Burden of Proof Motorway Cops

This programme contains some strong Tonight: Anger and frustration.

just got a slap on the wrist, I am not having that, I want my day in

court. The motorway cops as some difficult questions. He said this

was your car. I just bought it! Using the evidence together.

open purse in the driver's footwell exposing two rose on credit cards.

And accusations from the accused. You are lying, you are the police

and you are lying. Years ago, people would say, OK, it was me.

They will always try to get off Catching criminals is never easy.

Finding sufficient proof to put them before the courts is often

even harder. It is mid-morning. Motorway cops PC Alan Colman and PC

Dal Nijjar RN Aston, Birmingham. As they turn a corner, a Ford Mondeo

heads towards them at speed, set in off there in car number plate

Yeah, he has just gone the other way, mate. By the time they turn

around, the driver is nowhere to be He has done one. When somebody

makes off like that, you want to get him, because you do not know if

they are wanted for murder, if they have stolen the car. You have got

to go after them to find out what is going on. As it jams a set of

red lights, their suspicions are confirmed. The cops and a chase on

their hands, if they can find the The thought that they had gone

straight on, but once we had committed through the junction, I

could see the Mondeo. He has gone over there, mate! You need to be

looking down all the streets, because they will duck and dive

into the first street they can. It is a game of cat-and-mouse, really.

Can you get out this way? No. has done one on us, Pete. We have

lost it on the cuckoo wrote. We are He went down here, mate. Although

Dal Nijjar saw it go down this road, the car could now be anywhere.

going, he went down here. The trick is to find the driver before he

dumps the car. I saw a man on his mobile phone walking towards us on

the path. He just did not look right. When we got to the end of

the street, the Mondeo was dumped right on the corner, and I knew it

had got to be him. Bell can run faster than me. -- Dal. The one

that is on his phone! I stayed in the car in case there was somebody

else running down the road. There was no-one there, so I spun the car

Where have you just come from? canal, made. Get in the car. What

for? Just get in the car. You are under arrest at the moment. What

for?! What for? I have just come off the canal from Erdington.

you? The canal story is getting short shrift from the sea and a

conman. -- Alan Colman. Did anybody see that blue Mondeo coming down

here? And I had just come off the canal. If you have, you will be

sorted. He claims to be in the dark about it all. What has happened?

have just had a car make off from us, and you have just come from it.

I have come from the Blue Monday oh, yes. His swift change of story does

nothing to help his cause. Why did you make a off? I got caught by the

traffic squad last week. It is him, he has just said. He is recent

brush with the law does nothing to allay the cops' suspicions. Where

is the key? I was not driving it. We are looking to place him as the

driver of the vehicle. If you want to search me, I have got no keys.

Andy is very sure about his story. There was actually three people in

it. They have gone, haven't they? I was the passenger, yeah. Becomes

off with all this story, there were three of us. Where are they?

We came round pretty quick, there was no-one else. Everybody else was

the workers. When we went into the industrial estate initially, there

was nobody else about, just him and his mobile phone. There may be a

way of proving it one way or the other. We can see what that shows

us. I looked up and saw the CCTV camera, basically pointing right

down onto the car. I thought my luck was in. There is a camera

right and there, so we will see who was driving it. Go on, then. Go and

check the camera. I was not driving that car. The CCTV could put him

well and truly in the frame if they can access the footage. Just a few

miles away from that area lies the M6 motorway, one of the busiest

routes in Europe, but congestion often leads to delays, frustration

and angry drivers. Near-panic, Kevin Clarke has received a report

of road rage. Something has been thrown, or is it just verbal abuse?

Yes, items thrown. Details are still sketchy, but the two cars are

still nose-to-tail, travelling at speed. Soft items? We will see if

there is any damage in a minute. We have had a phone call made to the

control room that there has been an altercation between the occupants

of two vehicles while they were moving, as I gather. It is alleged

that there has been items thrown from one vehicle towards another,

so we are going to see if there's anything in that, whether there is

any damage caused. Road rage is an increasing problem on our streets,

but cases on the motorway are few and far between. It is unusual, a

little bit of antisocial behaviour! When they do occur, the motorway

cops have a tough job finding the Incidence of road range are very

often phoned through to the control room, and to be perfectly honest

trying to locate another vehicle in a busy motorway is very, very

difficult. The number of times we actually isolate, stop and deal

with the incident is actually quite But this case is different. The

driver who has complained about items being thrown at his car has

stayed behind the man who upset him and the cars are heading their way.

We're just going to sit tight and There it is! That is him blowing

The victim of the road rage is travelling in a black Audi. And he

has passed on details of the other car, a brave Ford Focus which the

motorway cops are now pulling over. -- Ray. Something behind us as well.

The one to have a word with the other driver? -- do you want to.

Most cases of road rage are hard to prove, one driver's word against

another, leaving the cops with a difficult search for the truth.

have stopped you because it has been alleged that there has been

some kind of altercation between yourself and another vehicle. No.

Somebody overtook me inside, which was a bit annoying. True to form,

the driver is claiming it is the other man who is to blame. He tried

to have me believe that there was nothing really going on. I did not

know what to believe at that time, I had an open mind. The other

driver is travelling with his family and has given a different

version of events. Lights on full beam, for about a quarter of a mile.

I did not react to that, so he pulled on to the inside, hand on a

horn constantly. He started laughing. We were laughing, trying

to defuse it. I said to Jenny, a goal like that. That is when it

really got to him. Everybody puts a little bit of spin on what they

tell the police. You deal with it and listen to every aspect of it

and try to understand what might have happened, picking out the

truth. He had a can of drink, he was holding it, not Red Bull, the

green and yellow version. The next thing I know, he has thrown it, it

bounced off the roof of the car, landed in the outside lane. I know

a lot of your job is common sense, but I cannot see how throwing a

project that on a motorway is not an offence. The problem people have

is that they do not understand the law. They seem to think that any

offence, you arrest people for that. That is not necessarily the case.

There are certain laws which we can be looking at, the Public Order Act.

Driving without due care and attention? It cannot use a mobile

phone but you can open a window and stick two fingers out, throw a can

of drink. Is that not driving without due care? You would have to

show that... I would have to prove it? Can you calm down a minute?

have to accept the fact that a lot of people you speak to are upset.

He has been involved in something which has frightened and upset him,

and you make allowances for that. Another difficulty we are faced

with... My word against his. He has denied any knowledge of any

altercation at the moment. Really? When I spoke to him, I only had one

side of the story. I am going to go and speak to him now and that a

further chat and we will see where we go I will take some details from

yourself. The least I would do is put him through a day in court, he

has got to think about what he has done. You slapping his hand, the

police come, they never nicked me, just a slap on the wrist. I am not

having that. He's very calm now, isn't he? I think you should make

him now. So why they tried to get a confession, five miles away,

motorway cops Tracy and four have Many drivers resent being stopped

for so-called minor traffic offences but the motorway cops

treat this as a major issue because this can have tragic consequences.

If I said to you, in 26 years, 99 % of all fatalities I've attended has

been as a direct result of not wearing a seatbelt.

Although he has suddenly slipped his belt on, it will not prevent

him having a chat with PC Finn Leeson. In 2009, the fine for

failing to wear a seatbelt doubled to �60. It is estimated that 95 %

of drivers do comply with the law but there is a hard core who

refused to build up. Hello, thank you for stopping. You did not have

your seatbelt on as we originally came past. Can I ask you to join us

in our vehicle with any identification. This should be an

open and shut case. Jump in the back for me, sir. Thank you. We

pass do as we came down, you did not have your seatbelt on. You put

on as we pulled past. Is there any reason why you were not wearing

your seat belt. We hear every excuse under the sun.

I was coughing and I to go off for a split-second. It was not a split

second. As we drove past you did not have it. I sleaze that time. I

know reached in the glove compartment to get some tissue.

a bad one but to be frank, he was lying. There are three ways we can

deal with this. We can even send you directly to a court. We can

give you a fixed penalty ticket of �60 or we can send you on a free

course. A three-course. It is called a crash course. It is

conducted at Keele University and you can elect to go on that course

for free, rather than be issued with a fixed penalty of �60. Do you

have any form of identification on the. You have got my name. I have

got the name of the vehicle is registered to. I have never met you

before and I do not know your history. Do you have any

identification? Checking who people are who they say they are is an

important part of this job but this man thinks they are wasting his

time. This is a joke. It is a joke you but it is our job.

Once he realised the excuse would not work, the insults started. To

be honest, I will take so much. Road safety might not be an issue

to but it is for us. We will deal with it positively where you take

the mickey or not. We are catching criminals every day. Will also

looking at road safety. You were not kneeling down to get a tissue.

You're driving along with at your seat belt and now you have been

prosecuted for it. Cut a hole go get your don't up thing, we are

trying to save your life and save other people's lives so grow up a

little bit and accept the fact that we are trying to do you a favour.

Can you not just let me go and do my business? No, because we also

have to deal with dead bodies because people do not put their

seat belts on. What would happen if one of your kids was killed? You do

not think about that. All you want to do is sit in the back and take

the mickey out of police officers but we will deal with it positively

again and again until you realise. Hopefully this course will wake you

up a bit to that. Thank you, OK. Thank you. You do not have to like

us. The motorway cops do not expect to be liked but PC Finlayson has a

genuine reason to be annoyed. have been to a number of vitality

is now where if people had bothered to put their seat belt on, they

would not have been killed -- a number of fatalities. For the sake

of two seconds, it really is ridiculous that some people are not

bothering nowadays to put back seat belt on.

Could buy. Build your speed up on He is obnoxious! He has got a

severe attitude against the police. He will get dealt with whether he

likes it or not. If we have got the wreck -- the evidence and then bang

to rights, they will get done. Back in Birmingham, emotions are

running high. He sees Coleman and Dal Nijjar are trying to prove the

driver is the man they have. What have I been arrested for? Suspicion

of theft of a car. You just asked us what you were arrested for.

Making my own car? I got pulled in that car two weeks ago driving it.

As soon as he said that is my car, my suspicion is through the roof.

Why are you running off from your own car? They are hoping that that

CCTV footage will prove he is the only one in the car. Is that your

camera there? Does it work? I have got four cameras, it is the only

one that doesn't work. I would have absolutely sorted it out. If the

camera had been working we would have seen him get out of the car.

With this CCTV joined the bank, the focus turns to the man and his

story. I haven't got the keys because my mate was driving the car.

PC Dal Nijjar has caught a whiff of something that might explain why he

will not admit he has been at the wheel. Have you had a drink today?

I was at my mate's funeral yesterday, he died. I have not had

a drink today. Just watch your foot. That his car. He has had a drink,

that is why he has done one. Have you had a drink, mate? I just said

I wasn't driving. You check the camera first. I believe you were

driving the car. I was not driving the car. I will give you a breath

test. I will not give you a breath test. You're under arrest for

We will search you. Shall we get a dog down here? Let's do another

search. Bollocks, man. Just jump out of the car so we can search you.

Is this another phone? Have you got any ID on you? My licence.

provisional licence. That is why they took the car off me. If he was

driving, this latest finding could explain why he was trying to escape,

to avoid him having his car confiscated a second time. Who was

driving it? Check the camera. If he was a law-abiding citizen,

why could he not name the driver. Although I was relying on the CCTV

camera I was -- I still had the camera in the car. I played it and

I said I would show him. There is only one person in that. Whatever,

mate. It is bullshit because there were two people in the car.

there? Not the best video. It would need enhancing but initially it

looked like there was only one. Arrest me, do what you have got to

do. I was not driving that car. Take me to court, I was not driving

I could see a driver and I could see through the passenger headdress

and there were no heads there. That is not to say that someone wasn't

lying down and the car. I wasn't expecting him to say. The guy came

and picked me up this morning. I had been to a funeral yesterday and

he had my car. You're a policeman and you are lying. Why would I lie?

It can be frustrating when people accuse you of flying but I am a

police officer at the end of the day and I came to this job with

honesty and integrity -- they accuse you of lying. Unfortunately,

none is of the public do not believe in those values and he was

one of those people. You are lying. You are a liar. If I was driving

that car I would say I was driving it because I could not give a shit

about three points on my licence. I will not admit to something I have

not done. If I was driving that car, kit, I would say I was driving it.

Do I look like a kid? He was on the back foot and his

only way of coming back at me was making accusations and getting

excitable and shouting at me. it to court, mate. We are all liars.

He said I am lying and we are lying. But PC Coleman knows his work is

cut-out find in the Prix. It is down to me to find the evidence,

the facts that he was in that car, driving that car. On that day, the

CCTV camera above the vehicle would have been the best evidence.

And there is a final twist to the tale. Yet another explanation.

we took him to the station, he came up with the fact that he was

selling his car, somebody came along and said they liked the look

of it and could they take it for a test-drive. He let them have a test

drive and managed to pass us in Birmingham. Then that this chap

disappeared into thin air and he does not know who it was. That was

a totally different story because he did not mention that at the

roadside. We had got him on to his third or 4th story. While the man

cools off, 20 miles north on the M6, PC Shale is questioning a driver

accused of throwing objects after another car.

Having spoken to the driver of the other vehicle, he said it over --

it had overtaken. He was doing 80 or 90 in the inside lane. You did

nothing in response? I flashed my lap sat him. The driver of the

other vehicle is alleging that you have pulled alongside him and

stuck-up two fingers at him, opened your driver's window and thrown at

Cannes which hit his car and bounced off his car. Can you tell

us more about that? -- thrown at the Cannes. Have you got any proof?

So a as the cops know, it is one man's word against another.

Sometimes there is a difference between what has happened and what

you can prove. What it will end up coming down sieve, the physical

evidence will be nil. But in the car the man under pressure is

changing his story. I may have shook my hand at him. What did you

throw at it his vehicle? He has given me a good description of what

you through. Well, yes, I did open the window and I threw it can out

of the window. And what do you think justifies that? I was just

annoyed. At the end of the day, it has caused no damage to his vehicle.

That response, your response is totally, a total over-reaction. And

I would argue that it puts people's lives at risk.

The driver of the focus was out of order in what he did. It was

potentially dangerous and certainly idiotic.

To throw anything at any other vehicle is a gross over-reaction.

You have not got any proof. It is my word against his. You have

admitted you have thrown the item. I thought he was being very stupid.

He had made and an -- an admission to us after initial denials. You

never win any friends when you lied to the police. I will apologise and

shake his hand if you want. I will convey that. He is very irate at

the moment and I do not think that would be a particularly good thing

to bring you two face to face but I will convey your apologies. It is

now clear who has done what to who but what is less clear is what the

cops can do about it. It is not a straightforward case.

There is no such thing as road rage as an offence in itself. We have to

utilise other parts of the law to try and get the best result.

Shale has decided on a course of action.

With the information available to me, I have to make a decision. I

will not be dealing with the Road Traffic Act, it will be the Public

Order Act. He is not being arrested but he is being reported for his

abusive and threatening behaviour. The other driver is given the news.

He has accepted it now. He will be dealt with. If you are happy with

that. Yes, I am. Can you sign that. Further up the M6, PC Tracey Cope

and PC Paul Finlayson have been called to a crash on the M6 toll

road. They already know that there The ambulance crew on the scene

want to get the lady to hospital. We do not know her condition, so

she is being taken to Stafford hospital. We need a patrol to go

there to make sure their condition is OK. We will head to the scene to

find out what is going on. The details are a bit sketchy. The M6

toll road was opened in 2003 in a bid to relieve the motorway

congestion around Birmingham. Although free-flowing traffic often

brings higher speeds, it may not have been a factor in this crash,

because it happened that one of the coal books. One car has rammed into

the back of another. A Highways Agency officer is already at the

scene. Female. Staffordshire. Female from that one? Chest

injuries. She says brake failure. Brake failure? Nail in the

ambulance now on his way to hospital. Right. I guess they are

not going just yet. How is he? OK. I would get some details off you.

Or though the driver of the car and fund is not badly injured, he has

had a lucky escape. Can you see the damage BMW? It has impacted with

the rear of this vehicle. We are told by the driver of this one that

he was stationary at that both about to pay when he had the

collision at the back. The poor guy was just paying for his toll. All

of a sudden, he was smacked quite hard from behind. His Aldi probably

weighs nearly two tons, and for that to be propelled forward that

way, a hell of a bang has occurred. He can say that the vehicle has

been moved a reasonable distance, having been hit at the rear.

the indications are that the woman in the BMW was not paying any

attention, but the cops need to prove that, and they need some

evidence. Simon Street has arrived to lead the investigation. Than

checking with our control room to see if it was caught on CCTV.

has, it is always on. Brilliant. Thank you, Tracey. A CCTV camera

that is working is great news for the cops, but the footage will take

at least half an hour to download. Meanwhile, news is coming in from

the hospital about the injuries to the woman. We will have to hold

everyone here. She has got a cracked sternum, it is not going to

get more serious. The CCTV evidence will be crucial in establishing

whether the injured woman driver is at fault or not. A very nice car

that no longer works! The motorway cops continue to look into their

allegation that it was not her but they bowled with their car which

was the cause. It is very rare that a modern car gets brake failure. It

is not unheard of, but modern vehicles do not tend to have their

brakes fail. I stand to be corrected but... These have been

recalled, haven't they? Not recalled as such, but they happen

and a safety check for the brakes. Five series. Yes, they have just

been recalled, some of the three series and five series of great

issues. This may be one of those, it will be looked at by the others

are examining the vehicle. solution to this puzzle will lie in

the video evidence from the tollbooth. There and nearly 2

million CCTV cameras in the UK and over 10,000 of them cover the road

network, providing vital evidence in helping the cops identify

everything from traffic offences to travelling criminals. It is 1pm. PC

Dal Nijjar is halfway through his 12 hour shift. A radio report is

coming in that cameras have spotted a car linked to reports of

shoplifting. M6 towards junction 1. Reports on the 24th of the 9th this

year. This vehicle is believed to be involved in the theft of clothes

from Next. Organised shoplifters often use the motorways to travel

long distances, targeting stores up and down the country. It is a crime

that costs the retail industry nearly �3 billion per year. And it

is one that the motorway cops are dealing with more and more. 9-3, I

am just joining at eight. Can you watch the cameras for me, please?

Dal Nijjar is travelling to intercept the car. The sooner he

can find it, the greater the chance of the rest. That is why he joined

the force. I like locking up criminals, that is what I enjoy,

teamwork, arresting these people that need to be arrested, bringing

them to justice. The coverage of the cameras is extensive, but they

cannot see everywhere, and with no sight of the car, his instinct and

his local knowledge comes into play. 9-3, I'm going to see if he has

gone to the retail park. Luckily for me, it was my patch, I know it

like the back of my hand. There is next year. The car has been linked

with thefts from a well-known clothing store, and Dal Nijjar

thinks it is heading for another one nearby. He could be in luck. He

Yeah, 9-3, confirmed the registration. Yes, yes. Yes, yes.

guessed well, it is off at Oldbury, it is off, I have got it, received?

There are two people in the car, not the one person mentioned in the

shoplifting report. Still moving, is it? I have got it, stop, stop,

stop, on Aldbury Ring way in front of the Arnold Clark. Two documents,

received. The people inside are not as he expected. When I did stop the

vehicle, a middle-aged woman appeared from the driver's side. Is

this your vehicle? No, it is my friend. Right, OK. Let's just talk

to your friend. Are you all right? Is this your vehicle? Well, yeah.

How you got the documentation? The car has got a report to say it

was involved in shoplifting. We are going to get some details. If you

have got nothing to do with it, you can be on your way. Join me in my

car. Me? Yes. There is a possibility the report is incorrect,

but until he gets more details, he will not be sure of. There you go,

Right, I Rogers takes some details quickly, all right? -- I will just

take. I will be speaking to the lady as well. This female is a bit

distressed, which I thought, you know, a middle-aged woman stopped

by the police, she has probably never been stopped before. She is

just a friend, just... She is only a friend. The reason we starter

originally was for the shoplifting. But because of the insurance, that

is something that I would like to clear up first. While the woman

calms down, Dal Nijjar checks out the passenger, complains to own the

car. So your first name is Michelle? I need to ascertain if

you have got any insurance. You are joking! No A. Their body language

was not normal, very fidgety, which would so someone that was

uncomfortable with being checked out. Stay there, I need to fill out

some details. The passenger's behaviour is giving cause for

concern. Received, thank you. I'm trying to concentrate on two

people here, and she was making my job much harder, because she was

literally jumping around. Just running off and leaving me. Just

come this way one minute. should not take the car. I am on

the phone. A stay by the car. friend, the driver, is starting to

worry. I mean, this is ridiculous. All I have done is drove. They will

probably have me this time. I am not going with her no more, a year.

And now he has got the passenger under control, down the jet notices

something relevant to the shoplifting investigation. -- Dal

Nijjar. Behind his seat, I could see a bag tucked into a passenger

seat. Those are those bags? They are mine. Have you got receipts?

is for washing. It is old clothes? At the moment, you will have to

wait, all right? A cursory look in the bag at the old clothes reveals

they are anything but. They have got hangers. They are old clothes.

You will have to wait, all right. Yes, I just want to clarify what is

going on. While he waits for the results of his cheques on the

passenger, she grabs her chance for Van midge is about to have his

earlier doubts about the passenger That is received. Did you say that

someone was en route? Ideally a female. The evidence is starting to

come together, but you'll have to find more than a bag of clothes to

give him grounds for arrest. 50 miles away on the M6 toll road,

Paul Finlayson and Tracey Cope are investigating the crash at the

tollbooth. They need to find out if the injured the male driver was at

fault, and they are looking for evidence that she did apply her

brakes. -- female. You can see two Marques there, but to be honest

that looks like it is a lorry. -- Marks. It may or might not be, but

it is a fair distance from it, isn't it? Nice try. To be honest,

we will know more when we see the video as to whether it should be

attributed or not. The search for evidence returns to the woman's car.

Is there anything readily available suggesting... There is a card.

card on the passenger seat. American Express. Drivers often

take their eyes of the road to look for cash or credit cards as they

approach the tollbooth, and that could have happened here. I found

an open purse in the driver's foot while exposing credit cards. We are

in the credit card lane. It also seems that the seat belt Prix 10

shares have not activated, which suggests she was not wearing a

seatbelt. -- the seat belt retention device. My patience has

worn thinner for people who do not wear seatbelts. You just get so fed

up of dealing with the consequences, the aftermath, and it is just so

avoidable. It is a two-second clip. After the roadside examination, the

motorway cops believe the cause of the crash may well be the woman's

lack of attention. It may be the driver was looking for their card.

They may have been distracted by something else. Again, the fact

that the driver is alleged to have had an easy with the brakes, once

the vehicle is examined, it might put that into perspective, what has

happened, whether she was distracted and thinks it was the

brakes because she did not think to stem or realise to use them early

enough. The video evidence backs of their theory. -- backs up. As the

innocent driver of the front car repairs to pay, moments later the

woman driving the second car appears, showing no signs of

Having seen the video, I would estimate the speed to be around 45-

50 mph as she approached. What is puzzling is how the woman has

managed to successfully steered into the lane yet still failed to

stop. I can only hazard a guess that she was distracted by

something. She lined it up fine, and then obviously at some point

she failed to recognise that she was approaching far too fast and

deal with it. From this angle, her excuse that the brakes failed may

be correct, but another camera covering the approach has also

captured the accident, and it clearly shows her brake lights did

not come on before she crashed. slammed into a parked car, and

there is an awful lot of warning prior to that toll plaza to reduce

your speed. If the circumstances had been different, I think we

would have been looking at serious if not fatal consequences. The guy

could have been killed. While the motorway cameras are an invaluable

tool for cops in their fight against crime, they do not extend

to the whole road network, so the cops' own eyes and ears are just as

important. When you are driving around in a police car, you're

always, in your mind, looking at things and calculating what looks

right, should that be there? You're PC Alan Colman has now teamed up

with PC Jess Rojek. They are in Erdington, north Birmingham. Up

ahead there is a great Vauxhall Vectra turning into a petrol

station. PC Coleman can see the rear numberplate is missing and he

is concerned about the front one. can see it has an R reg number

plate on it. PC Coleman is a self- confessed petrol head and he knows

his car numbers. I knew it was not right because that model was

released on AV plate. The cops decide to have a closer look.

parked just behind the bus stop, trying to tug a big marked been

doubly out of the way which is quite hard in itself. He saw a

sitting there, I'm sure he did. I lost sight of him for a short

period of time and he had gone. I knew he had not gone past us. I was

sure he had not gone down the road. I could see he was reversed into

the wash bay and he was not washing his car. As we came round towards

him, he then drove off out of the wash bay and on to the main road.

Very, very suspicious behaviour. is not just the suspicious

behaviour which is bugging P C Coleman. He cannot get the front

registration number out of his head. Can I have a code two PNC check

please? So PC Jess Rojek is checking the police database. But

the registration PC Coleman remembers does not exist. That is

received. It is now echoed one on Slade Road. Perhaps he got it one

but once they get the driver in his car they will have a chance to look

at the front number plate while they find out what he has been up

to. Hello. Are you all right? You have only got one number plight.

know, it is in the back. Just have a seat in the car first. It is easy.

You can get those in a minute. Where is it? It is in the back, I

have got to get the screws for it. What was going on at the garage?

You were acting a bit suspicious. was trying to see if I could get

the screws in the car and then my phone rang and you're not allowed

to use on the forecourt. The was that why you moved around the

corner. I was thinking, this is not a major

issue. The plates are in the back of the car, it is something I see

quite a bit. Rates do fall of cars, it does happen. While Jess Rojek

checks the front number plate, P C Coleman checks him out. Have you

got any ID on you? It is probably in the car. Now PC Jess Rojek is

back with details of the front numberplate. This does not tally

with what PC Coleman remembers. front number plate was the plate.

There was not an art on there. I started doubting myself in my head.

I thought, have I been seeing things? I have got a copy of my

insurance with me in the car. have a code one PNC check? The even

though they have their suspicions about him, they have no reason to

doubt his story. He was very co- operative. He was very calm. He was

very willing to answer our questions.

It is Victor 82 Mike hotel Delta, received. Everything seems to check

out. We checked him out by the police computer. He gave us a

plausible excuse that the plate had fallen off. He had got a licence,

there was an insurance certificate in that name in the car. So

everything, in effect check out for him.

Get yourself home, get the number plate screwed on immediately.

Rather than give you a 60 quid fine here and now which is what we can

do, I will give you a bit of leeway. If I had the screws in the car...

It needs doing straightaway. that front numberplate is still

worrying P C Coleman. Either I am missing something more I need to go

to Specsavers because I am sure it had an art on it. As we watched him

drive off into the distance, I had a nagging doubt in my head about

the number plate. It was ours 091 but I thought I saw but I was

confusing myself and my own mind. His behaviour around the garage was

not right either. Why did he move into that they are out of our way?

Shall we go back and have a look, out of interest? While they return

to the garage to try and find out if he was up to anything, 12 miles

away near Dudley, PC Dal Nijjar is still dealing with the two women he

stopped, following a report linking their car with shoplifting. But so

far, he has not found the evidence he is looking for. Have you got the

keys? Do you need any other keys? I will just take that off? This is

ridiculous! He has discovered one of the women has previous

shoplifting convictions and now he is searching her car. When I opened

the boot, I thought I had hit the jackpot. Everything was going

against at that point because she even had the pliers to rip open the

tax. PC Dal Nijjar thinks these clothes have already been stolen as

part of a scam. I think they will go back and say this does not fit,

can I get a credit note. Even though they have not got tax, they

will go back. Next we accept them and they will have a credit note

which is legitimate so they can buy some real clothes. Also in here is

a brand new dress and some tops. They will do the same thing for

that as well. As you can clearly see, there are some brand new Next

bags there. They will go to the shop and pretend they have just

bought them and these are the pliers they will use to snap the

tax off and put them in the bags. You need to come and have a look at

this. You are saying this is your car. Have a look in there. That has

got nothing to do with navel stud you just said it was your car. If -

- that has nothing to do with me. I just bought it at the weekend. Just

because I have got a record it does not mean anything. At the moment

you are under arrest for shoplifting. And going equipped.

It is enough to bring them in for going equipped. I believe they were

going to a specific place to steal. This will be turned off. When I

arrested her, this was my chance to confiscate her phone off her.

Originally, I had no powers. She was not under arrest. I was mindful

that she was making phone calls to someone. Now because she was under

arrest she was in his police custody. Do you understand what you

are arrested for. You have got loads of Next bags. They are not

mine! Pass me your phone. You are telling me they are brand new.

telling you that none of this belongs to naval stock say you have

pliers, brand new bags and hangers They know where these stores are,

they have come to the specific location. It must be easier to come

here and still things. It is well planned, they know what they are

doing. They are from Wolverhampton and they came here for a reason. I

believe that reason is for shoplifting. P C Jam McNamara has

arrived to do a more thorough search. Any additional evidence,

however small, could be useful in proving a case against the women.

There are some new hangers. Both of them are taken to West Bromwich

police station where they will have some explaining to do about all the

bags and clothes found in their possession. And there is more

evidence in one woman's belongings, and extensive shopping left. --

shopping list. She is having the You need to know why you're here.

The officer said you have been arrested for going equipped for

theft. It was like she had never been

under arrest which was incorrect because previous records show she

had been arrested and she broke I've only been in trouble once in

my life. I do think she knows more than meets the eye but we will find

out. She is very hysterical but I appreciate she is like that but she

must understand we have a job to dig and we must investigate why she

is in the car with the stolen property. The passenger is still

maintaining her innocence. The more lively character even as they did

when I stopped her but you only arrested me because of what I have

done in the past. She has plenty of previous for shoplifting. Both

women will be held for further questioning. Back in Erdington in

Birmingham, PCS Coleman and Jess Rojek have returned to the garage

where they saw the driver with the suspicious number plate. They are

hoping to find out what he is up to but first they talk to the staff.

We spoke to the Cashier's that they -- they informed us that they had a

bill which came to �40 of fuel. They gave a description of the

vehicle which was the one we just stopped. Did you observe the

vehicle itself? I'd did not see it drive off because I thought it

would go into the jet wash. they believe he left without paying

but getting camera evidence is yet again proving frustrating. They

could not get the video footage to show us what the car was so it

could or could not have been him. I thought in my own head it was him.

I went to the rear of the car wash to find the number plate.

Coleman's doubts about the front numberplate are starting to make

sense. He thinks the man has used a false number to conceal his car

from the CCTV cameras but when he saw the cops he decided to ditch

the false plate. I hope you have risk assessed that! Yes, very

risky! It has been a long time since I

climbed fences like that but I managed to get over. If PC Coleman

finds the false plate, they will have evidence that the suspect did

steal the fuel. That is the one. I was absolutely

spot on, just got the numbers the wrong way round. I was a bit

annoyed with myself. Clearly, when he had sat in the wash bay, he must

have ripped that plate of rapid because it only had sticky things

on it and he lobbed it over the rear of the car wash. I saw what I

thought and it was not right for the model of the car. I did feel at

the time maybe we should not have let him go but looking at the

circumstances of the initial time we spoke to him, there was not

anything else I could have done. It was a minor traffic offence,

everything checked out. PC, knows that despite their best efforts,

people do sometimes slip through their net. There was a bit of

frustration initially but everyone comes another day. And he did.

After his details were circulated, he was arrested. When I found that

he had been stopped two or 3 days later and had been arrested, I was

pretty happy because he thought he had got away with it. He turned out

to be already well known to the police, had no insurance and was a

disqualified driver. He received six points on his licence, was

given 80 hours' unpaid community work and had to pay for the petrol

he's dull. The hot-tempered driver who threatened another had to

report a police station where he received a police caution and a

police record. The man with no seatbelt maybe took his words to

heart. He certainly attended his course. The grounds Prosecution

Service decided not to prosecute the woman who crashed into a

stationary car the motorway toll booth -- the Crown Prosecution

Service. No further action was taken against the two women