0:00:02 > 0:00:06Thieves will steal our cars, our valuables,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10just about anything they can get their hands on.
0:00:10 > 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 > 0:00:23Keep pretending you're talking on the phone for a bit longer, OK, mate?
0:00:23 > 0:00:24..and setting clever traps...
0:00:24 > 0:00:27The laptop he's about to steal is equipped with a tracking device.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30..that deliver unsuspecting crooks...
0:00:30 > 0:00:32- Go, go, go! - ..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's up to no good had better think twice.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53They might just get Caught Red Handed.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Coming up today on Caught Red Handed...
0:01:04 > 0:01:07police go after a crook who's stolen a laptop
0:01:07 > 0:01:09that belongs to them.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11- Dan?- Yep, that's the one.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Also today in Nottingham,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17an opportunistic thief doesn't realise he's being filmed.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21I thought at this stage, "Great, I've got ya."
0:01:21 > 0:01:24And this driver leaves his mark on a parked car,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26but he doesn't leave a note.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Sitting on a park bench in Eastbourne,
0:01:40 > 0:01:44drinking coffee with his laptop by his side,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46this man looks like any other member of the public,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48enjoying a quick break from the world.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54A few minutes later, he gets up to make a phone call.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56And then wanders off.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Absent-mindedly leaving his laptop behind,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02completely unguarded.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Careless, you might think,
0:02:05 > 0:02:06but it's not what it seems.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11This is all part of an undercover police sting operation.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Watching is plainclothes PC, Dan Cloake.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19It's a waiting game now. We'll soon find out if it's been stolen or not.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22I'd be lying if I said it wasn't exciting.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25But...we'll see how it goes.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Eastbourne isn't really a place you'd associate with crime,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33but it's rising.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35The increase in theft offences has gone up
0:02:35 > 0:02:38by probably 15% in the last 12 months.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40So to snare a thief,
0:02:40 > 0:02:46Dan and the plainclothes unit have specially prepared a bait laptop.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49The purpose of the operation is to prosecute people
0:02:49 > 0:02:52that are buying stolen goods from the thieves.
0:02:52 > 0:02:58By taking out one handler, we can remove possibly 10-50 crimes,
0:02:58 > 0:03:03and that means 10-50 less victims of crime.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07It's not just time and money we can lose when someone steals our laptop.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11It can be valuable data, such as government information
0:03:11 > 0:03:16or something very sentimental and totally irreplaceable.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Joanne is a professional photographer
0:03:18 > 0:03:22and one day she got in late after photographing a wedding.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26What I do after every wedding is, I come home that evening and I back up,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29so I've got three copies.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30Safe, you might think.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32But while she slept upstairs,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35burglars broke in and stole her expensive laptop
0:03:35 > 0:03:39and photography equipment, as well as her vital storage drives.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Initially, to be honest, I didn't think about myself.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Um, the first thing that came to mind were the wedding pictures.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50You know, a couple, I'd spent a long time with them,
0:03:50 > 0:03:55as I always do, connecting with them, choosing special places on their day,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58taking time out to get the right shots.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Those memories, which you cannot recapture, had gone.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06I spent the next three weeks sobbing my heart out
0:04:06 > 0:04:08because I'd lost wedding photos.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Joanne has had to rebuild her business and now backs up her
0:04:12 > 0:04:18computer to an internet cloud storage system, for extra security.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23That's why PC Dan Cloake is keen for his bait laptop to be swiped -
0:04:23 > 0:04:25to stop future thefts of computers
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and the heartbreak personal data loss can bring.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33The team have concealed a tracking device inside the laptop that
0:04:33 > 0:04:37will enable them to follow it, should it fall into the wrong hands.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Also, there is every opportunity do the right thing.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43There's a card with the apparent owner's contact details.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Just so it's fair on those that don't intend to steal it.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Dan and a fellow undercover officer will plant
0:04:53 > 0:04:58the laptop in a place that's known to attract would-be thieves.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01We'll leave it wherever the offending's been,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04and that's parks, cafes, on buses.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07As we saw earlier, the laptop's been left on a bench,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09but will it stay there?
0:05:11 > 0:05:1420 minutes later, Dan gets a call.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Yeah, hi.
0:05:16 > 0:05:17INDISTINCT MALE VOICE
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Oh, thank you. Thank you very much.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23A member of the public phones to say they've found his laptop.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Dan arranges to meet them back in the park.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29I won't identify myself as a police officer, cos for all I know
0:05:29 > 0:05:33it could be a dishonest person that's testing the water.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36So I'll just thank them for their time and their honestly.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38No thief caught this time.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Well, we'll put the laptop back out somewhere else,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44and it's almost like fishing.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46We need to cast our rod a couple of times before we get
0:05:46 > 0:05:48a successful hit.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Next, they're going to leave it in a cafe.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55- See you later.- The bait laptop will alert Dan when it's been moved
0:05:55 > 0:05:58and he can then track it on his own computer.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04But although theft figures are up in this town, Dan's about to
0:06:04 > 0:06:08find out that sometimes you can't even give something away.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09Soon after we deployed it,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13an old lady picked it up and handed it in to the cafe.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16You've got to be in it, to win it.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Then they try a local pub garden.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Lovely, thank you.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22Bye.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24But...
0:06:24 > 0:06:26It's been handed in to staff.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28It's a little bit frustrating for me,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32considering I'm there to specifically target the offenders.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35However, it does give you a slight glow inside.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38A lot of people out there are honest people.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41But Dan knows the recent rise in thefts means that not
0:06:41 > 0:06:44everybody is such a glowing example.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Later, the next person to take the laptop
0:06:48 > 0:06:50certainly isn't bringing it back.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54I saw one of our well-known criminals walking off with it under his arm.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56They're in for a nasty surprise.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Police!
0:07:03 > 0:07:07But first, a different kind of thief - the chancer.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Most crime is not like the crime you see in the movies.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Most crime isn't targeted,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14it's opportunistic thieves
0:07:14 > 0:07:17that focus on the vulnerabilities of a house - something that might
0:07:17 > 0:07:20be left in the garden, the open window, the open door.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23They might see something they want inside that property
0:07:23 > 0:07:25and they'll take that opportunity.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35We're about to see a classic example of opportunistic theft.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37This is a quiet street in Nottingham.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41The camera filming this scene is in this van.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43The van belongs to Shauna.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47She bought the camera to protect herself against car crime.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50I've done a lot of driving in the past and there's a lot of this
0:07:50 > 0:07:52crash-for-claims going on at the moment.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55And I've had an awful lot of very, very near misses.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00These cameras became available on eBay
0:08:00 > 0:08:04and for £22, it'll record for 13 hours on a continuous loop,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06so if you have an accident or anything
0:08:06 > 0:08:08you've got an actual record.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11But Shauna's camera ends up filming a far different crime
0:08:11 > 0:08:15from the sort she might have been expecting.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16Sam, out the way!
0:08:16 > 0:08:18DOG TOY SQUEAKS
0:08:18 > 0:08:21One of my friends wanted some help with a garden.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24I went down to give her a hand, took the lawnmower with me.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30After cutting the grass at the front, Shauna and her friend
0:08:30 > 0:08:34go round to the back, leaving the mower by the garage doors.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37After doing a spot of pruning,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Shauna comes back round a few minutes later
0:08:39 > 0:08:44to find her £250 mower has disappeared.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46And I said to the girl, I says,
0:08:46 > 0:08:51"What've you done with the lawnmower?" And she says, "Nothing."
0:08:51 > 0:08:53I said, "Where is it?"
0:08:53 > 0:08:56And I thought she was joking, but, no, the lawnmower had gone.
0:08:56 > 0:09:02And then I thought to myself, "Hang on, I've got my camera with me."
0:09:02 > 0:09:06The camera is aimlessly recording the view from the front of her van
0:09:06 > 0:09:08when this man rides past.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Except he isn't just riding past.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Something catches his eye.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Shiftily looking round, as he parks his bike...
0:09:20 > 0:09:23..badly...
0:09:24 > 0:09:28..he then disappears from view for 15 seconds,
0:09:28 > 0:09:33before he scampers past, lugging Shauna's mower.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37What exactly happens to the mower next is a mystery, but the man must
0:09:37 > 0:09:42have stashed it somewhere nearby, so that he can come back for it later.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46And in less than a minute, he returns with a spring in his stop,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49before quickly pedalling off.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52The audacity of if, to just...in broad daylight.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54I could understand at night time sneaking round the back
0:09:54 > 0:09:57and stealing something, but broad daylight?
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Yet the footage provides some vital clues.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04There he goes with my mower!
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Three seconds after spotting it is all it takes for this man
0:10:08 > 0:10:10to decide that he's going to steal Shauna's mower,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13in a classic example of opportunistic theft.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16He must have gone into one of the houses opposite,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19dumped the mower at one of his friend's or something like that.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23And I thought at this stage, "Great, I've got ya."
0:10:25 > 0:10:29While he waltzes off with Shauna's mower, the thief also thoughtfully
0:10:29 > 0:10:34turns to face the front of her van, allowing a proper mugshot.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39And allowing Shauna to put into action a poster campaign
0:10:39 > 0:10:41to publicly trap the perpetrator.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47I put my mobile number on the posters and also asked people, if they knew
0:10:47 > 0:10:52who this chap was, to either contact me or contact the local police.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56In total, Shauna puts up nearly 30 posters in the area.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Everybody was looking at these posters
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and coming out of the local school and stuff
0:11:02 > 0:11:03and looking at the poster and...
0:11:03 > 0:11:08Just five hours later, the mower thief is - ahem! -
0:11:08 > 0:11:09grassed up!
0:11:09 > 0:11:13This guy phoned me up, he says, "I know him. I know that chap.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16"He's my window cleaner and I've got his phone number, as well.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19"So here's his name, here's his mobile number,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22"and he won't be cleaning my windows any more."
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Shauna hands the thief's details straight over to the police.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I thought it's better to leave it with the police
0:11:30 > 0:11:34because I didn't want to, sort of, if you like, contaminate anything by
0:11:34 > 0:11:38contacting him myself, because I may have said some choice things to him.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41When the man is arrested a week later for another unrelated offence,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44his name is flashed up on the wanted list
0:11:44 > 0:11:49and he soon confesses to the misappropriation of Shauna's mower.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54He was, I think, given an 18-month conditional discharge.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58If he does anything else wrong, that'll be taken into account,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02and I got compensation for the cost of the mower,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04so it all ended quite well.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16It did indeed end well. And still to come on Caught Red Handed...
0:12:17 > 0:12:18..dicing with death!
0:12:21 > 0:12:26The police laying in wait to catch the level-crossing light jumpers.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30And also, in church, these two are coming to prey.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Not on their knees, but on the valuables inside.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46But first, in Wrexham, an example of how a small misdemeanour
0:12:46 > 0:12:50can have big consequences.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54This driver displays some pretty appalling skills behind the wheel.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00And some pretty appalling manners, too, when he just motors off
0:13:00 > 0:13:05without any attempt to notify the owner of the car he just hit.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08When the car owner sees the damage the next morning,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11he checks his CCTV camera.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Handing the footage over to the police,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17they find this hit-and-run driver and he's charged with
0:13:17 > 0:13:22careless driving and failing to stop at or report an accident.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26He was fined and he had five points put on his licence.
0:13:27 > 0:13:28Bet he wishes he'd just left a note.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37In these penny-pinching times,
0:13:37 > 0:13:42police are looking at cost-effective ways of reducing crime, like
0:13:42 > 0:13:47the laptop we've seen PC Dan Cloake leave purposely on a park bench.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50The good thing about operations like this is, it takes minimal
0:13:50 > 0:13:54resources to complete the operation.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58As such it saves the public money,
0:13:58 > 0:14:02but also they have a massive impact on crime figures
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and less people will be victims of crime.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18To help combat a recent spike in personal thefts,
0:14:18 > 0:14:23we've seen Dan and his team leaving a bait laptop out unattended,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26to look like someone's simply forgotten to take it with them,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29while a tracking device is concealed inside.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33If anyone walks off with it who shouldn't, then they'll be followed.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36And with today's attempt,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Dan already has a bite.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42I've just deployed the laptop in the town centre,
0:14:42 > 0:14:47in quite a busy part of the centre, hoping someone would steal it.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51I've then driven round the block and returned 30 seconds later,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and it'd disappeared.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58It just so happens, as we were driving around,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01I saw one of our well-known criminals walking off with it under his arm.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06But Dan doesn't want to leap in and heads back to the police station.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10He wants to see if this known thief will lead him to a handler,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13somebody who pays for stolen goods.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Thieves are less likely to steal something
0:15:15 > 0:15:18if they can't offload it quickly for easy cash.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21So stop the handler and you stop thefts.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25The laptop is fitted with a satellite-tracking device,
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Dan can watch this thief's progress at his leisure back at the station.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32This goes against the grain, really.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Your policing instincts,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38you've seen a theft, you want to arrest them for it,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42but this is where you've got to go against better judgement.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Let them walk off with it.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Dan also has footage of this man carrying the laptop
0:15:48 > 0:15:52from the CCTV cameras covering the town centre.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55He's just milling around, not going anywhere.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Then he hides himself between two advertising banners.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Could it be he's trying to hide from this police car that happens
0:16:02 > 0:16:04to be driving by?
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Once he's happy that no-one is going to challenge him,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10he scoots off into the shopping centre.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15It'll be a nice surprise for him in the morning. Bright and breezy, he'll get a visit from us.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21The next day and the GPS signal shows the bait laptop
0:16:21 > 0:16:23is still at the same address.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25I can only assume that he's going to keep it.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29So we need to do a warrant on his house.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31After nearly two days,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34the man has had every chance to return the laptop.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39So, a couple of hours later, a search warrant is granted.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41The team briefed...
0:16:41 > 0:16:43and a raid is launched.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Nobody's at home.
0:16:50 > 0:16:5514.05. Any exhibits bring them back to me bagged up and signed, please.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58They search for the laptop...
0:16:58 > 0:17:00- Dan!- Yeah.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Toshiba?
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Yep, that's the one.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08It's in the bag.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- In amongst these clothes down here.- Super.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Just carry on completing the search.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17It's - funnily enough - just texted me to say it has moved.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19It's still working.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24While we're here, we've got the authority to search the property
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and it makes sense to search for anything else we believe could be stolen.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Just be aware, guys, that they use needles.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36He was not at the address, so we're going to go out looking for him now,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38with the view of arresting him for theft.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40He is known to hang around the town centre,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43so I don't think it'll take us long to find him.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Dan knows this man well.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50A repeat offender, Dan has arrested him on three previous occasions.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52The man is currently on a suspended sentence.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54There he is.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Steve. Steve, hello, mate.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06- How are you?- Cool. What's up?
0:18:06 > 0:18:08The reason I need to speak to you, buddy.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13- Yeah?- It's about a laptop. - What?- A laptop. OK?
0:18:13 > 0:18:16You were seen to walk off with a laptop
0:18:16 > 0:18:18that was stolen from the town centre yesterday afternoon.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21- "Stolen from the town centre"?! - That's right.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23And subsequently, we've done a warrant on your flat
0:18:23 > 0:18:25- and we found the laptop in your flat.- Yeah.- OK?
0:18:25 > 0:18:31So, I'm going to arrest you, on suspicion of theft, all right?
0:18:31 > 0:18:34'The man knows he can't get out of this one
0:18:34 > 0:18:36'and doesn't put up a struggle.'
0:18:36 > 0:18:41- I walked home with something and it's still lying in my flat.- It was.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44- Yeah, go on. - It was. It's not any more.
0:18:44 > 0:18:45No, but it was.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49- Hey...- It was... Right, it doesn't matter.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Finish your roll. Hands behind your back, mate.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58We'll pop you down to the police station and chat with you about it.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02I picked something up and took it home, played on it last night.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04It's...a stupid thing to do.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10The man is penitent, as he is taken into custody.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17Already on a suspended sentence, he admits another offence,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20as well as stealing the laptop and, as a result,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23is given a nine-month extension to his current sentence,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25a fine and a community order.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32Dan knows he has to keep tackling repeat offenders in Eastbourne.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Every conviction will help to reduce the thefts that have recently risen.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43It is a lot of hard work. I didn't get a handler, I was after a handler.
0:19:43 > 0:19:48I was hoping he would sell it on. But that's the way it goes sometimes.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50You have to throw the bait out
0:19:50 > 0:19:54a number of times before you get the desired result.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59But I've caught a thief, so, it's a good job and I'm happy.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Most of us keep our homes locked.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13But public places like churches, throw their doors open to everyone,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17relying on the goodwill of visitors to leave the place as they found it.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21Sadly, as we're about to see, this isn't always the case...
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Birmingham - and situated opposite the city hospital, this church is
0:20:31 > 0:20:35left open for patients and visitors, to come and go as they please.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38The downside is that not everyone's behaviour is heavenly.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44Such as these two men, who are about to commit daylight robbery.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Although at least one of the men appears to have a pang of guilt,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49crossing himself, as he approaches the altar.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Even the man who carries out the theft
0:20:52 > 0:20:55appears to offer a quick prayer for forgiveness,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59before standing on a small chair, reaching up to unhook a solid silver
0:20:59 > 0:21:04lamp, believed to have been at the church since it was built in 1895.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Worried about non-divine intervention,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09his accomplice watches the exit.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Using a tracksuit top, the pair shroud the lamp,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17thought to be worth around £4,000, before walking quickly out the door.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21While the church may forgive the theft of their property,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25West Midlands Police certainly don't and hope, from this footage,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28someone will identify these two religious robbers.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Police surveillance isn't just about solving crime,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38it can be used to protect us from ourselves.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Judging by some of the scary scenes you're about to see,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43you can see why.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57West Barnes, London. And the British Transport Police are laying a trap.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04Specially designed, this van is rigged with nine separate cameras.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09At the moment, all are trained on this busy level crossing,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11watching and waiting.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Why? Here's why.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20MUSIC: "Ace Of Spades" by Motorhead
0:22:29 > 0:22:34Level crossing lunacy is a constant problem in the UK.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37There are about 7,000 crossings in the country
0:22:37 > 0:22:41and some people would rather risk their lives than wait.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Like this smartly-dressed chap coming up, who obviously
0:22:45 > 0:22:49feels those flashing red lights and barriers don't apply to him.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52"Well if he can, I can!" A young man reckons,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55but he hasn't looked properly...
0:23:02 > 0:23:05The youth is, literally, millimetres from death.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09It's so close that train connects with trainer,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12and actually wrenches it off his foot.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15That man is 20-year-old Craig Grant.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18I felt something hit me on my ankle.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20And the pain was like, astronomical,
0:23:20 > 0:23:24it was rushing through my body, like pins and needles.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Then like, within seconds, my ankle had just swollen up.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31When I went to the hospital, I had broken a bone in my heel.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36You've got the geezer here, just walking across and then, obviously,
0:23:36 > 0:23:38in a minute, you see me coming.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Obviously, I had my headphones in, so I didn't hear nothing.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45Then I just looked slightly and I saw the train. I made a dart for it.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49It makes my mum feel sick, every time I show it or she sees it.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Every year, around ten people are killed on level crossings.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57PC Chris Shepherd knows exactly the type of people who play
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Russian roulette with their lives in this way.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02And the truth is close to home.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06It's sort of Mr and Mrs Average, your general law-abiding, decent
0:24:06 > 0:24:10person that would normally never ever interact with the police before,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13is the sort of person who commits offences at level crossings.
0:24:13 > 0:24:19We've found it's often females, aged 45 plus, can be one of our worst offending groups.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23About 92% of them live within 3 or 4 miles of the level crossing,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27so they have this inherent belief that they know how
0:24:27 > 0:24:30the level crossing operates and it is safe the way they do it.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32It isn't.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35When train connects with car at speed,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37the consequences are devastating.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39In 2004, in Berkshire,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43a train hit a car on a level crossing. The resulting impact
0:24:43 > 0:24:49killed not only the car driver, but the train driver and five passengers.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55So, although most of us get frustrated by the lights
0:24:55 > 0:24:59at times, cheating them like this is an offence.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01And, having seen the carnage caused,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Chris and the British Transport Police want to get tough
0:25:04 > 0:25:08on the level crossing leapers - for their own sake.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Even if that person, jumps the lights and doesn't get killed, by some sort of miracle,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15they're going to have to live with the fact they potentially derailed
0:25:15 > 0:25:18a train and ruined the lives of people on the train and so forth.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22That's why Chris, a former electrical engineer helped
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Network Rail with the design of this high-tech multi-camera van.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28And that's why he and his fellow officers are waiting
0:25:28 > 0:25:30just down from this level crossing.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34The best way to stop people is to catch them red handed.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39And it's not long before a car goes for it.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43What do you think I pulled you over for?
0:25:45 > 0:25:46Red lights.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50It was red.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Come and have a look and I'll show you the video.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54Step out of the vehicle.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Can we play the video back for that one?
0:25:57 > 0:26:00There's no getting out of that one.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- Let's go back to the car. Have you got your driver's licence?- Yes.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08- I've a question now, OK?- Yes.- You committed an offence which is £60
0:26:08 > 0:26:10and three points on your driver's licence, OK?
0:26:10 > 0:26:13However, I can offer you the driver retraining course.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15The offer is refused.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Any reason you don't want to take the course?
0:26:22 > 0:26:26Why don't you think you'd learn anything from the course?
0:26:30 > 0:26:33You've obviously made a minor transgression at this stage, OK?
0:26:35 > 0:26:39But unfortunately, what you have to realise is there are trains coming
0:26:39 > 0:26:42through at 70mph, with 1,500 passengers on.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45What you have to do is comply with the red traffic signals so it's safe.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47All right, thank you very much.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Have a good day.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54They don't realise it can take a train 20 football pitches to stop.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Train drivers hit that emergency brake
0:26:57 > 0:27:00and it is that horrible sense of inevitability they get that
0:27:00 > 0:27:04it's not going to stop and they think "I'm going to kill that person."
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Some of them don't ever recover from it.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09What do you think I pulled you over for?
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Yeah.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Red light.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Do you want to come and watch the video?
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Red light is on.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21You can't argue with a camera.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23They will deny it and get really angry about it
0:27:23 > 0:27:26and then - they'll accept what they've done and go,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28"Actually what I did was really bad."
0:27:28 > 0:27:31We really just want people to get on board with us
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and start using these crossings safely.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42So, always best to stay on the right side of the tracks.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Join us next time, when the police
0:27:44 > 0:27:48and the public will catch more criminals red handed.