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 > 0:00:14police and other agencies are using new technology
0:00:14 > 0:00:18and tactics where the bad guys are actually getting caught in the act.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22I can see the man commit the robbery. Lovely! Thank you very much.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Local councils, shops and businesses are laying some traps of their own.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Why should we feel frightened for the rest of our lives?
0:00:29 > 0:00:30And the general public, too,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33can help unsuspecting crooks get their comeuppance.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35No way are you getting away.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38We did it for everyone else they might be stealing from.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39We will name and shame you.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43So anyone's who's up to no good had better think twice.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45They might just get caught red handed.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Today, it's a terrifying sight.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57An elderly woman sleeps in a chair
0:00:57 > 0:01:00while a burglar creeps towards her.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03And what happens next is quite frightening.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Frightening for the burglar, that is.
0:01:06 > 0:01:07That's him running for cover,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10being chased by the woman with her walking stick.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Also today, a hi-tech operation by police in Cornwall
0:01:16 > 0:01:19as they take on two gangs of drug dealers.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23My objective was to permanently disrupt and dismantle these gangs.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24And he certainly does.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28With over 100 years of prison sentences between them.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31And a burglar in a sandwich shop.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35What he thought was a bread-and-butter job
0:01:35 > 0:01:37comes crashing down around him.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Ah, you clever boy.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Ah, you're a clever boy, aren't you?
0:01:51 > 0:01:54But first, how Margaret, a 67-year-old woman,
0:01:54 > 0:01:56who finds it difficult to get about
0:01:56 > 0:01:59came face-to-face with something we all fear.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01An intruder in the night.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04It's the early hours of the morning
0:02:04 > 0:02:07and Margaret is asleep in her armchair.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14Just like a bad dream come true, a shadowy figure creeps into view.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18But this is no nightmare. This man is very real.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21And he is here to steal money.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25At one stage, he gets very close to Margaret.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30But this burglar doesn't realise two things.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33That his every move is being recorded by two cameras
0:02:33 > 0:02:37and that Margaret has sensed his looming presence.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Though she's scared, she's got her wits about her
0:02:40 > 0:02:43and she's bravely working out what her options are.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48The town of Long Eaton
0:02:48 > 0:02:51on the borders of Nottingham and Derbyshire.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Margaret moved to her ground-floor flat here 13 years ago
0:02:55 > 0:02:59when debilitating illness made it difficult for her to cope with stairs.
0:03:00 > 0:03:06I've got arthritis in both knees and I've got arthritis in my spine.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11And I've got chronic venous dermatitis in both legs.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13There's a clever boy!
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Margaret has Elvis the budgie for company.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19And there are regular visits from neighbours and friends,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21like Michelle, who help out.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26I've known Margaret roughly seven to eight years. She is a lovely lady.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Very sweet, very kind. She does get out and meet people.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34She plays dominoes and things like that with friends.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37I've always felt safe in this flat
0:03:37 > 0:03:40and around this area until this happened.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44What changed Margaret's feeling of safety was one particular day
0:03:44 > 0:03:47when she suspected that some money had gone missing.
0:03:47 > 0:03:53She had been to the bank to withdraw £200 in order to pay her bills.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57It was the next morning. I looked in my bag, my purse was missing.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02Margaret calls Michelle and they search high and low for it.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05I've mislaid it or put it somewhere I shouldn't have.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Normally, it was safe. She knew where everything was.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12- It's not her to lose anything. - I thought I'd got senile dementia.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Couldn't find it, so obviously somebody had took it,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17but we didn't know who and how.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Somebody had come in and pinched it.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Margaret calls the police.
0:04:24 > 0:04:25They arrive to investigate,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28but apart from the missing money itself,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30there's no sign of a break-in.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Detective Constable Gill Richardson is part of the investigating team.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38She believed some money had been taken from inside her premises.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40She didn't know how they'd gained access.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44And we always have to treat it as though a crime has happened
0:04:44 > 0:04:46until we know to the contrary.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50We offered crime prevention advice, we had people attend
0:04:50 > 0:04:54and install some alarms and other crime prevention work.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Basically, we did everything we could with the police
0:04:57 > 0:05:00to try and make sure she felt safe in her own house.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Even though there's now more security, both Margaret and Michelle
0:05:04 > 0:05:07get an uneasy feeling around the flat.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12I said, "I feel like I'm being watched, Michelle."
0:05:12 > 0:05:15When I came, I was looking behind me all the time
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and I was looking around to see if anybody was watching me,
0:05:18 > 0:05:19see if somebody was there.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22The affects of somebody being burgled can be phenomenal.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26It can affect how somebody feels about living in their home,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28it can affect how they feel about leaving their home.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33The loss of money has also forced Margaret into financial difficulties.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37I was panicking. I thought, "How am I going to pay these bills off?"
0:05:37 > 0:05:42A couple of days later, the same thing happens again.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46I got burgled again. My money went missing again.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50And I told Michelle. I said, "My money's gone again, Michelle."
0:05:50 > 0:05:52So we got the police again.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56And again, it's unclear how the thief has broken in.
0:05:56 > 0:05:57It is difficult.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Just because they're going back over and over again
0:06:00 > 0:06:02does not make it easy to catch them.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05In this case, he was very forensically aware
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and so it meant that we weren't able to capture him
0:06:08 > 0:06:11through DNA or fingerprints.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13We were looking for other ways in which to capture him.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17The police now decide to go further and install cameras.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21If the burglar strikes again, they should show what he does
0:06:21 > 0:06:23and hopefully who he is.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28They're small cameras that are hidden discretely in an address
0:06:28 > 0:06:32and have the capability to record based on things such as motion.
0:06:32 > 0:06:38I was very pleased because I felt safer then that the cameras were in.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43I thought, "However he's getting in, he's going to get his picture took."
0:06:46 > 0:06:49The trap is set and Margaret only has to wait
0:06:49 > 0:06:52a couple of nights for it to be put to use.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54It's just gone 12:30am
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and she's fallen asleep in front of the television.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01I'm actually sleeping here because I've not long took my tablets
0:07:01 > 0:07:05and once I've took my tablets, I get tired.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09And then suddenly, the shocking sight of an eerie figure
0:07:09 > 0:07:12creeping into the room from the direction of the bedroom.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14The burglar takes Margaret's handbag
0:07:14 > 0:07:17from the back of her mobility scooter.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20He regularly glances at Margaret.
0:07:20 > 0:07:26He's looking to see if I am sleeping. And I know I snore badly.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30After rifling through the bag and stealing some money,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33he carefully puts it back so it doesn't look disturbed.
0:07:33 > 0:07:39He knows that there's another bag and he's looking for the other bag.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41He gets very close to Margaret.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44I've heard something and in my head,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48I've felt it's probably the bird moving.
0:07:49 > 0:07:55I heard something else and I'm saying to myself, "He's in my flat.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58"He's actually in my flat."
0:07:58 > 0:08:01My heart was pounding.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05But I thought, "Just try to keep calm, Margaret."
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Although her heart is pounding, Margaret pretends to look asleep.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15But her knees fidget slightly and the burglar, sensing
0:08:15 > 0:08:19she might be rousing, attempts to leave by the front door.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- But it has a police alarm on it. - ALARM WAILS
0:08:26 > 0:08:28And the alarm's going off.
0:08:28 > 0:08:35And the fear had gone and the anger just took over the fear.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39And I just thought, "No, you're not going to get away this time."
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Because there's no way he could get out through the bedroom.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Margaret fetches her walking stick
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and despite her pain, goes after the man.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50I'm hurrying and I'm hurting.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54I'm going, "Right, I'm going to break your kneecaps," I'm shouting.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58I went into the bedroom and I just could not believe
0:08:58 > 0:09:01what I saw with my own eyes.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04He just, he jumped on my bed.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10And it was like somebody... A gymnast.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12He jumped on the bed and out through the window.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Finally, she solved the mystery
0:09:14 > 0:09:17of where the burglar had been breaking in.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19The window was wide open.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21It was really wide open
0:09:21 > 0:09:25and I thought, "How can he get it that far?"
0:09:25 > 0:09:31Because the windows we've got, you can only open it so far.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Margaret's now protected against it happening again,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36but to help crime prevention,
0:09:36 > 0:09:40we've agreed not to reveal exactly how he got in.
0:09:40 > 0:09:46All I thought was, "Oh, you've got away again."
0:09:46 > 0:09:48But he hasn't got away for long.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Those two cameras have done their job. Gill's unit collect the images.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55As a result of that footage being downloaded,
0:09:55 > 0:10:00we created a bulletin which was distributed amongst Derbyshire Police
0:10:00 > 0:10:05and a local officer was able to alert us as to who this male was.
0:10:05 > 0:10:11The burglar is 51-year-old Patrick Reid. He's found and arrested.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14I just burst into tears. I said, "Have they really, really got him?"
0:10:14 > 0:10:18And they said, "Yes, Margaret, we've really, really got him.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22"On his pushbike and everything, we've got him."
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And I said, "Oh, thank God for that."
0:10:25 > 0:10:30Margaret's friends hear about how she chased the creeping thief away.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34I was a bit shocked because Margaret's not aggressive at all.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37She's not an aggressive person. She's quite soft and kind.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39And I was, like, surprised.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42But I think it was the anger that took over then.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45But she did it and it was OK. She didn't get hurt.
0:10:45 > 0:10:51Well, she felt a bit sore for a few days, but she didn't get hurt.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54And Margaret's bravery doesn't end there.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56She insists on going to the court case.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00One of her concerns was that although this man had broken into
0:11:00 > 0:11:03her address and knew what she looked like
0:11:03 > 0:11:06and knew what her house looked like, she didn't really know him
0:11:06 > 0:11:08and she didn't know what he looked like.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11And she was adamant that she wanted to face him at court.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Patrick Reid is found guilty
0:11:15 > 0:11:18and is sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Taking into account the anguish Margaret's been put through
0:11:23 > 0:11:27and the loss of money, the judge turns to her and says...
0:11:27 > 0:11:33"Mrs Woodward, for your tremendous bravery and courage,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36"I'm awarding you £1,500
0:11:36 > 0:11:40"out of the Queen's and the Sheriff's coffers."
0:11:40 > 0:11:44And the burglar, Patrick Reid, shouted, "but I didn't harm her!"
0:11:44 > 0:11:49And the judge said, "Take him down!"
0:11:51 > 0:11:55The policewoman was cuddling me, I'd got Michelle cuddling me.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58And I says, "What a thing to get!"
0:11:58 > 0:12:02And then I said, "I'm so proud of myself."
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Ah, you're a clever boy, aren't you?
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Margaret has now settled back into her flat with Elvis.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Her security has been shored up and she sleeps comfortably at night.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16What Margaret did on that final occasion
0:12:16 > 0:12:19that she was burgled was amazing.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Very brave, very brave.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Yeah, she's wonderful.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32We all like to think that our homes are safe and secure,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35but quite often there are weak points that we might not be aware of
0:12:35 > 0:12:39but a burglar will exploit.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42We all know about keeping our doors closed and keeping windows closed,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45but what about the doors and windows at the back of the property?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48You've got open just a tiny amount in order to provide
0:12:48 > 0:12:50a bit of ventilation, completely understand that,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53but you need to make sure that these areas are closed.
0:12:53 > 0:13:00We can help stop burglars by fitting guards on letter boxes.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02A criminal can look through your letter box, see the keys
0:13:02 > 0:13:05and then use some kind of pole or some kind of equipment to get
0:13:05 > 0:13:08hold of your keys and then they're off with your car, for example.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Christmas, birthdays, we all buy new appliances.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Think about what you do with the packaging.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17If you leave it outside the front of your address for the binmen,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20the likelihood is that the thief is going to see and it's going to
0:13:20 > 0:13:23make your address more exciting and more attractive to them.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26So, think about breaking up cardboard boxes
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and putting it in the recycling bin so it's out of view.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38You'd think a burglar have to be pretty sure of a good haul
0:13:38 > 0:13:41to risk smashing through a glass door.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44But this man isn't breaking into a bank or a jewellers -
0:13:44 > 0:13:46no, just a sandwich shop.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49And he almost gets sliced in the process.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57It's late at night in central London.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00A man is waiting outside this closed food bar,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02acting casual as the traffic passes.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06He's biding his time until the right moment.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12He then tries the door, and finds it's locked.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Not surprising, really, seeing as the shop's closed. He heads off.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21But comes back to try a new tactic. This could be key to the door.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26But unfortunately for him, it's the key for another door.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29He heads off again.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32But there was a bit of give when he pushed the door,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36so he decides to try to try his luck again with some brute force.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41And, this time, smashes through.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Though not without almost being sliced by the glass.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51After a health and safety adjustment,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54he runs to the cash boxes to find...
0:14:54 > 0:14:57they're locked, too.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00He seems to have overlooked the fact that they would be.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04And it takes time to register that the registers won't open.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09He gives up and leaves,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13only to return for one more check.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Yup - they're still locked.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20When police eventually catch up with this burglar,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24they show him all this CCTV footage of his botched job.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28In court, he gets sentenced to six months in prison for a number
0:15:28 > 0:15:32of burglaries in the area, including this one at the sandwich shop.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Hopefully when he gets out,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37this doughnut will find a legal way to earn a crust.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Drug gangs are problem everywhere in the UK, not just the big cities.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51But the police are developing a sophisticated system that will
0:15:51 > 0:15:53detect and disrupt the syndicates.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02This is a sophisticated three-year police operation
0:16:02 > 0:16:04to smash two gangs of drug dealers.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06With the help of technology,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09detectives unravel a criminal network that spans the UK.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16They use covert vehicle recognition, mobile phone tracking and CCTV.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21This clip's from Liverpool.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24This one is from Sunbury on Thames, and this one, Birmingham.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28But the heart of this particular drug-dealing operation is
0:16:28 > 0:16:34not in tough inner-city areas, but in the holiday towns of Cornwall.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37If you think, perhaps, of a spider's web spiralling out,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40the criminals are the centre of that web,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44and as it spirals out, more and more people are becoming dragged into it.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Apart from the problem of addiction,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50the drug trade is a catalyst for many types of serious crime.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53The reason that person's stolen the radio out of your car, the reason
0:16:53 > 0:16:56that person's mugged you in the street is to obtain money for drugs.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57By tackling drug gangs,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01police can lower the level of a wide range of other sorts of crime.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Cornwall - popular as a holiday destination -
0:17:10 > 0:17:13is not the sort of place you would associate with criminal gangs.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17I think Devon and Cornwall are no better or nor worse than any other parts of the country.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Drugs will go into these towns, will go into these cities,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24and there's just as much of a problem in rural areas as there are in the big cities.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Nicholas Pearman works at a rehabilitation centre.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31He helps people who have decided to come off drugs.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35I see the ones that are tearful, I see the ones that
0:17:35 > 0:17:37lives are unmanageable and they can't cope no more.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41They come in, and I coordinate a recovery pathway
0:17:41 > 0:17:44to help them get off drugs.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46The reason Nicholas understands his clients
0:17:46 > 0:17:51is because for 22 years he was addicted to drugs himself.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55He knows only too well the link with other types of crime.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Drugs really is destroying neighbourhoods.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00If I was walking down a street and I was on my way to a drug
0:18:00 > 0:18:04dealer's house, and there was a laptop in a car,
0:18:04 > 0:18:09the car window would've got smashed, and the laptop would've gone.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14If that drug dealer didn't live in that area, possibly, no doubt,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16that crime would not have happened.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20While drug dealers are making their money, local people suffer.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Detective Inspector Dave Dale
0:18:25 > 0:18:28from the Serious And Organised Crime Investigation Team,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31or SOCIT for short, wants to SOCK IT to two drug gangs
0:18:31 > 0:18:34they've discovered operating at the same time.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37One is in Falmouth and the other in Newquay.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42My objective was to permanently disrupt
0:18:42 > 0:18:45and dismantle these gangs, to stop them operating in our area,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48to make the environment hostile for them to operate in,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50and to prosecute them accordingly.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54They call the investigation Operation Ipanema.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58They decide to tackle both gangs at the same time.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Detective Constable Chris Louca is part of the team.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Although they're quite separate geographically,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06we identified that they would pool their resources together
0:19:06 > 0:19:10to bring in the drugs into the County.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12If we only targeted Falmouth,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15we could've properly seen that Newquay would have taken over
0:19:15 > 0:19:18the supply, so you had to look at both of them at the same time
0:19:18 > 0:19:21to actually get a whole picture of what was going on.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24To see what the whole picture is, undercover officers
0:19:24 > 0:19:26and surveillance unit are sent in.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29They find both groups are set up in a similar way.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33The two gangs did consist of old school friends
0:19:33 > 0:19:35and quite a few actually were relatives.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40In Newquay there are three leaders that are identified.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Matthew Bird and the Tucker brothers, Samuel and Joseph.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49On the south coast in Falmouth, they find one main leader, Roy Jones.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53But he works closely with two other organisers -
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Michael Dean Thom and Roy Wilks.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Under them they would have several couriers who would either be
0:20:00 > 0:20:02used to ferry drugs or cash around.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06The main organisers wouldn't want to get caught with the drugs on them, would they?
0:20:06 > 0:20:09So they bring in others to do the dirty work.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15For example, Roy Jones in Falmouth has recruited Jack Clark,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17a 19-year-old, as a courier.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22Basically got himself caught up with the older members of the group and
0:20:22 > 0:20:27enjoyed the lifestyle that would come along with being involved with these boys.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Police pick up on one of their drug commuting trips to visit a supplier in Birmingham.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36What we have here is the vehicle driven by the main Falmouth organiser,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39and also contained the courier, Jack Clark.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Two hours later, after receiving the drugs,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44they drive to the city centre.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49They're in no hurry - as far as they're concerned, they are on a secret mission.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52But actually, their every move is caught on camera.
0:20:52 > 0:20:58This is driving around onto the road that leads to Birmingham New Street station.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02The young courier is dropped off to catch a train. Jones stays with his car.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04The reasons for this are twofold.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08One, if Roy Jones gets stopped, there's no drugs on him,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10he doesn't get arrested, and the second one is,
0:21:10 > 0:21:15the drugs actually safely get into the county of Cornwall via the rail network undetected.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18But it doesn't stay undetected for long, because...
0:21:18 > 0:21:22What we have here is Jack Clark using the stairs to access the platform.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24You can see he's using a mobile phone,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26at this point he's sending a message to Roy Jones.
0:21:26 > 0:21:32These crooks think they're smart enough to get away with it, but they're wrong.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36It's their mobiles that prove to be a key factor in their capture.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Mobile phone work really does form
0:21:38 > 0:21:42what we call the glue of the investigation.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44This is how it works:
0:21:44 > 0:21:48From Jack Clark's phone, police map out when he made phone calls,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51where he made them, and to whom.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54From that information, they gather CCTV evidence
0:21:54 > 0:21:59from cameras at locations where Jack Clark visits.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Jack's telephone calls are plotted in red, and the main organisers
0:22:02 > 0:22:06are plotted in blue, and it just shows them travelling down
0:22:06 > 0:22:10almost in unison, but one using the M5 and one using the rail networks.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13With the detection part of the operation well under way,
0:22:13 > 0:22:18the SOCIT team now begin their next phase - to disrupt the two gangs.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21And this is the clever bit.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24They're going to do it in such a way the gangs won't know
0:22:24 > 0:22:26they're being targeted.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28A specialist police unit intercepts them
0:22:28 > 0:22:30on one of the main roads that leads into Cornwall.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33I'm a member of the Road Crime Unit.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36the unit was formed six years ago, consisting of one sergeant,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40three detectives and three traffic officers.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44We've got a mixture of both unmarked and marked cars. We're tasked
0:22:44 > 0:22:49to stop certain individuals in certain vehicles at certain times.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51And to keep the crooks clueless,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55the police act like it's a normal traffic cop stop.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Quite surprisingly, if these people are carrying a large amount of drugs,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01they seem to have a habit of speeding, so they will quite often do
0:23:01 > 0:23:0590,100 miles an hour, which gives us a perfect excuse to stop the vehicle.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Not a smart move, to speed with a car full of drugs.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11After several successful stops,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15the loss to the gangs begins to have an effect.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19We take out their couriers, and they can't be used then again.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24We start to reduce the amount of people that they actually have at their disposal.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26And also with each seizure there comes a monetary problem
0:23:26 > 0:23:29for them, and so they start running out of money,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31cos these drugs don't come free.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35The gang organisers are forced to become more visible as they try
0:23:35 > 0:23:40to replace lost drugs by making deals with new suppliers.
0:23:40 > 0:23:47This is CCTV of drug gang bosses meeting at a pub in Sunbury-on-Thames, all very cosy.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50But it's a turning point for Chris and his colleagues.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55The male at the bar is one of the Falmouth organisers.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59And this male who's just walked in is the London supplier.
0:23:59 > 0:24:05The next male to enter, this is the courier who returned the week later
0:24:05 > 0:24:09to pick up a significant amount of amphetamine and cocaine.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12And finally, this is the main Falmouth organiser.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14This is a significant meeting.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17It only lasted 20 minutes, but this put the principal organisers
0:24:17 > 0:24:22of the Falmouth crime gang together with a supplier
0:24:22 > 0:24:26and a courier, and knowing that the following week a significant
0:24:26 > 0:24:28amount of controlled drugs were seized.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32The courier is caught as he's heading back home to Cornwall.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36His house is searched, yielding a crop of more evidence.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41A rather substantial cannabis factory was discovered
0:24:41 > 0:24:42in the double garage.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44This was the first indication we had that the
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Falmouth crime gang were also cultivating cannabis,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52and a cultivation like this could yield up to £120,000.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Despite the increasing amount of drugs now falling
0:24:55 > 0:24:59into the hands of the police, the two gangs refused to give up.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03They still continued regardless, and were committing offences on bail,
0:25:03 > 0:25:08and they were basically becoming so desperate they just had to continue
0:25:08 > 0:25:13to try and salvage some cash or something out of their enterprise.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18The final piece of the jigsaw the SOCIT team need is
0:25:18 > 0:25:21evidence against one of the leaders of the Newquay gang.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Joseph Tucker is about to put a drug deal together,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27and the police get a tipoff,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31so go along too and deal with him by catching him on camera.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34This was coming towards the end of investigation.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Both crime gangs were at breaking point,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39and this was almost a last hurrah.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42It was ever such a quick meeting at Knutsford services, which is
0:25:42 > 0:25:46north of Manchester on the M6 motorway northbound.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50And this is the main organiser, and you can see him just about to
0:25:50 > 0:25:56get into a vehicle which was being used by the Manchester supplier.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59When the drugs are picked up by a courier a fortnight later,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03seen here in the corner of the screen, guess what?
0:26:03 > 0:26:06The Roads Crime Unit is waiting for them around the corner.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10£30,000 was recovered from the Manchester courier
0:26:10 > 0:26:14and two kilos of cocaine was seized from the Newquay courier.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18This event basically ended the proactive investigation,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20of Operation Ipanema.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23We had enough evidence from then to put before
0:26:23 > 0:26:26the Crown Prosecution Service, who sanctioned charges.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Chris and his colleagues used all the technology available to map out
0:26:29 > 0:26:34times, journeys and involvements for each of the gang members.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36They spend months
0:26:36 > 0:26:39meticulously piecing together their evidence for court.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43The evidence supplied by automated numberplate recognition cameras,
0:26:43 > 0:26:48mobile phone data and the vast amount of CCTV that is available to us
0:26:48 > 0:26:53proves crucial to showing how these people operate in these gangs.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00The full picture of evidence is so overwhelming
0:27:00 > 0:27:03that 19 out of the 21 accused plead guilty.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11All in all, over 100 years' worth of prison sentences are handed out
0:27:11 > 0:27:12to this drug dealing syndicate.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19The two longest sentences are given to the main organisers from Falmouth and Newquay,
0:27:19 > 0:27:24Roy Jones with 13 years and Matthew Bird with 12 years.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28The SOCIT team are more than happy with the result.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Very, very happy about those convictions.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32I find taking drugs out of the local community,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35stopping people being hurt, stopping people being harmed,
0:27:35 > 0:27:37and clearly that gives me a good feeling.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41At the end of the day, when you do get a result, you know you are making a real difference.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44This isn't low-level drug dealing or people with possession,
0:27:44 > 0:27:49these are people that you know are going to get locked up for a long, long time.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Now that the drug gangs have gone down,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54other crime levels have gone down, too.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57We have been looking very closely at Falmouth and Newquay
0:27:57 > 0:28:00and have seen a notable decrease in low-level crime.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04There has been a significant reduction in trafficking of drugs
0:28:04 > 0:28:07into the county, especially in Falmouth and Newquay,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11and although this investigation has come to its conclusion,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13it doesn't mean that we're not still looking at the area,
0:28:13 > 0:28:18and anyone who wants to step into their place will also get the same treatment.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23That's it for today.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28Join us next time when the police and the public catch more criminals red handed.