0:00:02 > 0:00:05Thieves will steal our cars, our valuables,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09just about anything they can get their hands on.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13To cut down on crime and antisocial behaviour, the police
0:00:13 > 0:00:17are using new tactics where the bad guys get caught in the act.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19They're launching covert operations...
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Keep pretending you're talking on the phone for a bit longer.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27- ..and setting traps... - The laptop he's about to steal is equipped with tracking device.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32..that deliver unsuspecting crooks right into their hands.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34And there are also ways that we, the public
0:00:34 > 0:00:39and local businesses, can fight back with some tricks of our own.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41I weren't going to sit back and let them do this.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44I know what you look like and I know who you are.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46We've caught you and we're sending you down.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50So anyone who is up to no good had better think twice.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53They might just get caught red-handed.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Coming up today on Caught Red-Handed...
0:01:04 > 0:01:06What are you doing?
0:01:06 > 0:01:08..a carer is caught stealing
0:01:08 > 0:01:11from the very family she's supposed to be helping.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16- We left a little trap.- I'm so sorry. - How much have you taken out of there?
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Also today - the chilling sound of a burglar breaking in.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22BANGING
0:01:22 > 0:01:26But this hapless chap has chosen the wrong home to break into.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30And these youths try to steal a car
0:01:30 > 0:01:34but don't bargain on the car owner confronting them.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45But first, the remarkable story of Brendan and Mandy who hatched
0:01:45 > 0:01:50a plan to catch the thief stealing their disabled son's money.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03This footage is from the mobile phone of Brendan.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06He is currently hiding in the wardrobe of his own bedroom
0:02:06 > 0:02:08ready to jump out and confront a carer
0:02:08 > 0:02:12he believes has been stealing from him and partner Mandy.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15What are you doing?
0:02:15 > 0:02:16I'm sorry.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24A few weeks before, Brendan and Mandy had no idea
0:02:24 > 0:02:27that their life is about to take a dramatic turn.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Brendan owns two tattoo parlours, one of which Mandy manages.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38The rest of her time is taken up with looking after her son,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41and Brendan's stepson, 21-year-old Joe, who has cerebral palsy.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48Joe is severely disabled, so he needs 24-hour care.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53Because there are no day centres around this area,
0:02:53 > 0:02:58I do need carers to come in so I can have a bit of normality, really.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05Trust, as far as the carers are concerned, is absolutely imperative.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08We have to give these people trust.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10For the carers who work at the house,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13all the facilities they need are downstairs.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17There is no reason for them to go upstairs at all.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22But just a month after a new carer starts,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Mandy begins to suspect something is amiss.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Brendan always says I'm a bit OCD with my bed, which I am.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33I always have it perfect with cushions puffed up and everything.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37I know how I leave it. It looked like someone had moved the cover.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Straightaway I checked on the money that was under there,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42but there wasn't any missing.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45And we're not talking any old amount of money here.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48For the past five years, Mandy has been putting aside
0:03:48 > 0:03:51the allowance provided by the government for Joe's
0:03:51 > 0:03:55transport to save up for a new car that allows wheelchair access.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Because of Joe's account, there's not a card, so you couldn't go
0:04:00 > 0:04:05to the place to buy the van and give a card, like a debit card.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08So I was just taking Joe's money out.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Every time she had £500, she was rolling it up into a little ball
0:04:11 > 0:04:13and putting an elastic band around it.
0:04:13 > 0:04:19She had nine of these little rolls in a little box underneath her bed.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23So that's £4,500 sitting under the couple's bed.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Even though none appears to be missing, Mandy is concerned
0:04:28 > 0:04:31that somebody might be poking around their bedroom.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34So she set some cunning traps to prove it.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39I was putting an empty toilet roll holder behind the door
0:04:39 > 0:04:42so I'd know if it had been moved when I got back.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46I was also placing my reading glasses in a certain position
0:04:46 > 0:04:48so I would know if they had been moved.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51I was actually photographing it as well.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55On a number of occasions, the glasses had been moved.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57The toilet roll had also been moved.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00So therefore, someone had been riffling around.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03It was only on the days that this certain carer was in that
0:05:03 > 0:05:05anything was ever moved.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08But while Mandy builds up the evidence that somebody is
0:05:08 > 0:05:11moving around their bedroom, there's one thing that she
0:05:11 > 0:05:16crucially doesn't move - the £4,500 under the bed.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19I could kick myself for doing it, for keeping it under the bed.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22I can't believe that I didn't move it.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24But also because I kept thinking,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27"It can't be. She wouldn't be taking it."
0:05:27 > 0:05:31But one day, Mandy comes home to Joe to find their new carer
0:05:31 > 0:05:33anxious to leave.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36She was just, like, in such a rush to get out.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40I said, "Are you all right?" "Yeah, I've got to go."
0:05:40 > 0:05:41So off she went.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Straightaway, I thought, "I'd better check upstairs."
0:05:47 > 0:05:51£1,000 has gone missing from the money set aside to buy a new
0:05:51 > 0:05:55vehicle for their disabled son.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58She's been trusted to look after your son and she's gone up
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and stolen the money.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05I couldn't eat, it was physically a lump here, it was awful.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10The couple think they'll never hear from the carer again,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13but then her agency phoned to say she would be turning up
0:06:13 > 0:06:16for her shift in two days' time as normal.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Believing the carer will try to steal more,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24the couple deliberate on how to handle the situation.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27If we get the police at this stage,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29the police won't be able to do anything.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31We have to prove that she's taken it.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33We need to set a trap.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Brendan decides that he won't go into work that day as normal
0:06:37 > 0:06:41and instead will hide behind the curtains of the bedroom wardrobe
0:06:41 > 0:06:43ready to pounce if somebody walks in.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48The wardrobe is very narrow, I'm not.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53It was a little bit uncomfortable. I had to squeeze myself in.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58I even considered Vaseline-ing up the sides of the wardrobe
0:06:58 > 0:07:01for a speedy exit!
0:07:03 > 0:07:07For her part, Mandy has to pretend as if nothing has happened
0:07:07 > 0:07:09when the carer arrives.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11I had to open the door to her.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14She came in, new clothes and I must have been talking through
0:07:14 > 0:07:19gritted teeth, I think, to try and be nice to her,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21knowing that she's stolen from us.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24To try and avoid Brendan having a long,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26uncomfortable wait in the wardrobe,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29when Mandy leaves, she tells the carer
0:07:29 > 0:07:31she will be coming back a lot earlier than normal.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34So that the carer knows she has to act fast.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38The couple now have to hope that she takes the bait.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Later, there's a tense confrontation.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51I haven't taken that money, I swear on my little girl's life.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54I just caught you red-handed going through my cupboard.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Any one of the houses in this street could be a capture house.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09That is one the police have filled with nickable items
0:08:09 > 0:08:11and surveillance technology
0:08:11 > 0:08:14so that they can catch crooks red-handed.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16So, how can you recognise one of these houses?
0:08:16 > 0:08:19That's just it, you can't.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Capture operations are not unfair entrapment.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25There is nothing special about the bike or the house that lures
0:08:25 > 0:08:27the criminal into it.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30They are already committing these offences in those areas.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33The evidence is beyond reproach. We haven't given permission,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35therefore you entered as a trespasser,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37you have taken our property without our permission,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41so all the points to prove for the offence are recorded and
0:08:41 > 0:08:46captured on CCTV and can be played to a court should it be necessary.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57This estate in Birmingham was suffering with burglaries badly.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03We'd had 40 burglaries in a really short time period.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06It was a massive problem, it was a huge problem.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10There weren't a huge amount of dwellings in there.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Experiencing the worst of it are the high-rise
0:09:12 > 0:09:15blocks of flats in the area, in particular Teviot Tower.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19The police knew they had to do something to help
0:09:19 > 0:09:22the communities solve the problem.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25The residents of them tower blocks, some of them are elderly,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27some of them were classed as vulnerable.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29It was causing a large amount of discontent
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and a lot of people were feeling scared within the community.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37But early on, Acting Inspector Dave Keen and his team
0:09:37 > 0:09:41encounter frustration in their attempt to catch the culprits.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43We were responding really quickly to these burglaries,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45we were surrounding the areas,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48conducting really good searches, but the people would just slip away.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Clearly what we knew was happening was someone within that
0:09:52 > 0:09:55community who lived nearby was committing the offences
0:09:55 > 0:09:58and literally slipping home straightaway.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00What we had to do was come up with something a bit inventive,
0:10:00 > 0:10:02a bit different, to try and catch them
0:10:02 > 0:10:05because the usual tactics weren't working.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08They turn to a tactic that has recently been working
0:10:08 > 0:10:13well for them and other forces across the country - the capture house.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19A capture house is something which looks like any other house
0:10:19 > 0:10:24or flat. But what it will have within it is covert equipment.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27The cameras are so small, people don't know they're there.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30They can be secreted anywhere in the room.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33You can think of any item and you can put a camera in it.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38They borrow a flat in Teviot Tower from the council and sent in plain clothes officers
0:10:38 > 0:10:43to rig it with technology and tempting items for a thief.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44And this is it.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48It looks like a normal lived-in flat, which, of course, is the idea.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51But hidden movement sensors will alert the police
0:10:51 > 0:10:53if an intruder breaks in.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56The decoy flat could have remained undisturbed for weeks.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00As it was, the police did not have to wait for long.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05We kitted the house out around 9am. Five hours later it was broken into.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Literally that quick. It took us by surprise, really.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15After smashing the door, this youth starts padding around the flat
0:11:15 > 0:11:18taking a good look at anything he might want to steal.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Now, whether he gets spooked or this visit was just to have
0:11:24 > 0:11:28a quick look around, he then leaves without taking anything.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33He had gone by the time a police team reached the flat,
0:11:33 > 0:11:34but he had at least given them
0:11:34 > 0:11:39a nice big mugshot by going up close to the hidden camera.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43We actually re-secured the flat while we examined the footage
0:11:43 > 0:11:44and on that occasion,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48while we were waiting to examine the footage, it was broken into again.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Yes, literally only 24 hours later.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Hello! Guess who's back to bust in again...
0:12:04 > 0:12:06The very same man.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And although in slightly different clothes,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12with the same intention - to find stuff to pinch.
0:12:17 > 0:12:18You're seeing here,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20he does a really thorough search of the premises,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23checking all the drawers with a sock over his hand to
0:12:23 > 0:12:26prevent his prints being left, even checking under
0:12:26 > 0:12:29the sofas to see if there's anything worth stealing.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32The thief has helped himself so far to cash,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35T-shirts and now a pair of trainers.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38But he's in for a nasty surprise.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Police units were much nearer this time
0:12:41 > 0:12:44when the motion sensor was triggered and are arriving outside.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46He's got nowhere to go, literally.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49There's police all around this flat now.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Just as the thief goes to search one of the bedrooms,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55two police officers burst in to apprehend him.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Off camera, the thief manages to dart out of the flat.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11But he's soon caught outside and has been caught out
0:13:11 > 0:13:12by the capture flat.
0:13:14 > 0:13:20After that arrest, no burglaries in the area at all for a number of months.
0:13:20 > 0:13:21So it worked.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26At court, the 18-year-old admitted three counts of burglary
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and was given a 12-month suspended sentence...
0:13:30 > 0:13:32..which he later broke by shoplifting
0:13:32 > 0:13:35and was then given six months in jail as a result.
0:13:37 > 0:13:38In the meantime,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41in the period following the introduction of capture houses,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44domestic burglary rates across a large area of Birmingham
0:13:44 > 0:13:47fell by 28%.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50The long-term effects are that criminals speak to each other.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52They were scared to go out and burgle
0:13:52 > 0:13:57because they thought they might be walking into a police house.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01It's a good, cost-effective way of targeting the right people
0:14:01 > 0:14:03and it works, so we'll continue to use it.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12Still to come today on Caught Red-Handed, this thief nicking
0:14:12 > 0:14:17metal from a church roof thinks he's too high up to be spotted.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21But 120 miles away on the ground, somebody is watching his every move.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35But now, a gang of dawn delinquents.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Who says the youth of today don't get up early?
0:14:38 > 0:14:40It's 6.30 on a Sunday morning
0:14:40 > 0:14:45when this teenager strolls on to somebody else's drive.
0:14:45 > 0:14:46By the gate, he tries
0:14:46 > 0:14:50and fails to wrestle the CCTV camera from its mounting.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54He then tries the boot of this car to see if it's unlocked.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00He then turns his attentions to the Jeep.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Meanwhile, two more youths arrive with a lawnmower in tow.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08But they've not risen early to do a spot of gardening.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10They've stolen it.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15After opening the boot, their mate gives them the thumbs up
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and climbs inside the car.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25But the youths get a shock
0:15:25 > 0:15:28when they hear the noise of the front door opening.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30The second youth calmly walks off,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34as the angry homeowner appears to give them a piece of her mind.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37She starts walking back inside,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41when she suddenly notices the teenager scrambling out of her Jeep.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Unlike his mate, he's in more of a hurry to leave.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48All three scarper, leaving the large lawnmower behind.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52And that would have been that, but the 15-year-old who
0:15:52 > 0:15:57was inside the Jeep had thoughtfully stared right into the CCTV camera.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01Because he's under 18, we're not allowed to show his face.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04But imagine the great mug-shot the police got.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07He was later convicted of the attempted theft of a motor vehicle
0:16:07 > 0:16:10and given a rehabilitation order.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24Back in Kent, remember Brendan and his partner Mandy?
0:16:24 > 0:16:27They've been saving thousands of pounds and keeping it
0:16:27 > 0:16:33under their bed, ready to buy their severely disabled son Joe a new car.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36But when £1,000 goes missing,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39they suspect one of their son's carers is stealing from them
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and they've hatched a plan to catch her in the act.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51While downstairs, Mandy greets the suspected carer as normal.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Brendan has hidden in the bedroom wardrobe, ready to jump out
0:16:55 > 0:16:59if the young woman comes upstairs to take anything.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04When Mandy says she's popping out, the carer, it seems, wastes no time.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10The second you couldn't hear her car, the carer left the house.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12There was a click, the front door went.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16I could hear a pitter-patter across the driveway.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20A click of her car door. We're presuming she went to get gloves.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25And gloves would mean no fingerprints.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Sitting in the wardrobe, Brendan has left a small gap in the curtains
0:17:29 > 0:17:32so he can peek out into the bedroom.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36He hears the carer come up the stairs.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40She opened the door, she peeked through and she looked all
0:17:40 > 0:17:44the way round the ceiling, checking to see if there were any cameras.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48So she was also very suspicious that maybe we did know
0:17:48 > 0:17:51and we'd put some cameras up to try and catch her at it.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57In the wardrobe, Brendan does have a camera on his phone
0:17:57 > 0:18:02and he presses the button ready to record any wrongdoing.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05But the carer doesn't go to Mandy's side of the bed.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Instead, she starts going through Brendan's bedside cabinet.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15I've got to catch this lady on my camera phone and I need to
0:18:15 > 0:18:21make sure that I can see her on the phone with her hands in my drawer.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Brendan bursts out of the wardrobe.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27What are you doing?
0:18:30 > 0:18:34There's £1,000 gone missing out of there.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Out of underneath that cupboard.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Underneath the bed.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Who has, then?
0:18:41 > 0:18:44- I've no idea. All I've done is... - We left a little trap.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46- I'm so sorry.- How much have you taken out of there?
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Well, I think we should get the police onto this cos we've
0:18:55 > 0:18:57had £1,000 missing out of there.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00- I haven't seen anything... - So that's another carer?
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Crucially, the carer has admitted to having previously
0:19:06 > 0:19:12taken £100 from the bedroom, but not the £1,000 that is also missing.
0:19:12 > 0:19:13That's £1,000!
0:19:16 > 0:19:18I promise you, I would never...
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I've just caught you red-handed going into my drawers.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22Who else would it be?
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Well, I think we should get the police.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30Watching the footage back is an uncomfortable experience for Brendan and Mandy.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34I hate watching this video. I just get so...
0:19:34 > 0:19:38It does, it makes me angry when I see it.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40You feel violated in your own home.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43We're getting the police, sorry.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46One minute she's denying it and then she's saying she's going to go
0:19:46 > 0:19:48and get the money.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55I've just caught you red-handed, going through my cupboard.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Yeah, I know. But I...
0:19:57 > 0:20:00We're getting the police. We can't do anything else.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03If you're not going to give me that £1,000 back,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05we're going straight to the police.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09I got angry there where she denied it and then she said,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12"I swear on my child's life."
0:20:12 > 0:20:15You've come into our house, someone who's supposed to be trusted
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and you're stealing off us!
0:20:17 > 0:20:19You're supposed to be some kind of a carer!
0:20:19 > 0:20:21I carried on filming.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25She couldn't ever accuse me of trying to touch her or something more
0:20:25 > 0:20:27serious than stealing money.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29She could turn the tables on me.
0:20:29 > 0:20:35Hello. This is Mr Brendan Mudd. Police, please.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40The police later arrive and take the carer into custody.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43She eventually admits in court to two counts of theft.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48The original £1,000 and the £100 she'd stolen previously
0:20:48 > 0:20:52and admitted on camera to Brendan when he caught her.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56She was sentenced to 180 hours of unpaid community work
0:20:56 > 0:21:01and ordered to pay £250 compensation to the couple.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Though Brendan and Mandy's plan to catch this carer came off,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08they have mixed feelings about her punishment...
0:21:08 > 0:21:12To have £1,100 stolen, you'd imagine the court would say,
0:21:12 > 0:21:17"You've got to pay them back £1,100," not £250.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19It's kind of not fair, is it?
0:21:19 > 0:21:22It's not like it was money for a holiday or...
0:21:22 > 0:21:24This is money for a van for Joe,
0:21:24 > 0:21:29a very important piece of equipment for my disabled stepson.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32..though they are glad this carer got community work rather than be
0:21:32 > 0:21:34sent to jail.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Even if you went to prison, you're just sitting in a cell.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40You're not doing anything. You're not benefiting the community.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43This way, at least, she's benefiting the community.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48Hopefully because she was caught, she will change her life.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51And she will become a good, honest, hardworking, good person.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53I hope this has that effect on her.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58The couple are still currently saving for Joe's new transport,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00but with a difference this time.
0:22:00 > 0:22:06The main lesson I've learned is not to leave Joe's money under my bed.
0:22:06 > 0:22:07So, yeah, that's all safely in...
0:22:07 > 0:22:11I've opened a little account for him.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14I would never leave the money under the bed again.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Now to another crime which often doesn't just affect one person,
0:22:25 > 0:22:27but could affect hundreds.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Cable and metal theft is not a victimless crime.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35Actually, the disruption that it causes to commuters, to hospitals,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38to schools, to people going about their daily business, is vast.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42We can see items being stolen from roads,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44manhole covers and drain covers.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47We've seen lead being taken off the roof.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50But what they don't realise is the impact that it has
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and the damage it causes to lead being taken off a church roof,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57the cost to replace that and also the impact on the economy.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09The operators in this control room have just been alerted.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12The image on the screen shows that somebody has
0:23:12 > 0:23:14set off their video alarm.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18We've had a camera activation at St George's Church in Edgbaston.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22The shadowy figure high up on this church roof is stealing lead,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25but a trap has been laid to catch him
0:23:25 > 0:23:27and he has no idea he's being watched.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33This story starts three months earlier
0:23:33 > 0:23:38when thieves started targeting St George's in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43This beautiful building has stood for over 150 years.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47But now, its very existence is under threat.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49A thief has stolen lead from the roof.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52We also, once it started to rain,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56had a serious flooding coming in to the south aisle of the church.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59It was absolutely terrifying,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02rushing around getting buckets, trying to stop the flow.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Although the church was covered by insurance,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07they would only pay out a maximum of £5,000,
0:24:07 > 0:24:12but it was going to cost over £20,000 to repair the damage.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14We were just sick at heart.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19Can you even imagine how many coffee mornings and bring-and-buy sales
0:24:19 > 0:24:22you have to stage to raise £20,000?
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Just six weeks later, thieves struck again.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29If they stripped more lead, I suppose you have to decide
0:24:29 > 0:24:32whether the church has a life, whether it can continue
0:24:32 > 0:24:35or it has to be abandoned.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39One thief's mindless act was in danger of damaging a whole community.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44St George's Church was offered a chance to fight back.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49The police put a specialist team together to tackle the lead thieves.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53We were having churches, schools, businesses,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56attacked two or three times. It's caused absolute havoc really.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00We needed a rethink of how we were going to tackle this problem.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04The police bring in a security company to install CCTV cameras
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and motion sensors on the church roof.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10They're often involved in covert operations,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12so we can't show their faces.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17It's a wireless video alarm system, so essentially the sensors
0:25:17 > 0:25:21that you can see on the wall there alerts the monitoring station.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26It then sends a ten-second video clip of the actual event.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Staff at the monitoring station can see straightaway exactly
0:25:29 > 0:25:30what has triggered the alarm.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35And if it turned out there was actually a bad guy seen
0:25:35 > 0:25:40on the roof, they would contact the police and a 999 response is made.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42The video alarm was only part of the trap.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46The lead on the roof and the likely access points up to it are marked with
0:25:46 > 0:25:51an invisible liquid that contains a unique forensic signature.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54If the police shine an ultraviolet light onto it,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57the forensic liquid will glow bright green.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00We would then send a sample of that fluorescence off to our laboratory.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04They have special technology and techniques where they can decode the
0:26:04 > 0:26:07solution and that solution will be registered to a particular location.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10In this instance, St George's Church.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12With all the elements in place,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15it's just a case of waiting for a thief to try his luck.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Within four weeks, the video alarm is triggered.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27St George's Church in Edgbaston.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30The control room alerts the police.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Myself and my colleague were literally around the corner.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35Less than a minute away, or so.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37And as we landed at the church in the car,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41there was a vehicle parked up with two occupants inside.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44They soon find marked lead in the boot.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48It was a fair cop. He knew straightaway, as soon as we parked, blue lights flashing.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Another car behind him. Lead in the back of the car.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Covered in lead himself, covered in dirt.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55When analysed back at the lab,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58the lead could only have come from St George's roof.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02It's a dream job for the police. We like to catch people red-handed.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03On this occasion, we did.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05The thief was found guilty
0:27:05 > 0:27:08and was given 100 hours of community service.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13The operation has answered St George's Church's prayers.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Since the cameras have been in place
0:27:15 > 0:27:20and we had a successful capture of a thief, we've had no more problems.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25And as a result of operations like this, West Midlands Police
0:27:25 > 0:27:31have reduced metal thefts by over 70%. A strong message has gone out.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35People are aware that we will no longer put up with lead being
0:27:35 > 0:27:38stolen off church roofs or from schools.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41There is forensic marking out there.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43There is CCTV that could be trained on them.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47There's a very strong possibility that we will track them down,
0:27:47 > 0:27:49if we don't actually catch them in the act.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56That's it for today. Join us next time when the police
0:27:56 > 0:27:59and the public catch more criminals red-handed.