0:00:05 > 0:00:10More than 3,500 incidents of theft are reported every day in the UK.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15But what happens to our belongings when they're stolen?
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Thief Trackers shows how they're taken
0:00:17 > 0:00:18and where they go...
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Excuse me, mate. Excuse me.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24..hiding trackers inside items like cameras,
0:00:24 > 0:00:28smartphones and bicycles to trace the thieves' every move.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30There he is. There he is. There he is. There he is.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33The crooks think they've got away with it,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36but we've got them under surveillance.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Using undercover footage, CCTV and tracking technology,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46we'll uncover the unseen journey our belongings take when they're stolen.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50And we'll shine a light on how easy we make it for thieves
0:00:50 > 0:00:53to plunder our prized possessions.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08Today, the thief trackers are on the trail of a laptop stolen in broad daylight.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10Excuse me.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Confronting the brazen thief as he escapes.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Look, I'm in a bit of a rush. I ain't got time for this.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20And a minicab driver is hot on the heels of a phone snatcher...
0:01:20 > 0:01:23He swerved out into the oncoming lane,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26suddenly it's escalated way out of a missing second-hand phone.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29..creating his own ingenious roadblock.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32He's not going to drive away in a hurry cos he's going to have
0:01:32 > 0:01:34to drive through a wall of wheelie bins.
0:01:34 > 0:01:40And social media helps a seaside community track down a heartless charity thief.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44I noticed the box had disappeared, and I was absolutely distraught.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49We had about 30 comments saying that they thought it was this one guy.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00As we know all too well here on Thief Trackers,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02theft from a vehicle is a common crime...
0:02:04 > 0:02:08..with over 1,600 incidents a day in 2016.
0:02:10 > 0:02:16Helping Thief Trackers with our investigation is former detective Chief Superintendent Sue Hill,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20who has spent over 30 years tackling crime on the streets of the capital.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26It's very, very common that people leave items of value in their car.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29The whole length of this road I've looked in
0:02:29 > 0:02:30and there are various items
0:02:30 > 0:02:33that could be stolen from any of these vehicles.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36You just think for that minute, I'll be back in a moment,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38I'll just leave my phone, it's going to be fine.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41And then it happens. If it's valuable, lock it away.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46We've fitted a GPS tracker into a laptop, so if it's stolen we can
0:02:46 > 0:02:50trace the signal on a smartphone or tablet and track it down.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Following the thieves' every move is the Thief Trackers undercover team
0:02:56 > 0:02:58mounting a covert surveillance operation.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00For their safety, you won't see them,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02but you'll hear their voices...
0:03:02 > 0:03:04OK, get the tracker up. If we're going to do this, do it now.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07..as they follow the thieves' every move.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16We're rigging a car with hidden cameras.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19And we will leave a laptop in the car on view,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23just like so many of us who carelessly leave our valuables in plain sight.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26If a thief strikes, we'll capture their every move.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32The cameras are set and the team observe from a car parked nearby.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Time to watch and wait.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37OK, let's see what happens there.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40This area is pretty quiet,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43which makes it ideal for thieves scoping parked cars.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46If there is anything left in a car,
0:03:46 > 0:03:51it can take just seconds for them to strike and make off with the property.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52Guy at the bottom of the street.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55And it's not long before the team spots someone.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57It seems he's looking at his phone.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01But he appears to be checking out this car...
0:04:01 > 0:04:04What's this guy up to?
0:04:04 > 0:04:05..and this car, too.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10He walks past our camera car...
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- That guy looked at the car there. - Yeah.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14It was a brief look.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17..but carries on, and the area remains quiet.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22A couple of people here. Who are these guys?
0:04:22 > 0:04:26The passers-by seem to be residents going about their business.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Further down the road, the team spy the man from earlier.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33That boy is down the bottom again now.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42The Thief Trackers have been in place for some time.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- I think we're going to have to go elsewhere.- Yeah?- There's just
0:04:45 > 0:04:48- not enough footfall here at all. - Yeah, a bit more populated.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Suddenly, they spot a familiar face.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52That guy's back.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56That guy is back.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02What's he doing?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04In seconds, he returns.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09What is he doing?
0:05:16 > 0:05:18The man strikes,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21smashing the window and making off with our laptop and phone.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22OK, let's get cameras.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25The undercover team are right behind him.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26Let's go.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Later: Our Thief Trackers confront the brazen laptop thief.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37No problem, mate, I just...
0:05:45 > 0:05:48One man who knows all about having his property stolen from his car
0:05:48 > 0:05:52is Robert Hallmark, the CEO of a male grooming company
0:05:52 > 0:05:54and part-time minicab driver.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58He's one of the 80% of Brits who now own a smartphone -
0:05:58 > 0:06:04a popular target for thieves, with a whopping 800,000 stolen every year.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10Robert has two smartphones, one for work and one for personal use.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14He made the mistake of thinking they'd be safe if they were hidden away in his car.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17I keep my work phone inside the centre console.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19It's hidden from sight.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22It's not something you could sort of look at and go,
0:06:22 > 0:06:24there must be a phone in there.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27One morning, Rob had a rude awakening.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31An opportunist broke into his car and ransacked it,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33taking his phone and other valuables.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Luckily, a neighbour had seen someone getting out of the car
0:06:36 > 0:06:38and quickly alerted Rob.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41I was in our kitchen. It was at the other side
0:06:41 > 0:06:43of the house so I didn't hear the alarm go off.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49When I looked inside the centre compartment, it had been opened up.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50It's where I kept my phone.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52That was gone.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54I didn't immediately notice anything else
0:06:54 > 0:06:56cos there's nothing really of value in there.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58They'd sort of left the chewing gum packet, if you like.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01The thief had stolen Rob's work phone,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03which has a built in GPS tracker.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07He was able to log in to the tracking app using his personal
0:07:07 > 0:07:10mobile and see where the crook and the stolen smartphone were.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15When I logged in, I wasn't sure what to expect.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Part of me had a mixed reaction cos I was obviously quite cross about
0:07:19 > 0:07:23the crime, but then my face slightly lit up when I went on to the app
0:07:23 > 0:07:27and I saw my phone from the car wasn't, if you like, at my address.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30It was still tracking its location.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33The tracker gave him an immediate position fix on his phone.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36It was about a mile and a half away in Birmingham,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39so it's not like it was making its way up the M42 or something.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I started to think, actually, that's within reach.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45So a little part of me was thinking, this may not just be over yet.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50With his stolen phone in his sights, Rob set off in pursuit.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55I had not only the street name but its location on that street.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59So I felt I could probably locate that handset quite accurately,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01certainly within a few doors of the address.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09When I arrived at the address, I could see the phone hadn't moved,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12so I knew, sitting outside the house, if my phone moved,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16I could probably join the dots between my phone moving
0:08:16 > 0:08:18on the app and someone walking on that street.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Whilst staking out the street, he called the police.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25I was on the phone to the police through 101, giving them
0:08:25 > 0:08:28the details, cos I had no intentions of being a vigilante.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30I was just thinking, if I can identify the person,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32I can give their location to the police.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Cos I'd had this determination, I'm going to get the phone back,
0:08:35 > 0:08:36this is such a pain to have lost it.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39So whilst I didn't want confrontation,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41I also didn't want to just limp off home.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44And it wasn't long before something caught his eye.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48A man got into a car and drove off, clearly in a hurry.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56It was driving very quickly from a standing position.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Rob followed, keeping a discreet distance.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03And the way it accelerated, I thought we can all be
0:09:03 > 0:09:06a bit late but that was particularly aggressive.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10But that added to my conviction that was someone who had the phone on them.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14The tracking signals showed the stolen phone was on the move.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17I could see it was on a road we had driven along.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20As he tracked the thief,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Rob kept the police updated on his phone's movements.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28The police reaction to me following the vehicle was interesting,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32cos their primary concern isn't mobile phones, it's safety,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36so their view was, we can't interfere when someone's
0:09:36 > 0:09:39just worried about, "I might be hurt."
0:09:39 > 0:09:43That's not really a reason for them to interrupt what they're doing and come out.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46So they had a mixed reaction in, "Are you in danger?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48"Are you putting yourself in danger?"
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Which they obviously don't want to encourage, but equally, they
0:09:51 > 0:09:55don't want to leave you hanging dry if something was going to happen.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Then the thief made a dramatic move.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03There was a queue of traffic in front, two lanes with red lights.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07He swerved out into the oncoming lane and swung left at the junction
0:10:07 > 0:10:11and that was actually the biggest mistake because it was at that point
0:10:11 > 0:10:15the police were, "OK, we're going to connect you to the local patrol cars,"
0:10:15 > 0:10:19because suddenly it's escalating way out of a missing second-hand
0:10:19 > 0:10:21phone into, he does a stunt like that again,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24he could hit someone crossing a road, a pedestrian,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28cyclist or an oncoming car. So that changed things massively.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Rob's updates to the police were a great help to them.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Officer David Wilson was in charge of the case.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36It was keeping constant updates as to the offender's whereabouts
0:10:36 > 0:10:40while our controllers tried to direct in a dog unit
0:10:40 > 0:10:42and a traffic unit to try and apprehend the offender.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46He continued to track the thief with his smartphone,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48then the trail took another turn.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Previously, he's always been on some road in Birmingham
0:10:52 > 0:10:54and I fed that information back to the police.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Now it looked like he was in someone's garden.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Knowing the police wouldn't be far behind,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Rob parked up to continue tracking his phone on foot.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05As I looked at the handset, I could see it was still, like,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08a few more metres to my side, where there was a big wall.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I thought, I'll have a peek over and see what's on the other side
0:11:12 > 0:11:14of the wall and lo and behold, as I peeked, there we were,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16we were facing each other.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19He was now eyeball to eyeball with the thief.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20I can see a wall of garages, so I think,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23"Oh, hello, he's done some kind of Fast And Furious,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26"where you hide in a garage and get away from being found.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29And we were about four yards apart and we've kind of looked
0:11:29 > 0:11:32at each other but he might have not known I was. Clearly,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35I knew who he was because I'd seen him walking in and out of houses.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37So instead of me playing it cool, pretending I was looking for
0:11:37 > 0:11:39a lost cat or dog or something,
0:11:39 > 0:11:44I was kind of shocked as if, like, "You've got my phone."
0:11:44 > 0:11:46And he looked startled.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49I then thought he was going to drive off, I'm now a walk from my car,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52so this is no chance of catching up.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54In a split second,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Rob hatched a cunning plan to stop the crook in his tracks.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01So I then run round the front of the other drive he's used,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05grabbing wheelie bins as I go, cos they were out on the street,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09to go, he's not going to drive away in a hurry cos he's going
0:12:09 > 0:12:11to have to drive through a wall of wheelie bins.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14That was my great idea in that split second.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17The thief was now cornered.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22This could make things worse for Rob as the crook might do anything in his desperation to escape.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25You know, I'm a guy who's had an office job his whole life,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28so not really taught in sort of unarmed combat.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30So I don't really want to get in a confrontation,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32I think that would damage the police work as well.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I'm just trying to get the police to his location.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40But adrenaline's coursing through and you feel like it's now or never, do something.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42My advice would be to not put yourself in danger,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44not to confront the offender.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47However, on this occasion Rob was on the phone to the police at the same
0:12:47 > 0:12:50time, police were making toward to try and apprehend the offender.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53So at no point did he put himself in any danger.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57I think he heard me on the phone in that kind of,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00he's obviously got someone on the phone with him and it could be
0:13:00 > 0:13:04the police because I'm saying things like, "He's right here."
0:13:04 > 0:13:06"He's standing, I'm at this road."
0:13:06 > 0:13:10And I guess he took the view, why get in a kerfuffle?
0:13:10 > 0:13:14With seemingly nowhere to go, the phone snatcher made a last ditch bid
0:13:14 > 0:13:16to escape the long arm of the law.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19His survival instinct's obviously quite strong.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23He turns round and runs over a six foot wall behind him
0:13:23 > 0:13:24like it was a two foot jump.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27And I was just standing there in shock going,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29"I did not expect that!"
0:13:30 > 0:13:33The thief dropped his key.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35The police said that's very common.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39You don't want to be caught with the key to a car that just been involved
0:13:39 > 0:13:43in this potential crime, so I thought I might be stuck there
0:13:43 > 0:13:47all day with some sort of CSI forensic tent coming out.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49But I guess the police see this kind of stuff, sadly,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52day in day out. So they were quite relaxed,
0:13:52 > 0:13:53picked the key up off the floor,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57opened the car, and there was my phone, sitting on the passenger seat
0:13:57 > 0:14:00with a couple of other things from the car that he'd taken.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02And they just handed it back to me.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05So it all kind of felt very matter-of-fact at that stage.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Thanks to the entrepreneur's quick thinking and the smartphone tracking
0:14:08 > 0:14:12system, he got his phone back and the thief got what he deserved.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16With the description given to us by Rob, we were able
0:14:16 > 0:14:19to identify the offender and effected arrest shortly afterwards.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Due to the overwhelming evidence against the offender,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25he was charged with two counts of theft from a motor vehicle.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28He was remanded in police custody and appeared at court
0:14:28 > 0:14:31the following day, where he pleaded guilty to both offences.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33That was great. That was a really good feel-good factor
0:14:33 > 0:14:35and really pleased it worked out.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43We're returning to our surveillance operation with the Thief Trackers undercover team.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47Earlier, the team rigged a car with hidden cameras and,
0:14:47 > 0:14:51as so many people do, left a laptop on the front seat in plain sight.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54And in broad daylight, this man,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57who had been scoping out cars in the area, did this.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Armed with a hammer, the calculated crook steals the laptop
0:15:05 > 0:15:08and phone in a shockingly fast time.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20From the first blow to his escape takes just seven seconds.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23The thief then calmly walks away.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26What he doesn't realise is the Thief Trackers are right behind him.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31- Let's go. - I'm going to quickly go ahead, yeah?
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Yeah. Go ahead, go ahead and try and film him. I'll try and keep up.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39The thief heads south, with the undercover team on his tail.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41He is not far away.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43The guy's just walked around the car a couple of times.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47I didn't take any notice of him, really, I thought he was just lost.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49And then he came back, disappeared round the corner...
0:15:51 > 0:15:55..went into a bag and looks like he took out a tool
0:15:55 > 0:16:00and smashed the window and went straight for the contents.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02The team have caught up.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05The crook is just ahead, but they must be cautious.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Is that him down there?
0:16:07 > 0:16:08Yeah, it is. It is.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Yeah, he looked like it's on his back.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23I'm trying to keep a distance at the moment until we're around some
0:16:23 > 0:16:26people. I don't want to approach him if he's got a tool in his bag.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28He's pretty strong, pretty violent.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35I'd rather know we were safe before we talk to him.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39They close in, and the signal shows the thief is just around the corner.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45And there he is, only a few metres away.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47On this quiet suburban street,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50it won't be long before he spots the Thief Trackers.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52- I think we should talk to him. - Yeah, yeah, do it, do it, do it.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Though there's a possibility that the thief might still have a tool on
0:16:57 > 0:17:00him, the team decide to carefully approach to see what he has to say.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05He's looked back. I think we're going to do this, we do it now.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Excuse me, mate.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13Excuse me.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Hi, mate, sorry to bother you. How you doing?
0:17:17 > 0:17:21My friend's car's just had a laptop taken from it.
0:17:21 > 0:17:22Right.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24I just wondered if you know anything about it.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27No, mate, sorry, I'm not from round here.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- So...- A black laptop from a Smart car.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32I ain't got time... Look, I'm in a bit of a rush,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- I ain't got time for this. All right?- OK.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36It's fine. No, it's fine.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39No problem, mate.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42No, no, I just... You're the first person I've seen since it went,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44I just thought I'd ask.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46- I'm in a bit of a rush, yeah? - All right.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48It's no surprise he's in a rush,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52he's just smashed a car window and pinched our laptop and phone.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55He's clearly on edge, so the team decide not to press him
0:17:55 > 0:17:59further and risk a physical confrontation.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02He's shaking. He's got adrenaline pumping through him.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05We've got the trackers anyway, so we can keep an eye on where he's gone.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07It's definitely the guy, though.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12That scared me a little bit. That was... That was a bit intense.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Guy was moving at quite a pace.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17I think he'd a tool on him, which he'd put back in the bag.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19- Yeah.- I'm not going to...
0:18:19 > 0:18:21I'm not going to antagonise someone with that.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26So we're back at the car now.
0:18:26 > 0:18:27And it's...
0:18:29 > 0:18:31It's been properly done in.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35Yeah.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40It was brazen.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Really, really brazen.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45On returning to the car, the team discover
0:18:45 > 0:18:48the crook has dropped the hammer he used for the break-in.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52We can see he hits the window with such force the hammer flies
0:18:52 > 0:18:56out of his hand. That's a very useful piece of evidence.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58And in his haste to steal our property,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01the thief cuts himself on the broken glass.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05When we confront him, you can see he's obviously bleeding
0:19:05 > 0:19:08from both arms, the blood visible on his trousers.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11He appears self-conscious of his wound,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14seemingly concealing it when talking to one of our team.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Not only do we have video evidence,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20we have fingerprint and DNA evidence, too.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25All right. I think we're done here. Let's get back to somewhere safe.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32Although the thief has our laptop, we can still track his movements.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35The signal shows he walks to the main road
0:19:35 > 0:19:38and heads north towards the theft area.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42However, it comes to stop just around the corner
0:19:42 > 0:19:44and doesn't move from this position.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49It's possible the thief has hidden the laptop to recover later,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52so we search the area, but find nothing.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57However, the team notice a glitch in the tracking data,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59the signal appears unresponsive.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04So the team stake out the location,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06waiting for the thief to make his next move,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08but he didn't show up.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13The crook seems to have been spooked by our confrontation
0:20:13 > 0:20:15and maybe realises we're on to him.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19It's likely he's taken the laptop to a quiet spot, searched it,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22found the tracker and destroyed it.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29Former Detective Chief Superintendent Sue Hill has been looking at his crime.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30It's shocking, really, isn't it?
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Nobody's come out, nobody's heard him.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35In the hours of daylight, most people think they're
0:20:35 > 0:20:37going to be safe, that there are people milling about,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39somebody's going to see something happen,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42and so they would be more inclined to leave property on show,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45thinking, "Oh, no, it won't happen to me." Well, it will happen to you.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48That happens every day up and down the country.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50I would look at it and think, "Really?"
0:20:50 > 0:20:55Bit older for a car thief, really, but once a thief, always a thief.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58The thief who took the item, he's gone equipped, he's got his
0:20:58 > 0:21:00rucksack, no-one's going to stop him, he's never going to be stopped
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and searched, why would he? He looks like a regular guy
0:21:03 > 0:21:05going to the gym with a rucksack and yet within seven seconds,
0:21:05 > 0:21:09he could smash through that car window and take a laptop,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12so let's get wise to these people.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Don't leave valuables in your car, full stop.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Although he may still have our laptop and phone,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22we have the unblurred footage of this smash and grab thief in action,
0:21:22 > 0:21:26clear as day, should the authorities wish to take a look.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37One of the most loved charities in the UK is the Royal British Legion,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41whose annual Poppy Appeal raises millions to support former service personnel.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44The donations that we receive during the annual Poppy Appeal
0:21:44 > 0:21:46are incredibly important to the organisation.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50We simply couldn't exist without the generosity of the public.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54The funds that are raised help us help hundreds of thousands of families each year.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59We provide practical support and services
0:21:59 > 0:22:02to the Armed Forces community and we also act as a campaigner,
0:22:02 > 0:22:07trying to get the Government to put in place changes that will support
0:22:07 > 0:22:09past generations and those to come.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14Every autumn, 25,000 collection tins are sent out for the Poppy Appeal,
0:22:14 > 0:22:20looked after by patriotic supporters like those in this Southend restaurant.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23A lot of people who work here have strong ties with the
0:22:23 > 0:22:27British Legion, so we feel it is important to raise as much money
0:22:27 > 0:22:30as we can when it comes to the Poppy Appeal.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33But not everyone is as charitable.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38Across the country, heartless crooks target collection boxes
0:22:38 > 0:22:40as an easy way to make quick cash.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Back in 2016, this seaside restaurant
0:22:44 > 0:22:49found itself a target for a callous and calculating crook.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52It was one of our usual busy Saturday nights,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55it was about 7.30pm. We are fully booked every weekend
0:22:55 > 0:22:59so we get a lot of people coming through our restaurant.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02As soon as we realised that the tin had gone, we went into
0:23:02 > 0:23:05our office and we checked the CCTV footage.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09And what they saw was appalling.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Bold as brass, this despicable thief
0:23:12 > 0:23:16sneaks the charity tin into his bag, then calmly walks off.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20We never in a million years thought that someone would be bold enough
0:23:20 > 0:23:23to take the poppy tin right from under our noses.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Because our staff were distracted due to it being a busy Saturday
0:23:28 > 0:23:30night, there was no-one on the reception,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34so the guy had free rein to be able to take his time, walk around,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38make a calculated move, and he just put the tin
0:23:38 > 0:23:41just straight into his bag and then just snuck his way out.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46As he left, he nearly bumped into some unsuspecting customers.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Seconds earlier and he'd have been caught in the act.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53The tin was about three quarters full,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57so we estimate there was probably about £80-90 in the tin.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01They informed the police, but Mikey decided direct action
0:24:01 > 0:24:04was needed to try and track down the poppy tin snatcher,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08so he put out an appeal to the local community via social media.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11We had quite an overwhelming response.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14The video actually got shared over 7,500 times
0:24:14 > 0:24:17and we got nearly 400,000 views.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20There was a lot of people who clearly cared about what had
0:24:20 > 0:24:23happened, so we actually managed to get quite a lot of helpful insights
0:24:23 > 0:24:26into who the culprit might be.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31But this cold-hearted charity thief wasn't finished.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34It seems he was targeting other local businesses.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39I was working at the far end there on the block.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42I turned round and there was someone standing there,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45asking me for some meat...
0:24:46 > 0:24:50..and he then waved his finger and said, "Oh, no,"...
0:24:51 > 0:24:53..and walked out.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58I noticed the box had disappeared...
0:25:01 > 0:25:03..and I was absolutely distraught.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07The crook had slipped the tin into his jacket whilst Trevor was distracted.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13It just give me a terrible feeling inside me, thinking,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15"How could that have happened to me?"
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Thankfully, Trevor also had CCTV,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22which captured a man in the same coat as the restaurant thief.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27I decided that I would put it on Facebook to see if anyone
0:25:27 > 0:25:32knew the character who'd come in and taken the poppy box.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36And the response was absolutely fantastic.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Thanks to social media, news quickly spread through
0:25:42 > 0:25:45the community that a charity thief was on the prowl,
0:25:45 > 0:25:46and the net was closing in.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50It was soon clear from the comments that there was actually
0:25:50 > 0:25:53a lot of people who recognised who the guy might be.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58We had about 30 comments saying that they thought it was this one guy.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02It seems this must be their man.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06So surely it wouldn't be long before their social media campaign would trap the thief.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11I was only too pleased that I had put it on Facebook
0:26:11 > 0:26:14because someone had spotted him off of the,
0:26:14 > 0:26:19off the Facebook page and he was finally arrested.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Still in the area, he was seen on a train
0:26:23 > 0:26:26by a guard who recognised him from the web posts.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30He was promptly arrested and charged with the thefts.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34There was a lot of outrage regarding what had happened.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36It was obviously a very upsetting thing to see,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38considering it was a charity
0:26:38 > 0:26:40that people hold quite dear to their hearts.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42It made me feel...
0:26:42 > 0:26:45good and pleased that he'd been caught
0:26:45 > 0:26:49and he would pay the penalty for what he'd done.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54The courts didn't show the heartless crook any charity.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58He was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay a £300 fine
0:26:58 > 0:27:00to the British Legion.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03We were all very pleased that the people of Southend
0:27:03 > 0:27:06identified the thief and helped bring him to justice.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09It meant that the money that they raised to support the Armed Forces
0:27:09 > 0:27:12community went to the intended purpose.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16And the local businesses were not deterred by this one-man crime spree.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- See you later, mate. - Here, your change.- It's all right, don't worry about it.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- I'll put it in the box. - No problem. See ya.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28I then put a new poppy box up and we done marvellous
0:27:28 > 0:27:32because everyone came round and put extra money in, I think.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35They were giving me £5 notes to put in the box,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39so we had a bumper year this year.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41We will, of course, always be supporting the Poppy Appeal,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45but this time maybe we will have to have the tin chained down next time.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50Next year, when I get presented with my box
0:27:50 > 0:27:54and my poppies, I'll be screwing it down to the counter.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58No-one will have it. And we've got extra cameras in here now!