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.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12To cut down on crime and anti-social behaviour,
0:00:12 > 0:00:14the police are now using new tactics
0:00:14 > 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.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26And setting clever traps...
0:00:26 > 0:00:29The laptop he's about to steal is equipped with a tracking device.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34..that deliver unsuspecting crooks right into their hands.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38And there are also ways that we the public and local businesses can fight back
0:00:38 > 0:00:41with some tricks of our own.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43I weren't going to sit back and let them do this.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45We've caught you and we're sending you down.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49So anyone who's up to no good had better think twice.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53They might just get caught red handed.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Coming up today on Caught Red Handed...
0:01:03 > 0:01:06A masked raider brandishing two carving knives
0:01:06 > 0:01:08terrifies a store in Lancashire.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13With two suspects in the frame, an image expert with a nose for detail
0:01:13 > 0:01:17works out from the footage which one could be the bad guy.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23And in Hull, a 14-year-old boy is viciously beaten on the back of a bus
0:01:23 > 0:01:25by a 19-year-old girl.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27I saw blood on my jacket.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30I thought, this is getting a bit bad now.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34Also, in London the devious lengths pickpockets will go to
0:01:34 > 0:01:37to get their hands on our stuff.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49But first, it's tea-time in Preston, Lancashire.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53And so far it's been a normal day at this corner shop.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57This is about to change.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03A young boy leaves the shop with a magazine he has bought just in time.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08A hooded man wearing a balaclava underneath
0:02:08 > 0:02:11bursts in wielding a carving knife in each hand.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Waving the knives around, he shouts that he wants the till opened.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19The two members of staff don't want to get too close to him
0:02:19 > 0:02:22but they don't want to open the till either.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24The raider becomes more agitated,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27starts slashing at the man behind the counter...
0:02:29 > 0:02:31..who picks up a chair as a shield.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Desperate, the raider then tries to force open the till himself.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Failing to, he then becomes even more abusive
0:02:40 > 0:02:41and threatening with his knives.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43To try and get him to back off,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46the shopkeeper throws the chair at him.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51This, and the sound of another customer entering the shop,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55is enough to frighten the armed robber into running out of the store.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00He's gone away empty handed
0:03:00 > 0:03:05but with his balaclava he probably thinks he's safe from being recognised.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09But what he hasn't counted on
0:03:09 > 0:03:14is that a team of forensic experts are about to use the few vital visual clues
0:03:14 > 0:03:17provided by this footage to unmask him.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30The case lands on the desk of Detective Constable Les Clegg from Lancashire Police.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33He's keen to catch the would-be robber as soon as possible.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36As he knows another attempted incident like this
0:03:36 > 0:03:40could end up with serious injury or worse.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42The robbery has taken place when
0:03:42 > 0:03:45members of the public come into the shop. They're extremely scared.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49They are large carving knives.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52It is quite a horrific type of attack.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Shopworkers all run the potential risk of getting caught up in a robbery attempt.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01The man behind the counter here, the shop owner,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03didn't want to talk about his experience.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06But another store owner, Robert Namadam,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09knows how it feels to be faced with an armed attacker.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Robert's store suffered six robberies in a five-month spell.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20He has been threatened with knives, hit over the head with a bottle,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and has even been shot at.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25It makes you worry, very much.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27You don't want to leave the shop
0:04:27 > 0:04:29in case something happens when you're not here.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33When it was happening to us, I wouldn't go home till we'd shut the shop.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36And I wouldn't have anything to eat cos I couldn't rest.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- INTERVIEWER:- Some people would say you're very brave.
0:04:39 > 0:04:44No, not brave at all. It's just it's my business and it's my livelihood.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47And I don't want anybody else to have it.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Not all of the people who attempted to steal from Robert's store have been caught.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55And he recognises the difficulty in tracking criminals
0:04:55 > 0:04:57when they take steps to conceal their identity
0:04:57 > 0:05:00like the man in the Preston robbery attempt.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03There's not much of his face you can see, is there, really?
0:05:04 > 0:05:08This is the problem facing DC Les Clegg.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11But he still hopes there's enough evidence in this footage
0:05:11 > 0:05:14to help catch this dangerous man.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Because he's got a balaclava on
0:05:16 > 0:05:18it makes it difficult to work out who that individual is.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21The only thing we had to go on
0:05:21 > 0:05:24was the partial shot of his nose
0:05:24 > 0:05:27and distinctive gloves and jacket.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Our first thing was to locate the jacket.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35They ask local neighbourhood police teams
0:05:35 > 0:05:38about likely suspects for this crime on their patch,
0:05:38 > 0:05:42who have also been seen in a brightly coloured jacket like this one.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45They are given the name of Liam Gould
0:05:45 > 0:05:49who happens to live on the same street that, according to eye witnesses,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52the culprit was last seen fleeing down.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57DC Clegg and a colleague go to interview him about his movements the night before.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Whilst there, that's where we had the lucky break.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03That's when we recovered the jacket
0:06:03 > 0:06:06which is distinctive cos it was green, white and black.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11The police take this jacket to the shopkeeper
0:06:11 > 0:06:15who confirms it's the same type worn by his attacker.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20So they go back and formally arrest Liam Gould for attempted armed robbery.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22But he protests his innocence
0:06:22 > 0:06:26and says that the jacket was left at his flat by a friend
0:06:26 > 0:06:30and it was actually this friend that carried out the crime.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35But when the friend is brought in for questioning, he insists it wasn't him.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38The police have a problem.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40The difficulties were identifying
0:06:40 > 0:06:43which one of the two individuals were responsible for the offence.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46The good thing from the investigation's point of view
0:06:46 > 0:06:48is the quality of the CCTV.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55So they call in the help of forensic imagery investigator Iwan Hughes.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Iwan's job means he's used to picking out minute details.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Iwan is given mugshots and custody footage of the first suspect
0:07:05 > 0:07:07and the friend he's accused.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11He'll compare their faces with the original footage of the robbery
0:07:11 > 0:07:15to see if he can eliminate either man as a suspect.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17First up, Liam Gould's friend.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22When comparing the second suspect's nose against the nose of the offender,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24we match them scale for scale.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26When the nose was viewed from the front,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29there was quite a clear and obvious difference with the suspect
0:07:29 > 0:07:32having a rather large bump on the bridge of his nose.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37Whereas the offender had a straight and uniform width to the bridge of his nose.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39When viewed in a profile view,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41the second suspect had a very obvious
0:07:41 > 0:07:44aquiline or a Roman appearance to his nose.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47The offender actually had a very straight bridge to the nose.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Given these differences put together,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53that was enough for us to rule the second suspect out
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and eliminate him from the investigation.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00So that leaves Liam Gould. Could he be the offender?
0:08:01 > 0:08:03When we compared them, from the front
0:08:03 > 0:08:07you can see Mr Gould has a very straight appearance to the bridge of his nose.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09With a very uniform width.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11From the bottom of the eyebrow all the way to the tip of the nose.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16This was also a similar feature visible on the offender as well.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19When we view the noses from the side,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Mr Gould again, you can see clearly the straight bridge of the nose.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26And small flare of the nostrils as well.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29These features were also similar in the offender.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35All these considered, there wasn't anything to permit us to eliminate Mr Gould,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37so he remained as a candidate for the offender.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42More evidence to build up the case that this man's the knife-waving attacker
0:08:42 > 0:08:47is provided when they find a pair of tatty gloves at his home.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49They look eerily familiar.
0:08:49 > 0:08:55Iwan gets a colleague to pose with the recovered gloves in exactly the same position
0:08:55 > 0:08:59as the original footage to see if they match the gloves used in the raid.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04You can see damage here on the index finger of the right hand.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08It's also evident quite clearly on the gloves worn by the offender.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14And also when held in a specific pose, you can see two clear pieces of damage
0:09:14 > 0:09:16on the ends of the fingers and thumbs there.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Another small piece of damage halfway along the finger.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22You put all these things together, it's quite compelling evidence
0:09:22 > 0:09:26that the gloves used during the offence and the recovered gloves
0:09:26 > 0:09:27are one and the same items.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Detective Constable Les Clegg and the police
0:09:31 > 0:09:35agree Liam Gould has effectively handed himself over.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Especially when his DNA is found
0:09:37 > 0:09:42in the gloves and on the cuffs of the jacket he said was his friend's.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46So Liam Gould had worn that jacket and with the DNA to link it in
0:09:46 > 0:09:49that proved that a strong forensic case
0:09:49 > 0:09:52for us to charge Liam Gould with attempted robbery.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57A few weeks before his trial,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Liam Gould, who claimed his innocence throughout
0:10:00 > 0:10:04and charmingly tried to make his friend a scapegoat for this vicious crime,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06eventually pleads guilty
0:10:06 > 0:10:09when he's made aware of the weight of evidence against him.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14He's sentenced to three years and two months in jail.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23I was very relieved that we managed to prove the offence.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26On its own, it would be very difficult to prove,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30but when you use neighbourhood policing, CID and forensic providers,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32all working together,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36it made a strong case to convict Liam Gould of attempted robbery.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49We've just seen how much evidence police can get from CCTV pictures.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53But sadly some criminals do still get away with it.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Pickpockets, known to us as dippers,
0:10:56 > 0:10:57actually learn their trade,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00a bit like Fagin taught the boys in Oliver.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05They get really good at stealing from you without you even noticing.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06Ladies, I would suggest
0:11:06 > 0:11:09that you carry your bag diagonally across your body.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12So that the front of the bag is actually visible to you.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15And, gents, don't leave your wallet in your rear pocket
0:11:15 > 0:11:17or in an open coat pocket.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19They are at risk of being stolen.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27So, here's a dipping duo about to strike.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Unaware that cameras are watching their every move.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33They walk into the bar of this restaurant.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37One of them immediately takes a quick scope of the area
0:11:37 > 0:11:39and takes great care to brush against
0:11:39 > 0:11:42this man's coat hanging off the back of his chair.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47By hitting the pockets, he can feel the weight of a wallet inside
0:11:47 > 0:11:50and does the same on the way back just to make sure.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55The diner, distracted by eating and talking with his companion,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57has now become the target.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Over the next few minutes, menu in hand,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02they pretend to chat amongst themselves
0:12:02 > 0:12:05whilst sidling ever closer to the coat on the chair.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10One of the men has removed his own jacket
0:12:10 > 0:12:13to hang over his shoulder as a shield.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Finally, he has one hand on hip
0:12:15 > 0:12:18and the other in somebody else's pocket.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Once he's carefully prised out the wallet,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25the pair suddenly don't seem so hungry and leave immediately.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28They got around £150 in cash,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31cards and a driving licence.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34These two are still at large,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38so make sure they don't sidle up too close to you.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Forewarned is forearmed.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Best watch out for them.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Still to come on today's Caught Red Handed...
0:12:50 > 0:12:53A man has a two-year battle with the council
0:12:53 > 0:12:57after filming a pair of traffic wardens he thinks have been very naughty.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02The wardens lay out there as predators almost, taking advantage of the situation.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11We're about to see an important use of new technology by the police
0:13:11 > 0:13:15which is helping make travel on public transport even safer.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Anti-social behaviour used to be investigated on the buses, the trains, the trams,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21using undercover police officers.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Recently we've been investing in a lot of technology
0:13:24 > 0:13:26on the public transport systems
0:13:26 > 0:13:29whereby we can tap into these CCTV images.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33We don't have to actually be on the bus to tap into the CCTV.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35We can monitor it remotely
0:13:35 > 0:13:36in control rooms via smartphones
0:13:36 > 0:13:39and we can monitor the behaviour of these individuals
0:13:39 > 0:13:43as they're travelling along the bus routes or even at bus stops.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Thousands of us use public transport perfectly safely every day.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58But sometimes violent or threatening behaviour can be a problem.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04One of the most common crimes is vandalism or anti-social behaviour.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Such as these lads causing mayhem on a late night train.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17First, they go around trying to rip fixtures off the sides of the carriage.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Before letting off fire extinguishers
0:14:21 > 0:14:24that are supposed to be there for a real emergency.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Wasting several extinguishers,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31they then leg it when they reach their stop.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39While it's in the station, a guard surveys the damage caused to this train.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42One that you or I might need to use tomorrow morning.
0:14:49 > 0:14:50But it can get more serious.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54Violent or threatening behaviour is another regular problem.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06In the West Midlands, it was to fight a rise in offences on public transport
0:15:06 > 0:15:09that led to the set up of the safer travel unit.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Bus and rail companies have teamed up with the West Midlands Police
0:15:12 > 0:15:17and the British Transport Police to crack down on all types of crime.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21Anything from people putting feet on seats to smoking
0:15:21 > 0:15:25up to substance misuse and offences of violence occasionally.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30And offences involving robbery and theft of items as well.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35As well as police patrols they can also watch from afar from here.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39The safer travel CCTV control centre.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42At the moment we have approximately 800 static cameras across the West Midlands.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46What we're doing is adding to that with remotely deployable systems.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48The whole idea to work towards
0:15:48 > 0:15:51is ultimately when a bus driver or member of the public contacts us,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55the system can automatically switch on to live on board CCTV,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58and then we can pool resources
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and identify who is responsible.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04The ultimate aim is that to act as a deterrent rather than a catch and convict,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07and prevent this happening in the first place.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09It's not just the new technology police rely on.
0:16:09 > 0:16:15They also conduct spot checks, searching for things like drugs, weapons and fare evaders.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21Definitely is a link between people who don't pay their fare and other offences.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26If you look back at places like New York,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29they adopted a kind of a zero tolerance to fare dodging,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33and realised they brought down most other offences like robbery and things like that.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37For us, there definitely is a link.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41On both sides of the road, every bus is stopped and checked.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44The police also encourage the public themselves
0:16:44 > 0:16:47to fight crime with their fingertips.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49This card's called see something, say something.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54There is a number passengers can text to report any anti-social behaviour.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57We do respond to every single call we receive.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59So please do use these cards.
0:17:02 > 0:17:08It's violence like this that the police are encouraging the public to report straightaway.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12This is the bloody face of 14-year-old Jordan Duncan,
0:17:12 > 0:17:13and this is his story.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Jordan is sitting just out of view
0:17:17 > 0:17:21of this CCTV camera at the back of a bus.
0:17:21 > 0:17:22Returning from an ice skating trip,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25it's the first time he's been allowed by his dad Craig
0:17:25 > 0:17:28to travel into the centre of Hull on his own.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I wanted him to have a bit of responsibility of his own.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35So I was trying out him going to town, catching the bus by himself.
0:17:35 > 0:17:36And it all backfired.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42Jordan is the victim of an assault by a 19-year-old woman.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48I was just sat on the back by myself.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51I had a £5 note in my hand.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53I was rolling it in my hand
0:17:53 > 0:17:56and then she stood up and she was saying,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58"What's this fiver you've rolled?"
0:17:58 > 0:18:00I didn't have a clue what she was on about.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05And then she just come up to me and she tried grabbing my hat.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Ripping my T-shirt.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09And just slapping me in the face.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16I wasn't going to give her the money cos it's not mine, it's change for my dad.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20The woman's slaps turn into punches.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Having practised kick boxing for 11 years,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Jordan has the skills to defend himself.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28But feels his hands are tied.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32I've always grown up being told never to hit a girl.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35I said politely, "Can you leave me alone, please?"
0:18:35 > 0:18:37And she just wasn't taking it.
0:18:39 > 0:18:40I saw blood on my jacket
0:18:40 > 0:18:43and I thought, this is getting a bit bad now.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46My eye was swollen, it felt bruised.
0:18:48 > 0:18:49My jaw was hurting.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53The woman eventually walks off with her friend.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Not realising her outburst has been recorded.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Jordan also gets up to leave.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02He asks the driver, who wasn't aware of the incident,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04to report it and runs home.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09My first thought was something really bad had gone on.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Like he'd been run over or something.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Cos there was that much blood and stuff everywhere.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17At first, they think it's just cuts and bruises.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21But after 24 hours of Jordan complaining about headaches,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Dad knows he needs medical attention.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27We went to A&E,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30which they told us there and then that he'd broke his nose.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Jordan and his dad face a wait to see if his attacker can be tracked down.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40One of the aims of these police searches is to help prevent violent crimes
0:19:40 > 0:19:43like the one committed against Jordan.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46And also to crack down on other crimes of anti-social behaviour.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Such as passengers carrying and smoking drugs.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Sergeant Brown is just dealing with one of the people that has been taken off the bus.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Got a small quantity of cannabis in his possession.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59This is the kind of stuff we're targeting.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02People do report to us about anti-social behaviour on transport.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Smoking of cannabis and the smell of cannabis. People don't like it.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13The establishment of the safer travel unit has had a marked effect on the West Midlands.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Crime on the bus network is down 65 per cent over five years.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21And in the last year there has been a 12 per cent reduction
0:20:21 > 0:20:23in the number of offences on trains.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29And back in Hull, in an attempt to trap the woman
0:20:29 > 0:20:32who assaulted 14-year-old Jordan on a bus,
0:20:32 > 0:20:37the police publish the CCTV images of her face in the local press
0:20:37 > 0:20:39in the hope that somebody will identify her.
0:20:39 > 0:20:45The night it was in the paper I got a phone call off the police
0:20:45 > 0:20:48that they'd got her, they'd got this girl.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51So it was pretty rapid. And it worked.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55The 19-year-old woman pleads guilty to assault
0:20:55 > 0:20:59and is handed down a 12-month community order with supervision.
0:21:00 > 0:21:06She's also ordered to pay £300 compensation and attend alcohol management sessions.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Of course, some people choose to avoid public transport altogether.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21But they can still be affected by crime.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27Here's a simple tip for bike owners.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30If you're securing your bike with a chain to the railings,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33then don't just wrap it through one of your wheels.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38- Otherwise it's- wheely- easy for a thief like this
0:21:38 > 0:21:41to carry around their own wheel, pop the quick release on yours,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43that's tied to the railing,
0:21:43 > 0:21:44and then lift away the frame
0:21:44 > 0:21:48before replacing it with the wheel they've brought along.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52The frame is the most valuable part of the bike
0:21:52 > 0:21:55and here it's gone in less than 60 seconds.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58So when securing your bike to something,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01always put the lock through the frame.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Yes, it does seem obvious,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06but this thief wouldn't bother to carry round a wheel
0:22:06 > 0:22:09if he didn't know a lot of people forget.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18We've often seen the authorities catch our offenders on camera.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22But in Nottingham, Tony here used a great deal of persistence
0:22:22 > 0:22:25to turn the tables on a pair of officials
0:22:25 > 0:22:28that he thought had crossed the line.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30The yellow lines, to be precise.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Two years ago, on this street,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37a long-running saga was kick started
0:22:37 > 0:22:41when Tony witnessed an event that compelled him to tackle the traffic wardens.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46It was the end of November 2010.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49And Britain was in the grip of a big freeze.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Nottingham was no exception.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54It was the worst night for snow for a long time
0:22:54 > 0:22:59and people were abandoning their cars north of the city.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04That was the reason I was still at work because staff couldn't get in.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Just gone 8pm,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Tony is interrupted by a knock on his office window.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13There was a member of staff who said rather colourfully,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16"Have you seen what these are doing out here?"
0:23:16 > 0:23:18These are these two traffic wardens
0:23:18 > 0:23:22taking an extra special interest in two parked cars.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26The top half of this road you are allowed to park on.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Halfway down, you are not. And the double yellow lines start,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34though it's seemingly impossible to tell that at the moment.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39The cars that were outside were not covered with snow at the time but the road was
0:23:39 > 0:23:43so the motorists had obviously come after the snow had fallen.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Not realising that there were double yellow lines there.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Before issuing a ticket,
0:23:48 > 0:23:53a traffic warden has to have clear pictures of a vehicle on double yellow lines.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Of course, when you can't see the lines, this isn't possible.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00But the warden solves the problem by doing a little shuffle
0:24:00 > 0:24:03in the snow to wipe it away.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05So a nice snap can be taken.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I thought this is just not on.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Angry, Tony starts to take some snaps of his own.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15He also films the feed from the building security camera
0:24:15 > 0:24:20as the wardens spend nearly 20 minutes circling these two cars.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24This is part of it, they took so long.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27They appear to have all the time in the world.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30And this warden comes back.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34She's not happy, I don't think, with the pictures she's taken,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36because watch what she does now.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Removes more snow.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Another concerned passer-by!
0:24:45 > 0:24:49I doubt very much they'll be saying, "Good on you, get on with it."
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Eventually, having slapped two tickets on two windscreens,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56the wardens leave.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59But if they thought that would be the end of it,
0:24:59 > 0:25:00they were sorely mistaken.
0:25:00 > 0:25:07The wardens were out there as predators almost, taking advantage of the situation.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10I thought, well, you can't deny this.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12You've been caught red handed, really.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14But deny it they did.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Tony decided to write a letter to Nottingham Council
0:25:18 > 0:25:20complaining about the traffic wardens' actions
0:25:20 > 0:25:23and saying the tickets should be revoked.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28When the council wrote back in defence, Tony sent another letter.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32This is one of the letters I received in the early part of the campaign.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36"Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding the above.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40"I am sorry that you feel disappointed with my response..."
0:25:40 > 0:25:43The letter went on to say that the private contractors
0:25:43 > 0:25:46who provided parking enforcement for the council
0:25:46 > 0:25:48had been spoken to and...
0:25:48 > 0:25:53"They have informed me that they did not sweep snow away from the double yellow lines."
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Uh?
0:25:56 > 0:26:01The wardens denied it and the Nottingham City Council were quite happy to go along with it.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04I actually had evidence on film.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Tony sent in the footage.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11Even so, the council wrote back saying that despite the pictures,
0:26:11 > 0:26:16as both motorists in question had already paid the fines and hadn't appealed,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19then as far as they were concerned, the case was closed.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Possibly some people would have been scared off
0:26:22 > 0:26:25by the tone of some of the letters.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27So I wrote back and said,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30as far as I'm concerned it's a breach of public trust.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34And I was angry enough to say, I don't care how long it takes.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36I'll pursue this to the bitter end.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38A cold war developed.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Tony sent a flurry of correspondence to the council
0:26:41 > 0:26:43every time they tried to put the issue on ice.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Eventually, snowed under,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49the council passed the matter over to their legal department,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53and finally, 19 months after Tony's first letter,
0:26:53 > 0:26:54the resistance melted.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59The Nottingham City Council legal department wrote back to me.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03They fully supported what I'd done.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08They also added that they would refund the motorists.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13They also gave me the fact that the company that was involved, which was a private company,
0:27:13 > 0:27:17no longer had the contract for the wardens
0:27:17 > 0:27:21so I'm thinking that this will not happen again.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Due to the persistent efforts of somebody they'd never met,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28two probably rather surprised drivers
0:27:28 > 0:27:30hopefully received a refund in the post.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32I thought, good!
0:27:32 > 0:27:36It just shows that if the little man does pursue things,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38if he's prepared to pursue them
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and has the time and resources to pursue them,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43then you can get justice.
0:27:48 > 0:27:49That's it for today.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54Join us next time when the police and the public catch more criminals red handed.