm. Do I bother going again? | 0:14:07 | 0:14:10 | |
"Yeah, I will, I will. I'll go, I'll go." | 0:14:10 | 0:14:12 | |
Went out, in the garage, unlocked it... | 0:14:12 | 0:14:15 | |
And the bike had gone. | 0:14:15 | 0:14:16 | |
Could not believe it. | 0:14:16 | 0:14:18 | |
And the chain had gone as well! | 0:14:18 | 0:14:19 | |
I thought, "Oh, no, it's happened again." | 0:14:22 | 0:14:24 | |
Went onto the phone, logged in, found out exactly where it was, | 0:14:24 | 0:14:28 | |
phoned the police. | 0:14:28 | 0:14:29 | |
I gave them the coordinates and I said, "I'll meet you there." | 0:14:29 | 0:14:31 | |
The police did say, "Do not go anywhere near | 0:14:34 | 0:14:37 | |
"where you think your bike is until we get there." | 0:14:37 | 0:14:40 | |
And I did. I absolutely understood that. | 0:14:40 | 0:14:43 | |
You don't know what these people are going to be like. | 0:14:44 | 0:14:48 | |
I drove to the site and it was down an alleyway of garages. | 0:14:48 | 0:14:53 | |
Met the police there... | 0:14:53 | 0:14:54 | |
..and we were both looking at... on the map, | 0:14:56 | 0:14:59 | |
and we were just saying, | 0:14:59 | 0:15:00 | |
"Now, it's either that garage or that garage." | 0:15:00 | 0:15:02 | |
Luckily, there were some tiles loose | 0:15:02 | 0:15:06 | |
and the officer just climbed up to have a look in | 0:15:06 | 0:15:10 | |
and he could see that the bike was in there. | 0:15:10 | 0:15:12 | |
And also, luckily, the garage door was open as well, | 0:15:12 | 0:15:15 | |
so they were able to go in. | 0:15:15 | 0:15:17 | |
It was a really thrilling moment for me. | 0:15:17 | 0:15:20 | |
I was just utterly relieved that it had worked for a second time. | 0:15:21 | 0:15:27 | |
I mean, you spend £350 on the tracker, | 0:15:28 | 0:15:32 | |
but effectively, it's saved me over £10,000. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:34 | |
You've got one chance | 0:15:36 | 0:15:38 | |
and it's this tracker | 0:15:38 | 0:15:40 | |
and...it's worked. | 0:15:40 | 0:15:41 | |
Tracking technology can be invaluable when it comes to tracing | 0:15:48 | 0:15:52 | |
and retrieving your stolen belongings. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:54 | |
The Thief Trackers undercover team | 0:15:54 | 0:15:56 | |
are mounting our own surveillance operation. | 0:15:56 | 0:15:59 | |
Earlier on, one of the team set up | 0:16:01 | 0:16:03 | |
outside a cafe near a busy crossroads. | 0:16:03 | 0:16:05 | |
Our camera, fitted with a GPS tracker, | 0:16:08 | 0:16:10 | |
was in a bag by their feet, | 0:16:10 | 0:16:12 | |
no more than a few inches away. | 0:16:12 | 0:16:14 | |
They were distracted by chatting on the phone and texting. | 0:16:16 | 0:16:19 | |
It's something we all do. | 0:16:19 | 0:16:20 | |
The remaining thief trackers watched from nearby... | 0:16:22 | 0:16:25 | |
..as the suspect closed in and snatched the camera bag. | 0:16:28 | 0:16:32 | |
The thief took off down the street. | 0:16:35 | 0:16:37 | |
The undercover team gave chase. | 0:16:39 | 0:16:41 | |
He's on a bike. He is on a bike. | 0:16:41 | 0:16:43 | |
But the crook made his escape on a bicycle. | 0:16:43 | 0:16:45 | |
TRACKER BEEPS | 0:16:58 | 0:17:02 | |
OK, so we're following a tracker right now. | 0:17:11 | 0:17:13 | |
They've a bag that's been stolen. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:15 | |
Can we give you directions so you can follow it for us? | 0:17:15 | 0:17:17 | |
-If you tell me where you're going, yeah. -Thank you, mate. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:19 | |
He is now in an estate. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:21 | |
Just off Page Street. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:23 | |
Marsham Street at the moment. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:27 | |
He's obviously still cycling. | 0:17:27 | 0:17:28 | |
At the moment he's on Dean Ryle Street. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:32 | |
In fact, you know where he's heading for, is Millbank. | 0:17:32 | 0:17:35 | |
He's crossing Lambeth Bridge. | 0:17:36 | 0:17:38 | |
OK, we're close. He's on the bridge. Definitely on the bridge. | 0:17:41 | 0:17:45 | |
Keep an eye out for a blue bike. | 0:17:47 | 0:17:50 | |
-There he is, there he is. -That's him there. | 0:17:53 | 0:17:54 | |
The bike's right there. | 0:17:54 | 0:17:56 | |
So let's keep an eye on this guy. | 0:17:56 | 0:17:58 | |
Hold on to the cameras, boys. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:00 | |
Just keep following, just keep following. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:04 | |
I'm going to talk to this guy in a minute. | 0:18:04 | 0:18:06 | |
It's all right, he's on the main road still. | 0:18:08 | 0:18:10 | |
I see him. He took a left, up next to that blue pub up there. | 0:18:13 | 0:18:16 | |
See if you can get close to him. | 0:18:16 | 0:18:18 | |
I might put the window down and just talk to him from the car. | 0:18:18 | 0:18:21 | |
How would you feel about that, mate, if we got near him | 0:18:21 | 0:18:24 | |
and we put the window down and just spoke to him from the car? | 0:18:24 | 0:18:27 | |
-Do what you like. -You don't mind? -No. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:29 | |
They've seen the thief pass the bag to someone in a car. | 0:18:40 | 0:18:43 | |
But first, they're going to tackle the thief. | 0:18:43 | 0:18:46 | |
All right, here we go. | 0:18:46 | 0:18:47 | |
It's a potentially risky situation. | 0:18:47 | 0:18:49 | |
It's too dangerous to accuse the man of stealing. | 0:18:51 | 0:18:54 | |
He's taken the bag. | 0:18:54 | 0:18:55 | |
They're not the police. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:56 | |
They can only ask if he's SEEN their stolen camera bag. | 0:18:56 | 0:19:00 | |
-Yeah? -Sorry to bother you, mate. | 0:19:02 | 0:19:04 | |
Yeah, yeah. | 0:19:15 | 0:19:17 | |
OK, mate. Thanks, man. | 0:19:23 | 0:19:24 | |
He's brazenly denied taking the camera | 0:19:32 | 0:19:34 | |
but they saw him pass it to someone in a car, | 0:19:34 | 0:19:36 | |
so they're going to challenge the driver. | 0:19:36 | 0:19:38 | |
SHE LAUGHS | 0:19:57 | 0:19:59 | |
She's denying all knowledge, so we can't push this any further. | 0:20:02 | 0:20:05 | |
But we know what she looks like | 0:20:07 | 0:20:09 | |
and can pass the unblurred footage to the police. | 0:20:09 | 0:20:12 | |
But the tracker is still live and shortly after our conversation, | 0:20:15 | 0:20:18 | |
the signal shows it's on the move again. | 0:20:18 | 0:20:21 | |
The speed indicates it's either in a car in traffic or possibly a bike | 0:20:21 | 0:20:25 | |
that travels just around the corner, | 0:20:25 | 0:20:27 | |
coming to a rest somewhere in a block of flats. | 0:20:27 | 0:20:30 | |
Here, the signal stays put. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:32 | |
It could be whoever has it now is lying low | 0:20:32 | 0:20:35 | |
as they know we're onto them. | 0:20:35 | 0:20:36 | |
20 minutes later, it moves off again | 0:20:42 | 0:20:44 | |
but this time at walking pace, heading north. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:48 | |
With their cover blown, | 0:20:48 | 0:20:49 | |
the thief trackers have had to withdraw, | 0:20:49 | 0:20:51 | |
so picking up the trail for us is our crime adviser, Alex Stewart. | 0:20:51 | 0:20:55 | |
For the next half an hour, | 0:20:55 | 0:20:56 | |
the tracker shows the camera bag zigzagging around the area, | 0:20:56 | 0:21:00 | |
before it ends up here, at this tube station, | 0:21:00 | 0:21:03 | |
and the signal goes dead. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:06 | |
Criminals often use the Tube network to get around, | 0:21:06 | 0:21:08 | |
because it provides them a quick getaway | 0:21:08 | 0:21:11 | |
and it's very difficult to follow them on it. | 0:21:11 | 0:21:13 | |
Half an hour later, | 0:21:16 | 0:21:17 | |
the signal surfaces at Oxford Circus Tube Station | 0:21:17 | 0:21:21 | |
and it's making its way through the back streets of the West End | 0:21:21 | 0:21:24 | |
but unfortunately, it's not long before the signal goes dead again. | 0:21:24 | 0:21:28 | |
The speed at which the camera left the area | 0:21:30 | 0:21:32 | |
shows how quickly our possessions can disappear. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:35 | |
It also demonstrate how gangs operate as a team, | 0:21:35 | 0:21:38 | |
using one person to steal an item and another to move it on. | 0:21:38 | 0:21:42 | |
Now, it doesn't surprise me that the camera ended up here | 0:21:42 | 0:21:45 | |
in the back streets of the West End, | 0:21:45 | 0:21:47 | |
where there are plenty of opportunities to sell it for cash. | 0:21:47 | 0:21:51 | |
It's likely the tracker has been discovered and destroyed | 0:21:51 | 0:21:54 | |
but we still have unblurred footage of the camera thief and his friend | 0:21:54 | 0:21:57 | |
and we're more than happy to share it with the police. | 0:21:57 | 0:22:00 | |
We often think of theft in terms of the emotional distress | 0:22:07 | 0:22:10 | |
at losing personal property, | 0:22:10 | 0:22:12 | |
but theft can hit businesses just as hard | 0:22:12 | 0:22:15 | |
and can be just as devastating, | 0:22:15 | 0:22:17 | |
as they discovered in the market town | 0:22:17 | 0:22:19 | |
of Ludlow in Shropshire. | 0:22:19 | 0:22:20 | |
With its close-knit community and scenic views, | 0:22:24 | 0:22:26 | |
it's not the sort place you would expect a crimewave. | 0:22:26 | 0:22:30 | |
But all that changed when local businesses | 0:22:30 | 0:22:33 | |
were being targeted by thieves. | 0:22:33 | 0:22:35 | |
Last year, we had in excess of 20 burglaries | 0:22:35 | 0:22:38 | |
and actually, the number of burglaries we'd had was having | 0:22:38 | 0:22:41 | |
a significant impact on the town | 0:22:41 | 0:22:43 | |
and we were unable to identify who the suspects were. | 0:22:43 | 0:22:46 | |
We had increased patrols in the evenings and at night | 0:22:46 | 0:22:49 | |
to try and identify them | 0:22:49 | 0:22:51 | |
but we haven't fallen lucky to actually catch them in the act. | 0:22:51 | 0:22:54 | |
Because the crooks were still at large, | 0:22:54 | 0:22:57 | |
local businesses were concerned that they could be next. | 0:22:57 | 0:23:01 | |
This included the Assembly Rooms, | 0:23:01 | 0:23:03 | |
a community hub in the centre of Ludlow. | 0:23:03 | 0:23:06 | |
They were becoming well aware of the thieves | 0:23:06 | 0:23:08 | |
who were striking in the dead of night. | 0:23:08 | 0:23:10 | |
Every week in the local paper, | 0:23:12 | 0:23:14 | |
there were another two or three reported | 0:23:14 | 0:23:17 | |
and we started becoming | 0:23:17 | 0:23:18 | |
worried and concerned. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:20 | |
We are a huge old building | 0:23:23 | 0:23:26 | |
with three separate staircases and it's very complex, | 0:23:26 | 0:23:30 | |
and we thought, well, you know, | 0:23:30 | 0:23:32 | |
we could be hit and that would be terrible. | 0:23:32 | 0:23:34 | |
The building sees up to 200,000 visitors each year, | 0:23:36 | 0:23:39 | |
and with a bar, shop and theatre situated inside, | 0:23:39 | 0:23:43 | |
the daily cash takings made them a potential victim. | 0:23:43 | 0:23:47 | |
And so, they turned to the police for some protection. | 0:23:48 | 0:23:52 | |
It's incredibly difficult, | 0:23:52 | 0:23:54 | |
when suspects are targeting businesses | 0:23:54 | 0:23:57 | |
or properties at night, | 0:23:57 | 0:23:58 | |
to fall lucky and find them committing the offence. | 0:23:58 | 0:24:02 | |
The Assembly Halls was a property that we believe may be targeted. | 0:24:05 | 0:24:08 | |
It's a very popular location with a bar. | 0:24:08 | 0:24:11 | |
Monies and other items are stored here overnight. | 0:24:11 | 0:24:15 | |
We installed a SmartWater spray system, | 0:24:15 | 0:24:18 | |
which in essence is a burglar alarm, but attached to that is a spray. | 0:24:18 | 0:24:22 | |
When someone breaks in, a silent alarm goes off | 0:24:22 | 0:24:24 | |
and whoever's in the premises gets sprayed with a liquid. | 0:24:24 | 0:24:28 | |
This water contains a dye that is invisible to the human eye | 0:24:28 | 0:24:33 | |
and only becomes visible when shown under a UV light. | 0:24:33 | 0:24:36 | |
It also contains a unique DNA marking code | 0:24:40 | 0:24:43 | |
which can track criminals and link them to the scene of a crime. | 0:24:43 | 0:24:47 | |
And, I mean, I'd never heard of SmartWater | 0:24:47 | 0:24:50 | |
and I just couldn't believe what it really was and how it would work. | 0:24:50 | 0:24:55 | |
When closing up one night, | 0:24:58 | 0:25:00 | |
Helen was about to find out exactly how it worked, | 0:25:00 | 0:25:04 | |
as someone had decided to hang about. | 0:25:04 | 0:25:07 | |
The suspect was caught on CCTV. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:13 | |
He then walked freely around the property, | 0:25:13 | 0:25:15 | |
looking for items to take. | 0:25:15 | 0:25:17 | |
The unsuspecting burglar wasn't aware he was being tracked - | 0:25:20 | 0:25:23 | |
not only on CCTV, but also by the SmartWater trap | 0:25:23 | 0:25:27 | |
which was about to be triggered. | 0:25:27 | 0:25:29 | |
The suspect took his shoes off, | 0:25:31 | 0:25:33 | |
cos he didn't want us to be able to link any footwear marks | 0:25:33 | 0:25:36 | |
that had been left here to his particular footwear | 0:25:36 | 0:25:39 | |
and therefore, us be able to prosecute him on the basis of that. | 0:25:39 | 0:25:42 | |
I came in the morning, | 0:25:45 | 0:25:46 | |
it was quite obvious that we'd been broken into... | 0:25:46 | 0:25:50 | |
..and the SmartWater had been set off. | 0:25:54 | 0:25:57 | |
Money had gone from the till and an iPad. | 0:25:57 | 0:26:01 | |
We didn't at that point know whether | 0:26:02 | 0:26:05 | |
anybody else was still in the building, | 0:26:05 | 0:26:07 | |
which was a bit creepy. | 0:26:07 | 0:26:09 | |
And with the burglar sprayed with the unique liquid, | 0:26:09 | 0:26:13 | |
the police began looking at the trail of clues left behind. | 0:26:13 | 0:26:17 | |
The forensics officer could tell | 0:26:20 | 0:26:23 | |
exactly where the burglar had taken off his shoes | 0:26:23 | 0:26:28 | |
and she tracked the footprints. | 0:26:28 | 0:26:32 | |
And it was the way they glowed in the dark, it was just so clear. | 0:26:33 | 0:26:37 | |
To be able to see something that, | 0:26:39 | 0:26:41 | |
with the lights on, there's nothing there at all... | 0:26:41 | 0:26:45 | |
..to then imagine that somebody | 0:26:46 | 0:26:49 | |
who's been going around your building, | 0:26:49 | 0:26:53 | |
poking their nose into things, and to see where they'd walked, | 0:26:53 | 0:26:58 | |
and where they'd hidden, and where they'd looked into the cashbox, | 0:26:58 | 0:27:02 | |
it's not a nice feeling. | 0:27:02 | 0:27:05 | |
The SmartWater spray in this case | 0:27:09 | 0:27:12 | |
was vital for us to be able to obtain a prosecution. | 0:27:12 | 0:27:16 | |
As you can see from the photographs here, | 0:27:16 | 0:27:18 | |
the fluorescent yellow-green marking across the floor | 0:27:18 | 0:27:22 | |
at the business that had been broken into | 0:27:22 | 0:27:24 | |
quite clearly shows that one person was in there, | 0:27:24 | 0:27:27 | |
who committed the offence, | 0:27:27 | 0:27:29 | |
and the SmartWater was able to link us to that individual. | 0:27:29 | 0:27:32 | |
A number of our enquiries were with some local nominals | 0:27:34 | 0:27:40 | |
that we deal with on a regular basis, | 0:27:40 | 0:27:42 | |
so we simply visited those to see | 0:27:42 | 0:27:44 | |
if they were marked with the SmartWater | 0:27:44 | 0:27:46 | |
from this particular offence. | 0:27:46 | 0:27:48 | |
The suspect was caught within 24 hours. | 0:27:48 | 0:27:51 | |
We were able to then take them into custody... | 0:27:51 | 0:27:53 | |
..and then prosecute him for the offence. | 0:27:54 | 0:27:57 | |
I think I felt very relieved for us | 0:28:01 | 0:28:03 | |
but also very relieved for the whole town. | 0:28:03 | 0:28:06 | |
I suppose we felt we'd done a sort of civic duty, if you like, | 0:28:07 | 0:28:11 | |
by being the people that had stopped him. | 0:28:11 | 0:28:14 |