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 anti-social behaviour,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15the police are now using new tactics
0:00:15 > 0:00:18where the bad guys actually get caught in the act.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21They're launching covert operations...
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Keep pretending you're talking on the phone for a bit longer, mate.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26..and setting clever traps.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30The laptop he's about to steal is equipped with a tracking device.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32- ..that deliver unsuspecting crooks...- Go, go, go.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34..right into their hands.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38And there are also ways that we, the public, and local businesses
0:00:38 > 0:00:40can fight back with some tricks of our own.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43I weren't going to sit back and let them do this.
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.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Coming up today on Caught Red Handed,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07cable theft - expensive, annoying,
0:01:07 > 0:01:08even dangerous.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Police roll out a bait cable drum
0:01:15 > 0:01:19loaded with a camera and a tracking device to catch thieves in the act.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Also coming up, it looks like a professional rally race
0:01:24 > 0:01:27but it's actually illegal drivers
0:01:27 > 0:01:29on a public road in Birmingham.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31I knew if we didn't do something
0:01:31 > 0:01:35that there would be some serious harm or a fatality.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40Also today, the thieves that would even steal a mobility scooter.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42How can someone be so sick
0:01:42 > 0:01:46and knowing that's for a disabled person and taking it?
0:01:52 > 0:01:56For a number of years, metal theft has been a national problem
0:01:56 > 0:01:57and for the last few years,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00criminals have been going copper crazy -
0:02:00 > 0:02:03specifically the copper found in cables.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07British Telecom provide a large proportion of the cable
0:02:07 > 0:02:09for communications in the UK.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Simon Davies is their security manager.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14The price of copper has increased multiple times
0:02:14 > 0:02:16over the past two or three years,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20so thousands of tonnes of copper are stolen every year from our network.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Thefts like the ones you're seeing now
0:02:23 > 0:02:25cost BT millions of pounds to replace
0:02:25 > 0:02:29but the disruption to communications affects everybody.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Businesses are unable to trade, they're unable to take orders,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34vulnerable people in their homes
0:02:34 > 0:02:37are unable to make telephone calls they might need.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39It has a huge effect on communities.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42So cable theft costs time and money
0:02:42 > 0:02:45and it could even cost you your life.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Filmed from the cab of a fire engine,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51what happens next is a direct result of cable theft.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Another fire engine's camera captures the explosion
0:03:06 > 0:03:08and then a second house also blows up.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Incredibly, no-one was hurt as the houses had been evacuated
0:03:19 > 0:03:22after residents reported a smell of burning.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23It was just pure chance
0:03:23 > 0:03:27that no firefighters were inside at the time.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31This happened because thieves had earlier stolen copper from the overhead power lines,
0:03:31 > 0:03:35leaving a stray live wire dangling down onto the ground.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38High voltage electricity found its way
0:03:38 > 0:03:40to the gas pipes feeding the houses,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43superheating them to such a degree that they exploded.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53So, while thieves want to get their hands on copper,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56the coppers are really keen to get their hands on the thieves.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06In West Sussex, PC Chris Dicker is using a new method
0:04:06 > 0:04:09to help stop this dangerous and reckless crime.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12One of the ways we're trying to combat this
0:04:12 > 0:04:14is with this bait cable drum.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Somewhere on this drum - police don't want it shown where -
0:04:17 > 0:04:20there's a spy camera and a satellite tracking device.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22So as soon as this gets lifted,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24it will send a text to my phone
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and we'll be able to track it.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31These cable crooks even put their own lives on the line.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34People take such risks to steal it,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37like hammering through generators and stuff like that.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42It's in everybody's interests to deter this kind of crime
0:04:42 > 0:04:44by catching people in the act
0:04:44 > 0:04:47and Chris thinks he knows the perfect place
0:04:47 > 0:04:49to, er...drum up trade.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52There's a new housing development
0:04:52 > 0:04:55in the process of being completed at the moment.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58They've had a lot of reports of sus vehicles and that
0:04:58 > 0:05:00turning up looking for scrap,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03so what I've decided to do is,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07just out of that area, at this substation behind us,
0:05:07 > 0:05:11is to leave the BT cable drum there
0:05:11 > 0:05:15as if it's like one of BT's own employees has just left it there.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19These shots are from the tiny camera hidden on the drum.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22If I leave it this way, hopefully we'll get a picture of a vehicle
0:05:22 > 0:05:25or them walking up to it from the camera,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28so I think this is probably the best position to put it in.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Cable drum dropped, now it's a wait
0:05:33 > 0:05:37to see if anybody takes the bait in the next 24 hours.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Next morning, he comes in to find it's had an eventful night.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Since you left us,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59we've had our cable drum that we put out yesterday stolen.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03The bait cable drum was left yesterday lunchtime
0:06:03 > 0:06:06and coming up to tea-time, barely four hours later,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09the camera inside captures a passing motorist
0:06:09 > 0:06:12taking more than a passing interest.
0:06:14 > 0:06:225:39 hours - we'll have a vehicle pull up from the left-hand side.
0:06:22 > 0:06:28We then see the gentleman, he's obviously noticed the bait drum.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32He's got out, approached it,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and then see, he's probably inspecting it and having a look
0:06:35 > 0:06:39to see whether it's going to be worth anything to him or not.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44He's then called a second person over, he's got out of the car
0:06:44 > 0:06:48and in a moment, you'll see them wheel it off.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52In broad daylight, the pair brazenly roll the drum towards their car
0:06:52 > 0:06:56but they don't know the camera's also rolling,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59catching the registration number of the car in the process.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01But Chris doesn't just have pictures.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04His fellow officers followed the tracking signal
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and caught the thief red-handed.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13That was recovered at an address in Hailsham,
0:07:13 > 0:07:20whereby it was found in the occupants' car.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24He's been interviewed and admitted taking it from the side of the road.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28A successful result.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32The driver was given an official caution with the warning
0:07:32 > 0:07:35that if he's caught doing anything like this again,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37he'll face a heavier sentence.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Chris and the team know
0:07:39 > 0:07:41the more people they can trap with their bait drum,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45the less likely people are to steal cable in the area.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47This person is going to talk to his mate,
0:07:47 > 0:07:51who's going to talk to his mate, who's going to talk to his friend,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53so it's a question of spreading that climate of fear
0:07:53 > 0:07:56that if they see something lying at the side of the road,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58is it baited or not?
0:07:58 > 0:08:01At the end of the day, if it's not yours, you shouldn't be taking it.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13There are many reasons why people steal
0:08:13 > 0:08:16but sometimes, it's just an overwhelming desire
0:08:16 > 0:08:18to have an unaffordable luxury
0:08:18 > 0:08:21that proves too tempting to resist.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Musician Kelvin Ho runs this guitar shop.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28He's used to people occasionally murdering Stairway To Heaven
0:08:28 > 0:08:32but after three expensive guitars were stolen from his shop,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35he decided this was a musical crime too far
0:08:35 > 0:08:39and invested heavily in a decent CCTV system.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42It soon proved a wise investment.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44This young man walks in one afternoon,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46guitar case over shoulder,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48seemingly just to browse around.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Up on the wall, a classic Gretsch, worth around £2,500,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56has caught his attention.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59At that price, it's out of the reach of most people,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01but not for this young man.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04After grabbing the Gretsch,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08he opens up his guitar case to reveal it's actually empty.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12This is not the case for long, as he conceals the guitar inside.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Yet he doesn't fret about what he's done,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18and calmly looks around the store for a few minutes
0:09:18 > 0:09:19before walking out.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26When Kelvin later discovered the guitar was missing,
0:09:26 > 0:09:27he filed a police report
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and put the footage up on the internet
0:09:30 > 0:09:31to expose the thief publicly.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33It proved instrumental.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37The next day, the young man was marched in
0:09:37 > 0:09:39by his extremely upset mother...
0:09:40 > 0:09:42..to return the guitar.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45# Highway to hell
0:09:45 > 0:09:47# On the highway to hell... #
0:09:47 > 0:09:49The mother begged for mercy,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51saying he hadn't stolen anything before.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Feeling sorry for her, Kelvin decided not to press charges.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Hopefully, that young man will change his tune in the future.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Now, still to come on today's Caught Red Handed...
0:10:04 > 0:10:08A covert operation to stop a dangerous crime -
0:10:08 > 0:10:10illegal street racing.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13You can see that the pedestrians here move out of the way,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17and God forbid if that vehicle would have crashed into the side.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21And another shoplifter caught on camera.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25This one's not after a guitar, but a luxury blanket,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29and you wouldn't believe the lengths he goes to to get it.
0:10:39 > 0:10:40With CCTV cameras everywhere,
0:10:40 > 0:10:44some people are saying that we're living in a surveillance society,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47but as far as the police are concerned,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49the more eyes looking out for the bad guys, the better.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Police welcome CCTV footage from members of the public.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55It helps solve crime more quickly.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57For example, when offenders are in police custody
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and they're presented with CCTV evidence,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02they're far more likely to plead guilty.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05And of course, having CCTV outside your house
0:11:05 > 0:11:07acts as a real deterrent.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11In our next story, a man rigs up a CCTV camera system
0:11:11 > 0:11:15to protect his house, and ends up helping out the neighbourhood too.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26A few years ago, 38-year-old father of five Tariq
0:11:26 > 0:11:29was diagnosed with severe pulmonary hypertension,
0:11:29 > 0:11:33a disease affecting the heart and lungs.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35I'm very limited in my mobility.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Sometimes when I'm trying to do normal things around the house
0:11:39 > 0:11:43or trying to do the shopping, it causes me severe breathlessness
0:11:43 > 0:11:46where I get chest pains and I'll start bringing up blood
0:11:46 > 0:11:48because I've exerted myself so much.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53If his condition gets worse, he could face an organ transplant.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57In the meantime, a recent spate of crime in the neighbourhood
0:11:57 > 0:12:00convinced him to rig up a four-camera surveillance system
0:12:00 > 0:12:02around the outside of his house.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07I had CCTV installed mainly for my own safety and my children's safety.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12I felt a bit insecure, especially being disabled.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17What Tariq didn't know was just how much crime his cameras would catch.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23Just gone 3:00am.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27A shadowy figure approaches Tariq's Ford Galaxy on the drive,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and starts fiddling around behind it.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36He later goes to the back of two further cars in the street.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38His intention? Arson.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44The back of Tariq's car has caught fire.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Fortunately, another resident sees this
0:12:47 > 0:12:49and runs up to hammer on his door.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51I open the door to him, I said, "Come on in."
0:12:51 > 0:12:53You know, ran into the kitchen,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55got some pots and I chucked one at him.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58I got one, I filled it with water, and he started filling up,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and I ran out and I started chucking it all over the car.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Tariq and his neighbour fought the flames
0:13:05 > 0:13:09until the fire brigade arrived, but the car was gutted.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11I felt absolutely devastated.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14I was absolutely devastated that my car had been destroyed.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18The Galaxy seven-seater meant a lot to me.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19I have a lot of kids
0:13:19 > 0:13:22and I do a lot of running around with family.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25All the stuff as well, in the car. It meant a lot to me.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27That was my pride and joy.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Five cars in total had been ignited that night.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Though at least Tariq, with the police in tow,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37could check his cameras' footage to identify the perpetrator.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42I was going through, and I recognised the guy who put my car on fire.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44I said, "That looks like such-and-such person."
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Eventually, with the information that they got from me,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50they managed to make an arrest.
0:13:52 > 0:13:5422-year-old Niall Key was caught
0:13:54 > 0:13:57and sentenced to five years in prison.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02A result, yes, but incredibly,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06those cameras were going to come in useful again very soon,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10because sadly, that wasn't the end of Tariq's bad luck.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Just days after suffering at the hand of one criminal,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Tariq was to become the victim of another callous crime.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Now with no car and a wait for the insurance money to come through,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Tariq was left with only one way of getting about -
0:14:25 > 0:14:27his mobility scooter.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31I bought a mobility scooter a couple of years ago,
0:14:31 > 0:14:32but when the car burnt out,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34I thought, well, what I could do is now is,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37I could jump back onto the mobility scooter.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39The mobility scooter needed a new fuse,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42so Tariq went to buy a replacement.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45With his return came an unpleasant surprise.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48I thought, "Where's the scooter gone?"
0:14:48 > 0:14:50And to my shock and horror, the scooter wasn't there,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52so I started shouting to the kids,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54I said, "Suleiman, where's the scooter?
0:14:54 > 0:14:56"Sara, where's the scooter?"
0:14:56 > 0:14:59And all I heard was, "I don't know, Dad. I don't know."
0:14:59 > 0:15:02I said, "Are you messing about with me?"
0:15:02 > 0:15:04They said, "No, we're not messing about, Dad."
0:15:05 > 0:15:09So, another trip upstairs to look at the CCTV tapes,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11and another depressing sight.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16Just down from Tariq's drive, this scrap van has pulled up.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18The mobility scooter, parked by the door,
0:15:18 > 0:15:19has caught the driver's eye.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23He sends his mate over to have a closer look.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25So he tried the door, and obviously,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27there was no response because no one was in,
0:15:27 > 0:15:31so he thought, "Field day. I can have the scooter for nothing."
0:15:33 > 0:15:36The driver leaps out as well to lend a hand.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41In broad daylight, the pair heave the scooter across the road
0:15:41 > 0:15:43and then struggle with the weight
0:15:43 > 0:15:46as they try to hoist it up onto the fully stocked van.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Seeing as it's giving the two able-bodied men such a hard time
0:15:50 > 0:15:53to do this, you'd think they might spare a thought
0:15:53 > 0:15:57for the less physically able person they're nicking it from.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58Nope. They just drive off.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05I feel that's very, very cheeky.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08How can people, knowing that a mobility scooter
0:16:08 > 0:16:13is for someone who is disabled, come on your drive and just take it?
0:16:13 > 0:16:16That scooter brand new is worth £2,000.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19To me, I can't comprehend how can someone be so sick
0:16:19 > 0:16:23and knowing that is for a disabled person and taking it.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Police are hunting the thieves, who are still at large.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30A few months on, and insurance paid out.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Tariq has been able to replace his car and scooter.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35But as he previously had both taken from him
0:16:35 > 0:16:39in the space of four weeks, you wouldn't have blamed him
0:16:39 > 0:16:40for wanting a change of scene.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42It just made me feel like I just wanted
0:16:42 > 0:16:45to sell the house and move on.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49And in another way, I kind of feel like, why should I run away?
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Why should I run scared?
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Why should I give the children that impression,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58that it's better to walk away or it's better to run away,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00and we should fear criminals?
0:17:00 > 0:17:03You know, and so I thought,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05no, I'm not running away from no-one.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Instead, Tariq is using his CCTV system
0:17:09 > 0:17:11to help clean up the neighbourhood generally.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14I'm so happy that I've got it, I would never change it.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17In fact, I've had a lot of people approach me
0:17:17 > 0:17:19and they've always asked me,
0:17:19 > 0:17:21"Can you look back on such-and-such day for me,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23"because this happened to me?"
0:17:23 > 0:17:26So I was more than happy to oblige them to have a look.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28I felt very happy about it.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44Most thieves try to act quickly, to get away as soon as possible,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46but not our next thief.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50A contender, perhaps, for the most drawn out theft award.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54In Ohio, the couple who own this store
0:17:54 > 0:17:57went back through this CCTV footage after noticing
0:17:57 > 0:18:01that a blanket like this had been stolen the day before.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03And this is what they saw -
0:18:03 > 0:18:05the blanket that went missing is here.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Watch this man with a baseball cap and beard closely.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13He quickly grabs the rolled-up blanket
0:18:13 > 0:18:16and puts it down on the floor out of prominent view.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20He then makes a great show of not looking at the blanket,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23checking his watch and talking to another customer.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25As the shop fills up, he gets spooked
0:18:25 > 0:18:28and walks to another part of the store.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33But just over a minute later, he's back,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35and moves the blanket once more,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38behind a stand out of camera view.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45Taking off his jacket, he places it over the blanket on the floor.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50He then picks up his jacket with the blanket wrapped inside it.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58But just before he makes the door, one of the shop owners walks in.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Fearing she may be watching him, he then swiftly puts
0:19:05 > 0:19:07the blanket into a cupboard
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and pretends to look at something else...
0:19:15 > 0:19:19..when it seems he really, REALLY wants to steal this blanket,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23and he spends the next few minutes waiting for the perfect opportunity.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Finally, he reaches between two other shoppers
0:19:32 > 0:19:34engrossed in conversation,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38wraps blanket in coat once more and leaves the shop.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41And that would have been that,
0:19:41 > 0:19:45but the store owners put this footage up on the internet.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50Recognising the thief, locals came forward in their droves
0:19:50 > 0:19:54and provided his name, address and even phone number.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Shamed by his crime, the thief quickly returned the blanket,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02leaving it on the shop doorstep.
0:20:02 > 0:20:03That's all stitched up, then!
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Now, to a different type of crime altogether
0:20:14 > 0:20:17and one that's potentially life-threatening.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Between June 2011
0:20:19 > 0:20:24and July 2012, there were nearly 25,000 people killed
0:20:24 > 0:20:27or seriously injured on our roads and a quarter of these were caused
0:20:27 > 0:20:31by dangerous driving, reckless driving and speeding offences.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Cameras have vastly reduced the number of collisions on our roads
0:20:35 > 0:20:39and we've seen a 35% reduction at camera sites nationally.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45But some people make a sport out of dangerous driving.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46ENGINES REV
0:20:49 > 0:20:53The screeching, squealing world of illegal underground street racing.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59At night, dozens of cars and bikes tear around the roads
0:20:59 > 0:21:05we use every day, while hundreds of spectators cheer them on...
0:21:07 > 0:21:11..the driving often reckless, accidents frequent.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14MAN SHOUTS
0:21:18 > 0:21:21The problem was so bad in Birmingham, in particular,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23that worried about the potential loss of life,
0:21:23 > 0:21:27police launched a covert operation to crack down on it.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Sergeant Paul Bieliauskas was part of the investigation team
0:21:33 > 0:21:35tasked with stopping the races.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41People would turn up en masse and then race along the public road.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48We had speeds of 127mph.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54This will go on up until about one, two o'clock in the morning,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56keeping up residents,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00but this is all about public safety - somebody will die.
0:22:03 > 0:22:0624-year-old Chris Sinclair knows all too well
0:22:06 > 0:22:08about the dangers of street racing.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13He had just left work for the night on his motorcycle.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Ahead, two cars had started racing each other
0:22:17 > 0:22:19on this single-lane main road,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21weaving in and out of traffic.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25At this junction, one lost control and swerved at 70mph
0:22:25 > 0:22:28right into Chris, who was coming the other way.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37What I do remember from the accident was crunching, engine noise,
0:22:37 > 0:22:41a sound of a high-revving car, another crunch,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44and then it all went quiet and I closed my eyes then.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50The car that hit Chris's motorcycle was driven by Nikash Sultan.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55His car was so badly damaged by the impact that it couldn't move.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59The other car was driven by Umair Qureshi.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03He fled the scene of the accident.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11It was two whole weeks later before Chris woke up in hospital.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13I've been told when the car hit me,
0:23:13 > 0:23:18I was 50-odd metres down the road, you know,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21my body was higher than the lamppost, top of the lamppost
0:23:21 > 0:23:27I was spinning in the air and I landed quite hard on my neck.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33The damage to his brain, caused by the blow he'd received, had left him
0:23:33 > 0:23:37temporarily unable to recognise his friends and work colleagues.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41He had shattered his left leg, with the ankle, knee, thigh bone
0:23:41 > 0:23:43and hip all broken.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Both his wrists were fractured
0:23:45 > 0:23:48and there were three breaks in his neck, which meant he had to wear
0:23:48 > 0:23:53a metal head brace for three months, day and night, while they healed.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56He had also lost the sight in his right eye -
0:23:56 > 0:24:00all as a result of the foolhardy driving of two men.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11It was exactly to avoid this kind of accident happening
0:24:11 > 0:24:14that the police wanted to clamp down on the illegal street races
0:24:14 > 0:24:17congregating in Birmingham.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20When Paul and his fellow officers came across these gatherings
0:24:20 > 0:24:24they were a no-go zone, even for the police.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29It was too dangerous because there was 400-500 people, literally.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33A number of people damaged police vehicles - they have flat tyres
0:24:33 > 0:24:38or windscreens had been smashed by people throwing bricks.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Outnumbered, Paul and his colleagues needed a new tactic.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51They had to get intelligence on who the regular offenders were.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55They pinpointed this set of traffic lights as key to identifying
0:24:55 > 0:24:57and catching them.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Two vehicles would pull up alongside each other
0:25:00 > 0:25:02and race from the traffic lights into the distance.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04REVVING
0:25:05 > 0:25:10They'll do a track along the Heartlands Parkway and the A47
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and come back and literally do the same thing again.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Paul and the team asked special permission from
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Birmingham City Council to install surveillance at this crossing.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23They fit multiple cameras with microphones.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26If the racers stop here, then they can be clocked
0:25:26 > 0:25:28and their numberplates read.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34And when the footage comes back, even experienced officers
0:25:34 > 0:25:37are shocked by the behaviour these cameras capture.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39While one car waits at the lights,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41another one fails to brake in time.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48God forbid if that vehicle would have crashed into the side,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51heaven knows what would have happened.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53But the worst was yet to come.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59A 15-year-old boy is taken out into the middle of the speeding traffic
0:25:59 > 0:26:02by the adult in charge of him and encouraged to start a race.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08A few minutes later, he's back out on his own again.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14And I knew if we didn't do something, that there would be
0:26:14 > 0:26:16some serious harm or a fatality.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19But now the police COULD do something.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22With this footage, they could identify the cars
0:26:22 > 0:26:24and numberplates of offenders
0:26:24 > 0:26:28and when the culprits were unmasked, there was a surprise.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32The term "boy racer" doesn't describe them.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35The majority of people are late 30s, early 40s,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37that have grown up with this culture.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42The police brought 400 separate prosecutions,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45with many receiving heavy fines and driving bans.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50The operation has had a massive impact.
0:26:50 > 0:26:56Street racing has significantly reduced to the point where
0:26:56 > 0:26:59members of the public and local businesses are saying,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01"This is no longer a racetrack," and they're able
0:27:01 > 0:27:06to go about their daily business and use the road as they once did.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10The two reckless drivers that caused Chris's horrific crash
0:27:10 > 0:27:12were eventually found guilty of dangerous driving
0:27:12 > 0:27:15and jailed for 16 months apiece.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20They were also banned from being behind the wheel for five years.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Chris faces a long struggle to recover but he's now engaged
0:27:25 > 0:27:27and getting on with his life.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31He has a message, though, for anyone tempted to race.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Go to Silverstone, take your car
0:27:33 > 0:27:35as fast as you can round there.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36If you crash,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38you crash into the tyre wall,
0:27:38 > 0:27:40you're crashing into sand.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Don't put other people's lives at risk.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44It's just not worth it.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Join us next time when the police
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and the public catch more crooks red-handed.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd