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 antisocial behaviour,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16police and other agencies are using new technology and tactics,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18where the bad guys are actually getting caught in the act.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22I can see the man actually commit the robbery. Lovely, thank you very much.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Local councils, shops and businesses
0:00:25 > 0:00:27are laying some traps of their own.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Why should we feel frightened for the rest of our lives?
0:00:29 > 0:00:31And the general public, too,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34can help unsuspecting crooks get their comeuppance.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35No way are you getting away.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38We did it for everyone else as well that she might be stealing from.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39We WILL name and shame you.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43So, anyone who's up to no good had better think twice.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47They might just get caught red-handed.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58Today, a violent attack by armed raiders on a jewellery shop.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01But they are about to get more than they bargained for.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04I was annoyed that they were doing this in our town.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06I was annoyed that they were terrorising people.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Passers-by and police join forces to chase the robbers down.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13It's people power in action.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17Also today, a nasty surprise for car thieves in London,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19courtesy of the police.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23We decided to place the fear of crime back into the criminals
0:01:23 > 0:01:25to take our psychological warfare to them.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Putting the fear on the crims, the hidden power of police technology.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35And, a brazen burglar who's caught on camera with his pants down.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39His chances of getting away with his crime have just hit rock bottom.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55But first, we're in Louth, Lincolnshire.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59In 2012, Louth was named Britain's Favourite market town
0:01:59 > 0:02:01by the BBC's Countryfile.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06It's full of little shops, little organisations,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10not too many big chains. It's almost got a village feel to the place.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Friendly shops, where everyone's welcome.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Apart from the day that armed robbers came to town.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20A smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller's.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24These two violent criminals have come looking for easy pickings.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27They haven't reckoned with the brave townspeople of Louth.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29I think they thought it was a sleepy little town,
0:02:29 > 0:02:30and could get away with it.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33I certainly don't think they planned for the public
0:02:33 > 0:02:35acting in the way they did, and how things ended up.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39I was annoyed that they were doing this in our town.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I was annoyed that they were terrorising people.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46As we will see, Nick Gibson's stand against the robbers escalates
0:02:46 > 0:02:47as lots of local people join in.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51In all my time of dealing with different robberies,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54this is the one that everybody pulled together to get the result.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57The public and the police.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00These two armed men picked the wrong town to mess with.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Financial adviser Nick Gibson lives in a village just outside Louth.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Louth's a beautiful little town. It's fairly sleepy.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16I'm sure there are crimes,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20but you don't tend to hear about things as much as other cities.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22On the day of the raid,
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Nick had travelled into his office in Louth
0:03:24 > 0:03:26for a meeting with a client.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29But first, he's popped out to buy a sandwich for his lunch.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36I walked down the main road through the town, called Eastgate,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39and went into a sandwich shop, got a sandwich, and thought,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42"I'll go and see my stepdaughter, Hannah,"
0:03:42 > 0:03:43who works at one of the shops.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46I walked across the road to walk down the other side.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49At that moment, two men on a motorcycle pull up
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and park outside the jewellery shop.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Parking on double yellow lines is just the first,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and least serious, of their crimes this day.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02The motorcycle that they had come into Louth on was stolen.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05They had stolen it in a shed burglary a few days previously
0:04:05 > 0:04:07from Grimsby.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10They had altered the numberplate on it with tape
0:04:10 > 0:04:13to show a different registration number.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16This is one of the main shopping streets in Louth,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19and it can get very busy, especially around lunchtime.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22But that doesn't seem to bother these two.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24They walk into the jeweller's without taking their helmets off
0:04:24 > 0:04:29and straightaway start smashing into the glass displays with hammers.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30They don't care about the noise,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34or about the manageress of the shop who's standing just off-camera.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36But even though she's terrified,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40she bravely presses a panic button that locks the front door,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42but locks her inside with the robbers.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44I heard some glass breaking.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48I looked into the jeweller's, saw two guys in motorcycle helmets
0:04:48 > 0:04:52with claw hammers, busy smashing away at the counters.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Going at it quite well.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Nick decides to take action.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00I was annoyed that they were doing what they were doing.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01I just looked behind me
0:05:01 > 0:05:04and saw a motorcycle there with the key in the ignition,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06so I thought I'd help the job by taking the key out
0:05:06 > 0:05:08and putting it in my pocket.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12If nothing else, it will delay them, because they'll have to go on foot.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15I just thought it would be delaying tactics for the police to arrive.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Inside the jeweller's the robbery takes a violent turn.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22One of the men has a knife and, off-camera,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25he now threatens the manageress to force her to open the safe.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Outside, Nick can't see the manager.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36He believes the robbers are in the store on their own.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39I didn't realise there was somebody in the shop.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42For some reason I thought the shop had been locked and left for lunch.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45I tried the door, tried to push the door open and it wouldn't,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47because obviously it was locked.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Then I thought, if I can't get in, they obviously can't get out,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54and again, delaying their departure by holding the door
0:05:54 > 0:05:56so that when it was unlocked,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58they wouldn't be able to make good their escape.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Nick asks for help from passers-by who call the police
0:06:02 > 0:06:03and hold the door with him.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07This mobile phone footage shows just how many people
0:06:07 > 0:06:08are now getting involved.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11It was nice that so many people helped.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14It was definitely a team effort.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19I think, if I was going up against two chaps with knives, on my own,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21I might have thought twice about it.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24One of the group decides to damage the motorcycle.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25It's something Nick's not keen on.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27A person came along and tipped it over,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29and was actually jumping up and down on it,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31although I did tell him to leave it
0:06:31 > 0:06:33because it probably belonged to somebody else,
0:06:33 > 0:06:34and it might be evidence.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Meanwhile at the local police station,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Detective Constable Becky Fowler and her colleagues
0:06:42 > 0:06:44have received the emergency call.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46I think our first thoughts were that we wanted to get there
0:06:46 > 0:06:48as quickly as we can.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51We have security gates at the police station,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53and they just don't open quick enough.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Every car that was available, every officer that was available,
0:06:57 > 0:06:58immediately went out.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Our concerns are for the safety of the lady at the jewellery shop
0:07:01 > 0:07:04and the other public that were around.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06So yeah, you just want to get there, you want to catch them,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08and you want to make sure everybody's OK.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10But the two armed men inside the jeweller's
0:07:10 > 0:07:14know the police will be on their way, so they're not hanging about.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- They head for the locked door. - We were holding the door.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20They were trying to smash their way through with these claw hammers,
0:07:20 > 0:07:25and obviously we were being showered in glass.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28And myself and the other chap, we pulled our heads down
0:07:28 > 0:07:31to avoid being showered, but also to protect our eyes.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Realising that brute force isn't working,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37the robbers drag the manageress over to unlock the door.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Once we realised that the lady was still in the shop
0:07:41 > 0:07:45and that they could harm her, or they weren't going to let her go,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48it was a case of withdrawing, stepping back from the door.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51One of the men heaves the door open
0:07:51 > 0:07:53and they warn the crowd to back off.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57SHOUTING
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Threatening, "Get away, get away, or else."
0:08:00 > 0:08:03It was quite comical actually because they both ran to the bike.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07They scrabble for the ignition key, but it's not there.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08It's in Nick's pocket.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10They decide to make a run for it,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13but Nick and others are hot on their heels.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17It was a case of just following on
0:08:17 > 0:08:19and making it hard for them to get away,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23or at least to give the police the chance to catch up.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27And the police aren't far behind. They're about to arrive in force.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28The public were absolutely brilliant.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31All these different people that delayed everything
0:08:31 > 0:08:33an extra few seconds.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36They even had weapons pointed at them themselves at times.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38And just thought, "No, we're not having this."
0:08:38 > 0:08:40The offenders ran off, they thought,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43"We're not letting them get away with this in our town,"
0:08:43 > 0:08:44and chased after them.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Later, the desperate armed robbers meet even more determined locals
0:08:52 > 0:08:54as one of them tries to steal this man's car.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59There was no way that I was going to let him have my car.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03And I would do all I could to make sure he didn't get my car.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07And Nick finds himself in a direct confrontation.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10He stopped and turned to us with the claw hammer,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12as though he was threatening us.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15The robbers want to run, but the locals aren't about to let them.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Laptops, mobile phones, handbags,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25we leave a lot of valuable items in our cars these days
0:09:25 > 0:09:28that are very attractive to thieves.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29But in north London,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32the Metropolitan Police have reduced the amount of thefts from cars,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and they've done it using some very special high-tech devices
0:09:35 > 0:09:38that are invisible to the human eye.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49This man's about to commit a crime.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51While he's chatting to someone on the phone,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53he notices that this car window is open,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57and there's a laptop in a bag on the passenger's seat.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59He decides to help himself to it,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02then casually continues his conversation and walks away.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Elsewhere, this other man sees an unlocked car door.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11He starts to rummage through the belongings on the car seat,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13looking for something to steal.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16But both these men are making a big mistake.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19They've fallen into traps set by police.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21In the London Borough of Brent,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24sneaky thieves like them are getting snared.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Here at Brent we decided to go to war with the criminals, if you like,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32place the fear of crime back into them, by using these covert methods.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37They never know, when they break into a car, if this car is a trap car.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41And some of these methods can leave a car thief feeling,
0:10:41 > 0:10:42and looking, rather silly.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47It's a high-volume crime.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51It affects every aspect of the population across London.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53It's an endemic problem,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56and it affects and blights the lives of most of us
0:10:56 > 0:10:57at one point or another.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02A thief can rob your vehicle in next to no time,
0:11:02 > 0:11:03as Lynn sadly found out
0:11:03 > 0:11:07when she was dropping some papers off at her sister's house.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I parked right outside her house and it was broad daylight.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13I reached over, grabbed the paperwork out of my handbag,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17left my handbag on the passenger's seat in the front,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20locked the car, ran into my sister's house,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24gave her the paperwork in, said goodbye, came back out.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29And the passenger window had been smashed, and my handbag was gone.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Lynn had only left her car for a moment,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35parked on a residential street.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37I think I was shocked, to start with.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39And probably a little bit frightened,
0:11:39 > 0:11:43because I didn't know if the person was still around.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46And then after that, angry. Very, very angry.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Thefts from cars can take just seconds to commit,
0:11:49 > 0:11:54but they can affect victims' lives for a long time afterwards.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58In my handbag was everything. Everything that I run my life with.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03My phone, my Filofax, my purse with all my bank cards.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05I had to reapply for a new drivers license.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09And of course, there are some things you just can't replace.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11My camera was stolen as well,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14and on my camera I obviously had lots of pictures
0:12:14 > 0:12:16that I'd taken of the children at various school events
0:12:16 > 0:12:20and family gatherings, which... Yes, I can replace the camera,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22but I can never get those photographs back.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24They're gone forever.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28The trouble is, police can't normally be around
0:12:28 > 0:12:30when these quick thefts happen.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32But Madeline and her colleagues in Brent
0:12:32 > 0:12:35found a way to be right on the spot at the scene of a crime.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39We needed something else. We needed a new innovation.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42We needed maybe to look towards technology to try and help us.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45So, they set up a series of trap cars,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49rigged with camera sensors and other clever devices.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52And, sporting a selection of the sort of valuable items
0:12:52 > 0:12:53that attract thieves.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Like this man.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57This gentleman here, as you can see,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01has got absolutely no idea that this is a trap car.
0:13:01 > 0:13:06He's reached in, he's taken what is actually a laptop in this instance.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08He's so very casual about what he's doing.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11He doesn't even bother to finish his phone call,
0:13:11 > 0:13:12puts his phone back to his ear
0:13:12 > 0:13:14and carries on chatting to whoever he was.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16This is in the middle of the day.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20This is how brazen and how quickly car thieves operate.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24But the camera is operating too, and it's caught the thief in the act.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29To make it even harder for criminals to deny their crimes,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32the police have some other tricks up their sleeve.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Or, in this case, ON the sleeve...of the robber.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37It's a special type of liquid
0:13:37 > 0:13:41that helps give detectives solid evidence.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Let me show you how traceable liquid works.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47If I was a car thief breaking into one of our trap cars,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51I'd get sprayed with the liquid.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56I even try and wash it off, or wipe it off with a towel, as you can see.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Still nothing can be seen on my hand.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01However, as soon as I dim the lights,
0:14:01 > 0:14:07and put a UV light on, as you can see, I'm glowing bright yellow.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09If I were a prisoner, what would happen now is,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11I'd be taken through to the custody suite,
0:14:11 > 0:14:15swabs would be taken of my hand and sent to the laboratory.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18The laboratory would be able to look at that sample
0:14:18 > 0:14:21and immediately link me back
0:14:21 > 0:14:25to a particular crime scene, house or vehicle that had been broken into.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Each separate container of liquid has its own individual code.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33The stain is harmless, but even with regular washing
0:14:33 > 0:14:35it will stay on clothes and skin for weeks.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38This footage from another force shows the liquid in action.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41A man opens the door of a car, intending to steal.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44As he rifles through the items on the passenger's seat,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47he triggers a spray. He wasn't expecting that!
0:14:47 > 0:14:49The fine mist has gone all over him.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52He's confused and checks his hands and arms.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56The spray's put him off any further rummaging,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59so he shuts the door and leaves.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03What he doesn't know is that he's now a marked man,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06and linked to this specific crime scene.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Madeline has another example from a different capture car.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13We received an activation early one evening
0:15:13 > 0:15:16to say that the trap car had been broken into.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Officers attended the scene and very quickly identified
0:15:19 > 0:15:24where the items that he'd stolen had been taken to.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27The man denies it was him that had taken them,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29so police bring out the special ultraviolet torch.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34He glowed bright green. He was absolutely covered in the stuff.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38This is the arm that leaned in to take the stolen property,
0:15:38 > 0:15:43and you can see how he's been sprayed with the traceable liquid.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46And here, under normal light, absolutely nothing.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Whoops. There goes the case for the defence.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53In court, the man was sentenced to a 49-hour community order
0:15:53 > 0:15:56and had to pay £400 in costs.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02And this other ever-so-casual thief didn't fare any better.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04Justice was swift for him, too.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08In less than 24 hours, he was arrested, charged,
0:16:08 > 0:16:12put before the courts and given a six-week custodial sentence.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15It's a successful campaign for Madeline and her colleagues.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Eventually, word gets around about these capture cars.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25Opportunist thieves decide to stop risking opportunities.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29And the amount of thefts from vehicles in the area has fallen.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33We decided to place the fear of crime back into the criminals,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36to take our psychological warfare to them,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39to say to them quite clearly, and quite simply,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43if you come to Brent, our new technology will be waiting for you.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Coming up on Caught Red Handed:
0:16:51 > 0:16:54In Lincolnshire, the jewellery robbers are on the run.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57But not for long.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00And, an angry homeowner launches an internet campaign
0:17:00 > 0:17:04when his camera catches a burglar with a wardrobe malfunction.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22We're back in Louth, Lincolnshire, where two armed men
0:17:22 > 0:17:26in motorcycle helmets have raided a jewellery shop.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Some of the locals have decided to take action
0:17:28 > 0:17:33and have been delaying the robbers for the police to catch them.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36I was annoyed that they were doing this in our town.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38I was annoyed that they were terrorising people.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40And when the two men try to run away,
0:17:40 > 0:17:45financial adviser Nick and several others run after them.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Anybody that knows me knows that I'm not a runner,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51so I didn't really believe I would catch up with him.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53I just believed that I would keep up with him,
0:17:53 > 0:17:54or keep a distance from him.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57The robbers and the chasing pack of townspeople
0:17:57 > 0:18:00are all heading towards a car park where another resident,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Eric Chapman, has just finished an appointment in town.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I went to get my eyes tested,
0:18:06 > 0:18:11and I went back to my car to drive home to do my next job.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16The robbers split up. One of them approaches Eric's car.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18We ran around this corner here.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20We got up to about where that lady is there,
0:18:20 > 0:18:25and the car, Eric's I believe, his car was manoeuvring.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28One young man ran across the front of me
0:18:28 > 0:18:30with a motorcycle helmet on his head.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33The burglar ran towards the vehicle, pulled the door open.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35He made it obvious he was after my car.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38There was no way I was going to let him have my car.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42And I would do all I could to make sure he didn't get my car.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45He shouted at the driver to get out.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47He sat there, he wasn't going to move.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49To try and force Eric out of his car,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52the man lunges at him with a knife.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55All of a sudden, a knife...
0:18:55 > 0:18:59His arm came out at that sort of angle.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00And I didn't really...
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Even though I was stabbed in the eye,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05I didn't really think about that.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08I was more focused on what was going on round me.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10We shouted at him to let the man go,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13on the basis that he was making it worse for himself
0:19:13 > 0:19:14and the police were on their way.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18That was my saving grace, I think, at the end of the day.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21The fact that all these others were running after him.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Within a few seconds he'd reconsidered,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26he'd taken the knife away.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30He ran off into the corner of the car park there.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33I've been through far worse.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36I've been in the forces and I've been in a war zone,
0:19:36 > 0:19:37so it didn't faze me one bit.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Hospital pictures show how near the tip of the knife
0:19:41 > 0:19:44came to Eric's eye, and to blinding him.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Nick and others carry on pursuing the robber.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51As he was running he threw away the knife that he was carrying
0:19:51 > 0:19:53into some undergrowth.
0:19:53 > 0:19:58Down alleyways and round corners, they keep him in sight.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02I finally caught up with him on a hill just outside the chip shop,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Mr Chips, as it's called locally.
0:20:05 > 0:20:10And, as I got to him he was about to use his claw hammer on us,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14on me and another chap that was coming up.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16And he was threatening.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19And I said, "Look behind you," so to speak, and he looked behind,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23and there were four bobbies running down the hill with their batons out,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27telling him to get on the floor, drop his weapons,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30which he didn't do very quickly, I was pleased to say(!)
0:20:30 > 0:20:32And they all jumped all over him.
0:20:32 > 0:20:33The man is quickly disarmed
0:20:33 > 0:20:36and Detective Constable Becky Fowler arrives
0:20:36 > 0:20:38as the handcuffs are going on.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41I was immediately passed some jewellery
0:20:41 > 0:20:45and a knife that another member of the public had picked up,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48that had been dropped by the male that they had detained.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50I couldn't help saying to him at the time,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53while the police were arresting him, that he is not such a big man now,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57now he's not threatening a lady and an elderly gentleman.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02He's been chased from the shop all the way through to where he stopped.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04He's got the jewellery on him.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08He's banged to rights. He's caught red-handed, basically,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12which makes our job so much easier.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16The man, now identified as Damion Clark,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19had ridden to Louth on the motorcycle from Grimsby
0:21:19 > 0:21:21with his accomplice, who was still at large.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24The hard part for us was finding out who he was with
0:21:24 > 0:21:25and where they'd gone.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29While the police start scouring the town for the missing man,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Nick has to get back to work.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34I could see the helicopter flying over the office,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and circling around Louth for a long while.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39I saw a lot of police cars racing through the town.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43The police helicopter, special search teams with dogs,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46and many locals, try to pinpoint where the man is.
0:21:46 > 0:21:5030 or 40 people rang up that day, giving us information.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53That was how involved the public were.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Unfortunately, the man has disappeared.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58But now they have Damion Clark in custody,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02they can work out who the other man might be.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06My colleagues get onto Humberside and build-up an intelligence picture
0:22:06 > 0:22:09as to who Damien associates with.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13And from that, we quite quickly identify
0:22:13 > 0:22:16that the other person is most likely to be Christopher London.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Christopher London is well-known to Humberside police.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22And they also know who he associates with.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26So now, they can make a good guess at a vehicle he could be using.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29We was able to identify what car he was in,
0:22:29 > 0:22:34and Humberside stopped the car and arrested him later that day.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39They'd hoped their day out in Louth would get them a haul of jewellery.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42But instead, all they got was a jail sentence.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46In court, Damion Clark pleads guilty
0:22:46 > 0:22:50and asks for 17 other offences to be taken into account.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54He is sentenced to six years in prison and because he used his knife
0:22:54 > 0:22:59to wound Eric above his eye, he's given an extra 3.5 years on licence.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Christopher London also pleads guilty
0:23:05 > 0:23:09and asks for 12 other offences to be taken into account.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11He is jailed for four years.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15It's a result for the police, and for the people of Louth.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Without the public in this situation,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20we probably would have had an undetected robbery on our hands.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24However, it could have been a very different outcome.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28While it was an excellent result in this case,
0:23:28 > 0:23:32we would never recommend that people put themselves in any danger,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34or take matters into their own hands.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36- INTERVIEWER:- Brave or stupid?
0:23:36 > 0:23:40Stupid, definitely. Yeah, yeah. That's me! INTERVIEWER LAUGHS
0:23:40 > 0:23:42It was certainly a close call for Eric,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44who was stabbed by Damion Clark
0:23:44 > 0:23:47while preventing him from taking his car.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50My friends and family have been very proud of what I did.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52There have been mixed opinions.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Some said I should have given him the car,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58and others say, "Good on you, you did the right thing."
0:23:58 > 0:24:02But at the end of the day, I do what I want to do,
0:24:02 > 0:24:04what I feel is right at the time.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06We do tend to hear the negatives,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10about nobody helped somebody in distress,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13and I think it's so nice that so many people helped and took part,
0:24:13 > 0:24:17and obviously I was just a small cog in the system
0:24:17 > 0:24:21that got these guys, and stopped them and caught them
0:24:21 > 0:24:23and enabled them to be put away.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26It wasn't just the police. It was people power, yeah.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Now, what should we do if we see a crime happening in front of us?
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Well, Nick and the others in Louth got stuck in.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44But that's not necessarily the best thing to do.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47If you witness a crime, the first thing you do, stay calm,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50keep yourself safe, and dial 999 for the police.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52If you do feel that you've no option but to step in
0:24:52 > 0:24:56because somebody else's life is at risk,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58or you feel that it's your public duty,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00then shout to others around you.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Get the support of the community around you.
0:25:02 > 0:25:03Think about,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07I might be asked some questions about this at a later date.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08What is that person wearing?
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Can you give us a full description of what that person looks like?
0:25:11 > 0:25:14You can have just as valuable an input
0:25:14 > 0:25:16as being a witness to the crime
0:25:16 > 0:25:18because you can actually tell us what's happened,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20and you can help us identify the offender.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28There was a time when a criminal could avoid capture
0:25:28 > 0:25:31by running round the corner and hiding amongst a crowd.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Nowadays though, it's a lot harder, because within just a few hours,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38their face will be all over the internet.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47This home belongs to Eddie and his family.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51They have two good-quality CCTV cameras
0:25:51 > 0:25:54which keep watch over their property when they're out.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Someone who doesn't know about the cameras,
0:25:57 > 0:25:59but will wish he did,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01is this burglar, who's just parked outside.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06It's a hot day, but cool as a cucumber,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09he knocks on the door to check if there is anyone in.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10No-one home.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13So, he takes a look around the side of the building.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Moments later, he breaks in through a window.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Unfortunately, the effort of doing so is too much for his trousers.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26He wipes away fingerprint evidence,
0:26:26 > 0:26:27puts gloves on,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29and goes on a recce of the house.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Maybe he's in search of a belt...
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Having decided what he'd like to steal,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40he has the cheek to pick up one of the owner's own knapsacks
0:26:40 > 0:26:42to help him carry away their possessions.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47A little later, he comes down the stairs with the backpack bulging
0:26:47 > 0:26:49and an old water bottle containing coins -
0:26:49 > 0:26:54the children's coins, which they've been saving for a family trip.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Not content with his haul so far,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59he emerges from a downstairs room with another bag of loot.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06He finally leaves, walking calmly to his car.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09But he's not going to remain calm for long.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Because the house owner Eddie, when he discovers the crime,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14posts this footage on the internet.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19The burglar's little trouser problem catches people's interest.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23The video soon spreads around across the whole region.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25It's seen by many thousands of local people.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30It all gets too hot for the burglar
0:27:30 > 0:27:34and just two days after his crime, he goes to the police station
0:27:34 > 0:27:36and hands himself in.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40It turns out he was already on probation for other offences
0:27:40 > 0:27:42when he decided to rob Eddie.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45He is sentenced to six years in prison
0:27:45 > 0:27:48with a minimum of 2.5 years to be served
0:27:48 > 0:27:50and also has to pay a large fine.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54Even though Eddie and his family lost some of their belongings,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56they are pleased with the outcome.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59The burglar was caught in quick time
0:27:59 > 0:28:01and won't be released for a long time.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07That's it for today.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Join us next time when the police and the public
0:28:09 > 0:28:12catch more criminals red-handed.