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 > 0:00:12To cut down on crime and anti-social behaviour, the police
0:00:12 > 0:00:16are using new tactics where the bad guys get caught in the act.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18They're launching covert operations...
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Keep pretending you're talking on the phone for a bit longer.
0:00:21 > 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...- Go, go, go!
0:00:30 > 0:00:34..right into their hands. And there are also ways that we the public
0:00:34 > 0:00:38and local businesses can fight back with some tricks of our own.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I weren't going to sit back and let them do this.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43I know what you look like and I know who you are.
0:00:43 > 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.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Coming up today,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05caught with his hands in the till.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08A couple who own a sweet shop set a trap
0:01:08 > 0:01:10and lay in wait for their thief.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14All the hair on the back of my arms suddenly started rising
0:01:14 > 0:01:19and then we heard the doorbell go and we knew our robber had arrived.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21And the scrap that's a trap.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26A man helps himself to a pile of metal, unaware it's a police set-up.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27He's right in front of you.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31If you try and take it away, we will come after you.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Also today, this burglar is about to be cornered,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37thanks to some clever technology.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Marlow, Buckinghamshire.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49In the centre of this historical town,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Jane and Neil Hutton run a traditional sweet shop.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56And they recently had to use a combination of old-fashioned
0:01:56 > 0:01:59sleuthing and modern technology to bag a thief who was
0:01:59 > 0:02:01threatening their livelihood.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Handling the day-to-day running of the business,
0:02:07 > 0:02:12Jane noticed the sweet shop's fortunes were starting to turn sour.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I was conscious that I was not banking
0:02:15 > 0:02:18the amount of money I expected.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21The cause of the missing money remained a mystery,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24but a few weeks later, there came a turning point.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Like many shopkeepers,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Jane left a cash float in the till ready for morning trading.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33For some reason on the Monday morning, something made me
0:02:33 > 0:02:35count the number of notes we'd left in the till.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38And it was not the float that I had expected to be there.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44Suspicions aroused, Jane leaves exactly the same amount of money
0:02:44 > 0:02:46in the till that night as well.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49And morning brings exactly the same result.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Some is missing.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54It was very clear that we had something going on in the shop
0:02:54 > 0:02:57between it closing and it opening in the morning.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00The money is going while Jane and Neil are at their home
0:03:00 > 0:03:03outside Marlow and the shop is left unattended.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07But who is taking it?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Well, with no sign of an obvious break-in,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12it points to somebody with a key.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15And the only people issued with keys are staff members.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Even if it wasn't any of our lovely staff,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21it could have been their fathers or their brothers.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Some of them had keys. Therefore, they might have had a copy made.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Maybe a friend had a copy of the key. I wasn't sleeping. I was so worried.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32In the meantime, the couple go to the police, who advise them
0:03:32 > 0:03:35to mark the notes they leave in the till.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39But Jane and Neil know they really need to catch somebody red-handed.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42We did quite a lot of lurking in alleyways,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44just trying to be incognito,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46but we're so well known in the town
0:03:46 > 0:03:49that people would stop and say hello. We'd have to think,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52"Right, don't look at us, we're supposed to be surveillance."
0:03:52 > 0:03:56But we didn't see anyone open the door anyway.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Time for a tactical upgrade.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02We needed to get some proof of who was coming in at night
0:04:02 > 0:04:06and the obvious way to do that was with a concealed camera like this.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09So that then looks directly at the till and shows us
0:04:09 > 0:04:11who's coming in and what they're doing.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14And just two nights later, success.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19It's nearly 1.30am. A shadowy figure enters the shop.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26First, he goes into the storeroom, possibly to make it look like
0:04:26 > 0:04:30he's innocently checking something, in case anyone saw him come in.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35But then he emerges, crouched down, to raid a till off camera.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Then, in full view, he sidles over to the second till,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44keeping low to avoid being illuminated by the glare of
0:04:44 > 0:04:49the street lights outside, he starts to help himself to the banknotes.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54For Jane and Neil, it's an unpleasant watch.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59Somebody they know isn't as sweet natured as they'd appeared to be.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03I felt completely and utterly sick.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07I saw our robber on the screen and I instantly knew who it was.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11It was our newest member of staff and I couldn't believe it.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12I just couldn't believe it
0:05:12 > 0:05:16because here was a guy I'd been chatting to and laughing to
0:05:16 > 0:05:19and training, putting all my effort in to help him
0:05:19 > 0:05:23cos he was about to go off to university to do drama or something
0:05:23 > 0:05:25and my heart sank.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29The employee, it seems, has been taking the same amount
0:05:29 > 0:05:34of money from both tills to make it appear like a book-keeping error.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38Unfortunately, when they show this footage to the police,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41the couple are told the picture quality isn't enough
0:05:41 > 0:05:45for a 100% identification in front of a court.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49But what about the marked notes he stole?
0:05:49 > 0:05:52He could claim, even though he had the marked notes in his pocket,
0:05:52 > 0:05:53if we picked him up the next day,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56that perhaps he'd received it as change somewhere else in the town.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00And so we can't convict on this, we need better.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04OK, so we requested that they put officers in the shop overnight
0:06:04 > 0:06:07and they didn't have the resources to do it.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09So we thought long and hard and thought,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12"OK, it's going to have to be us."
0:06:12 > 0:06:17Jane and Neil begin hatching a plan to trap their turncoat staff member.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20And later, it leads to a tense confrontation.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23My mouth was completely dry. It happened in seconds.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24It was very quick.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Money must be at the top of most thieves' wish-list, I'm sure.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39But it seems nowadays more unlikely items are also desirable.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Burglars aren't just stealing jewellery, computers,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46laptops nowadays. They're also targeting boilers and radiators.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50There has been of late an increase in metal theft
0:06:50 > 0:06:54due to the high values scrap has been paying.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Anything with a resale value is actually a target.
0:07:03 > 0:07:055am on a Wednesday morning.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Catching metal thieves
0:07:07 > 0:07:11is the goal of council enforcement officer Shaun Carter,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13who, for now, sits and waits.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20We're even up before the owls this morning.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25Shaun's set a trap and is waiting for the signal that this operation is about to start.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27MOBILE RINGS
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Yep, we're all done.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33And we can now retire to a safe distance
0:07:33 > 0:07:36and await today's performance.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Shaun and the East Sussex Police
0:07:41 > 0:07:43are after a very particular type of crook.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Metal thieves.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52It's a national problem and the area of Rother has recently had more than
0:07:52 > 0:07:57its fair share with a succession of raids on residential properties.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02- How's it been?- Today is probably the worst day you could have turned up.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07The crooks will then bring the stolen metal to scrap yards in exchange for cash.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12Owners of the yards, such as Sharon, are expected to keep paperwork on each transaction.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Eat your heart out, thank you.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Shaun, representing Rother District Council,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21and PC Nigel Collins are here to check the books.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25We're just checking that everything's in order, that the
0:08:25 > 0:08:29- addresses are filled in correctly. - We're looking for any...
0:08:29 > 0:08:32If there's a particular person that seems suspicious to us,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35or is bringing lots of metal in at different locations or
0:08:35 > 0:08:38scrap yards, we may need to check out where they're getting
0:08:38 > 0:08:41their metal from, if that coincides with any recent thefts in the area.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Sharon's yard is all above board.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48Opportunist thieves are always on the lookout for metal
0:08:48 > 0:08:51and they don't care where it comes from.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55They will help themselves to your garden furniture,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59your water features and barbecues.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Anything they can get their hands on. It's the same as being burgled.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05You feel violated.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10If we have to take the game to these people,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12then that's certainly what I'll do.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15And now Shaun is taking the game to the thieves.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17In a hot spot for this kind of crime,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21he's arranged to leave out a load of items at a private residence.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The difference is this stuff will be trackable
0:09:24 > 0:09:28and he's hoping that a thief will take the bait.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32What we've got is a quantity of scrap metal, general household type, electrical goods.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37We'll leave them in a position that naturally the occupant would have been putting them in.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39I think they'd be pretty interested in that.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44The house Shaun's using for this operation belongs to Samantha.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Last month, she and her partner emptied their garage
0:09:47 > 0:09:50so they could paint it, leaving their stuff on the drive.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54When they popped out to pick up their five-year-old son
0:09:54 > 0:10:00Finlay from school, they returned to find that amongst other things, his bicycle had been stolen.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04Finlay's bike was his pride and joy, really.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08When we got back and realised the stuff had been stolen,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10his face just dropped.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15He was so heartbroken that his favourite bike, his new bike had been taken.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20Samantha doesn't want anyone else to suffer like little Finlay.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25So she readily agreed to let Shaun use her driveway to help clamp down on metal thieves.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I was quite happy to get involved with it
0:10:28 > 0:10:31because we weren't putting our stuff out to be taken.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35How many other people are there out there having the same done
0:10:35 > 0:10:37to them as well?
0:10:37 > 0:10:41So Samantha's driveway's filled with items, but this time,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45she and council officer Shaun want it to be taken to catch out a thief.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Shaun wants to fit a tracking device before daylight comes
0:10:52 > 0:10:55and he can be seen setting the trap.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59The devices I'm going to be placing are multifunctional.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02(I've done it often enough.)
0:11:06 > 0:11:11Firstly, you have the anti-handling device, so if anybody moves
0:11:11 > 0:11:14anything, automatically we will be informed straightaway.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18(I'll put this in here, just so that we can keep it nice and safe.)
0:11:18 > 0:11:22For secrecy, Shaun doesn't want to show us the tracking device up close.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25But once he's placed it and activated it, then he'll be
0:11:25 > 0:11:30able to follow its signal if somebody lifts this washing machine.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32(I'm making sure it's nice and secure.)
0:11:32 > 0:11:36As well as the tracker, all the pieces in this pile have been marked
0:11:36 > 0:11:40with invisible dye and photographed for later identification.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43The battery in the tracker will last for two days,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47during which time, Sussex Police are on alert
0:11:47 > 0:11:50in case somebody takes a fancy to this pile of baited scrap metal.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54If somebody does decide that they'll chance their arm,
0:11:54 > 0:11:59we will know and we will go in pursuit of that vehicle.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Whatever time, over the next 48 hours.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06Shaun has a message for any would-be thieves.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11If you try and take it away, we will come after you.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Later, it doesn't take long before somebody does take the metal.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Have a hit on the 259.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22And true to his word, Shaun and the police are hot on their trail.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25- He's right in front of you.- Result.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Still to come on today's Caught Red Handed,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32sweet shop owners Jane and Neil are also hot on the heels of a crook
0:12:32 > 0:12:36and their clever plan is about to lead to some sweet revenge.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40He was inches, literally a foot, from where my leg was.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43And we were just motionless.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Also still to come, we meet three hapless house burglars.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51See how they all picked the wrong place to break into.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01With surveillance equipment becoming more available and affordable,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05ordinary citizens like you and me can turn the tables on the crooks.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15This apartment belongs to a Frenchman called Lavante.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19This is not him.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22This is a thief who has scrambled up the fire escape,
0:13:22 > 0:13:26broken in through the window, and is rifling through Lavante's stuff.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30And this is the sight that was beamed through live
0:13:30 > 0:13:32to Lavante's work computer.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Just in case this kind of thing happened,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40Lavante had motion sensor cameras rigged up in his flat that,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44if triggered, would alert him immediately.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Lavante called the cops before running home.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Shortly after this footage was shot, he banged on the door,
0:13:52 > 0:13:56disturbing the crook, who then fled back out the window.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00But he didn't get far.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Police arrested him in the alley below.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Back in Marlow... You'll remember Jane and Neil
0:14:14 > 0:14:18are also trying to catch themselves a thief.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Money has been missing from the tills in their sweet shop
0:14:21 > 0:14:24over a number of weeks. What's worse,
0:14:24 > 0:14:28they suspect a 20-year-old trusted member of staff
0:14:28 > 0:14:31who they know has been using his key to sneak into the premises
0:14:31 > 0:14:34in the middle of the night and raid the tills.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Obviously, they're feeling...
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Gutted. Just absolutely gutted.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43They caught him on this hidden camera
0:14:43 > 0:14:46and took the footage to the police.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49But were advised it wasn't necessarily enough on its own
0:14:49 > 0:14:52to secure a conviction.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56The police were lovely, they were supportive,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00but we quickly realised it was Neil and me saving Beehive Treats.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Knowing who they were dealing with, the couple felt
0:15:02 > 0:15:05they could physically catch this thief themselves.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09We weren't going up against an unknown criminal with unknown weapons.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14We had to design a plan to A, catch the guy,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17and B, do so in a way that kept us safe.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21The big advantage that we had is we understood his pattern,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23so we knew exactly when he was coming in,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26where he was going through the shop and how he was exiting.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29They decide to hide out on the stairs near the back
0:15:29 > 0:15:33of the shop, ready to jump the thief when he passes.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35The danger with that is that we'd fall asleep cos
0:15:35 > 0:15:38we're talking about three o'clock in the morning.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42So we had to set a number of traps within the shop that would
0:15:42 > 0:15:44warn us exactly where he was.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Neil and Jane aimed to create a little shop of horrors
0:15:48 > 0:15:50for a thief in the night.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55By one till, they put a bottle of window cleaner that will
0:15:55 > 0:15:56cause a thump if he knocks it over.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58This was something he would have used
0:15:58 > 0:16:00as one of his duties in the shop anyway,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03so it would look like someone had left there by mistake.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06And next to the other till, a noisy, rustly rubbish bag.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12He then comes out and progresses towards the fire exit through here.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Our hiding place is just here. Obviously, he can't see us
0:16:15 > 0:16:18because we've blacked everything out and we're wearing black.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23And this is where he hits the final trap, some soft drink cans on the floor.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25The couple set this last obstacle for their own safety
0:16:25 > 0:16:29so they could check the thief was definitely on his own.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30We wanted to be able to inspect him,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32make sure our plan was going accordingly
0:16:32 > 0:16:34and let him go if we needed to.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37So the mousetrap is set.
0:16:39 > 0:16:40After closing the shop,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Jane and Neil took their places on the stairs.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47They sit for hours, drifting in and out of sleep, when...
0:16:47 > 0:16:50The outside seemed very calm and quiet.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54I could suddenly feel...all the hairs on the back of my arms
0:16:54 > 0:16:56suddenly started rising.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Neil woke up and I could hear him grip my wrist and we both sat there
0:16:59 > 0:17:02in this heightened sense of kind of buzziness
0:17:02 > 0:17:05and then suddenly we heard the doorbell go of the main shop.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07BELL RINGS
0:17:07 > 0:17:09And we knew our robber had arrived.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15The staff member is used to the bell but he certainly isn't expecting
0:17:15 > 0:17:20the window cleaner and bin bag that have been placed in his path.
0:17:20 > 0:17:26And those surprisingly all worked. We heard every last step of the way.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Despite the inconvenience, it's business as usual
0:17:29 > 0:17:33for the young man, as he stuffs his pockets with banknotes.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37- After, he moves towards the back room.- He then went to the loo.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41At three o'clock in the morning, you can really hear that!
0:17:41 > 0:17:43He was a very polite robber, cos he did flush.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46As the couple sit hiding in the dark,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50the thief clatters into the cans right in front of them.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53And then he had to look down in order to see what was going on,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56put the cans back, one of which he put in his pocket.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59And he put the light of his mobile phone on to allow him
0:17:59 > 0:18:05to place the cans, inches, literally a foot, away from where my leg was.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08And we were just motionless.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13The youth then moves towards the final door to make his getaway
0:18:13 > 0:18:15when Neil pounces.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Threw him against the wall, frisked him for weapons and put him to the floor.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22My mouth was completely dry.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25It happened in seconds, it was very quick.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26As soon as Neil said,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28"Phone the police," I instantly pressed 999, go.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32- 'Police emergency.'- 'I've apprehended a villain in my shop,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35'he has broken in and he has stolen money in my shop.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37'Please send assistance immediately.'
0:18:37 > 0:18:41The police responded incredibly quickly with three squad cars
0:18:41 > 0:18:45of big burly chaps who came rushing in and took on from there.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48- So mission accomplished.- Mmm.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54The 20-year-old thief has no option but to plead guilty to burglary.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57He's given a 12-month supervision order
0:18:57 > 0:19:00and told to do 40 hours' unpaid work.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06He also had to pay back what he stole on the night.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09It was a lot of money, he stole, over the period.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11We think he probably took about £2,000,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13which is an awful lot of sweets
0:19:13 > 0:19:16that we have to sell in order to make up that difference.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19It's not just the money, it's the hurt.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23We really liked him. We'd had compliments about him from some of the customers.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28He was well liked by everybody. This was just a massive act that we were taken in by as well.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30At least life is sweet once more.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34When we got married, Neil did promise me that I'd have a life of adventure.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Well, I didn't expect it to be like this.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Police often don't have the time actually to lie in wait for thieves.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Instead, they can use other innovative ways to catch
0:19:53 > 0:19:55burglars on their beat.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59You've heard of walls having ears. In some houses, they have eyes.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05In the Benwell district of Newcastle,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08this chap has just bust in through the window of what
0:20:08 > 0:20:12he believes to be a student house left unguarded.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15In fact, it's a Northumbria Police bait house
0:20:15 > 0:20:19that they've rigged with secret cameras. He's being recorded.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22After a few minutes, he's greedily filled a laundry basket,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25that's not his own either, with goodies
0:20:25 > 0:20:28and prepares to make his getaway.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Unfortunately for him, these goods are electronically trackable
0:20:31 > 0:20:34and he's forced to air his dirty laundry
0:20:34 > 0:20:36when the police knock at his door later.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42In the early hours of the morning, this thief thinks nothing of hauling
0:20:42 > 0:20:45a rather large television out of the window...
0:20:47 > 0:20:49..before coming back
0:20:49 > 0:20:53to swipe a laptop, computer keyboard and monitor.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56But he doesn't know he's being monitored and this 26-year-old was
0:20:56 > 0:20:58later tracked down and convicted,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01receiving a 12-month community order
0:21:01 > 0:21:04and forced to carry out 100 hours' unpaid work.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11But some people don't need to be tracked down to establish their identity.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15This 31-year-old man jumping in through the window of another
0:21:15 > 0:21:18bait house here is instantly recognisable to officers
0:21:18 > 0:21:21when they later view this footage.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24He was already on a suspended prison sentence for a robbery
0:21:24 > 0:21:27in his own block of flats.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29And he's already amassed 50 convictions for other offences
0:21:29 > 0:21:34by the time he comes to merrily steal a TV, DVD player,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38sat nav and two phones from this property.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43As a result, he received 23 months inside.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48So successful were these sting houses that 13 people were
0:21:48 > 0:21:50arrested in just one week.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53And in the weeks following the operation,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56there were no burglaries in the Benwell area at all.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09But thieves aren't just interested in what's inside our houses,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13they'll happily help themselves to items from our garages,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16gardens and driveways, if they think it's of value to them.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28With metal theft from domestic properties
0:22:28 > 0:22:30currently rife in the East Sussex area,
0:22:30 > 0:22:35earlier, council officer Shaun Carter has set up a sting operation.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Under cover of dark, he has deliberately left
0:22:37 > 0:22:41a pile of metal items on the drive of this private residence as bait.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45CCTV cameras are recording.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48And concealed inside the washing machine is a tracking device.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51If one of these metal thieves takes it,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Shaun and the police will hunt them down.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57What will happen is that if this gear is tampered with,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01it will let me know immediately via my smartphone.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06While they wait to see if the bait's taken, they carry out spot checks
0:23:06 > 0:23:09on passing vehicles to see if they're carrying metal
0:23:09 > 0:23:11for scrap illegally.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12Metal theft is a growing problem.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15The prices of scrap metal have gone through the roof
0:23:15 > 0:23:17in the last 12-18 months,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19which makes it a much more valuable commodity.
0:23:19 > 0:23:25But the problem is that the thieves are not just taking what they perceive to be scrap metal.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27They are also taking the opportunity
0:23:27 > 0:23:29to nose around people's private property
0:23:29 > 0:23:31and swipe anything else that catches their eye.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Thank you very much indeed for your time.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Trespassing on people's land, they may go on to break into
0:23:37 > 0:23:40that person's property and steal ornaments, jewellery.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44We've had recent cases where people have confronted burglars and come off worse.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48We're looking at disrupting them, making it clear it is theft
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and if it's not theirs to take, they shouldn't be taking it.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53It's coming up to midday when...
0:23:53 > 0:23:59MOBILE RINGS OK, we've just... Appear to have a hit on the 259.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Shaun's tracking device has alerted him that somebody is helping
0:24:02 > 0:24:06themselves to the bait pile of metal he set out earlier this morning.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11They currently look like they want to pick the scrap off the drive.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14It's only been out in daylight for five hours.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18He's just closing his vehicle. He's removing the scrap.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21- They also currently have an eyewitness at the scene.- Excellent.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Can you just keep us updated on this phone, yeah?
0:24:24 > 0:24:29The thief's number plate has been noted. And his description.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Male, 35-40, travelling east towards Rye
0:24:33 > 0:24:36in a Peugeot van with double doors at the back.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39But some bad news is about to come through for Shaun.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Has he left anything on the drive?
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Thank you. Just my luck(!)
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Apparently, the suspect's van is too small to take the washing
0:24:52 > 0:24:56machine that contains the tracking device, so he's left it on the drive.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Sod's law, isn't it?
0:24:58 > 0:25:01They can't track him, so they need to find him
0:25:01 > 0:25:05before he dumps the metal. So it's a challenge.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Search the area and find the right scrap yard in time.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Safe to say it's not in there.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14But then, a breakthrough.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Just picked up the vehicle, it's heading out of Rye town centre.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21A traffic patrol car saw the van go past, so Shaun and the team
0:25:21 > 0:25:25now know which scrap yard he's likely to have gone to.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27He's right in front of you.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30Result.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Can you tell us what you've been doing here, at all?
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Dropped some metal off.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43- You took some out here to be destroyed?- Yeah.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47- Where did you get the metal from? - Off a job I was on.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51- OK.- OK. Got the address of the job? - Um, no, I haven't.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53- You've got no transfer notes?- Er, no.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56The man sticks to his story.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01So they march him back to the scrap metal he has just sold to the yard.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05And as he gets nearer, he starts to change his story.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09- I was on the way home in Hastings... - Not Taunton?
0:26:09 > 0:26:13No, I picked it up on the way home to Hastings.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18Luckily, the items aren't yet buried in the metal haystack.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25Shaun recognises the bike and other gear he placed this morning.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29But to remove all doubt, he brings out his ultraviolet torch to
0:26:29 > 0:26:32show up the invisible dye they've been marked with.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- Can you read what that says? - Yeah.- Rye Police. OK?
0:26:37 > 0:26:42The CCTV footage proves that he took the metal from the driveway of someone's house.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Something he eventually admits to, which makes it stealing.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55The man confesses once he's in the back of the police car.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59Yeah, but... Bang to rights.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03We're going to go down to the local police station, which will be Rye.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07We'll speak to him there on tape and if he admits on the tape,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10he'll be summonsed to court to appear at court over the next couple of weeks.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Now a new law has been introduced in England
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and Wales banning cash payments at scrap yards.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19All transactions can now be traced,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22a move aimed to put off metal thieves.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Shaun hopes it'll mean no more 4.30am starts.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29I'll go home and have a bath, I think.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32But that's pretty much where we are at this point in time.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37But the guy's been very compliant and, yeah, it's a good day's work.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44That's it for today. Join us next time when the police
0:27:44 > 0:27:47and the public catch more criminals red-handed.