Episode 4 Caught Red Handed

'Thieves will steal our cars, our valuables,

'just about anything they can get their hands on.'

To cut down on crime and antisocial behaviour,

police and other agencies are using new technology and tactics

where the bad guys are actually getting caught in the act.

I can see the man actually commit the robbery. Lovely! Thank you very much.

'Local councils, shops and businesses are laying some traps of their own.'

Why should we feel frightened for the rest of our lives?

'And the general public, too, can help unsuspecting crooks get their comeuppance.'

No way are you getting away.

-We did it for everyone else as well that she might be stealing from.

-We will name and shame you.

'So anyone who's up to no good had better think twice.

'They might just get caught red-handed.

'Today, in Wales, a special police unit goes fishing for burglars.'

We go somewhere where there are burglaries happening,

where there is intelligence to say that it's likely to be burgled.

'They fit houses with the latest technology to catch the crooks.

'Also today, two hapless thieves choose the wrong pub to break into.'

It just beggars belief how stupid they are.

'The landlord used to be a detective in the CID.

'And the uncharitable woman who tries every trick

'to take a charity tin for herself.

'Every day in England and Wales, almost 2,000 homes are broken into.

'On average, that's one every 45 seconds.

'The police think there's a very good chance this house will be burgled,

'so they put a camera in it.

'And they're right. Only a few hours after fixing the camera, three men break in.

'They think new residents are moving in and they've come to steal their belongings.

'Like bees to a honey pot.

'But these three will soon be moving on themselves

'to a police station.

'Gwent in South Wales.

'There have been a number of burglaries in this area recently.

'And temporary sergeant Wayne Alexander from Gwent Police

'is determined to catch the crooks responsible.

'He's converting a council house into something the police call a "capture house".

'It's unoccupied, so it's been boarded up.

'But thieves still might try and steal items, like radiators and pipes.

'If they do, the police will be watching.'

So in this particular empty house, we've installed the cameras in here.

I mean, for example, you're not going to see them.

But even things like rawl plug holes in the wall,

aerial sockets, plugs, skirting boards.

We try to hide them expertly, really, because that's what it's all about.

The offender comes in, hasn't got a clue where to look.

'And they'll not just be caught on camera.

'Anyone who breaks in will also trigger a sensor that alerts police.'

By its description alone, a capture house is to capture burglars in there.

By entering a house, they take the risk.

'Before Wayne started setting up capture houses,

'he worked as a detective in a burglary unit

'and saw first-hand the distress to the victims.'

The amount of intrusion that this person has caused them

reduces them to tears right in front of me,

this is some hours after a burglary has happened, as well. They're really distraught.

It's not just that something has been taken from your house, it's the invasion of privacy.

And it's the what if scenario. What if I'd got up for the toilet and bumped into the burglar?

What if this? What if that? The victims can't stop it going through their mind.

So, yeah, I sometimes don't think the criminal stops and thinks,

for a quick £15 they're going to get from selling a mobile phone,

the actual damage they're doing to people's lives.

'Margaret knows better than most the after-effects a robbery can have.

'Because her home in Gwent has been burgled four times.'

I suppose the first one was about 15 years ago.

And they got in through the patio door,

they almost took the patio door off its runner

and they got in that way.

And they took a lot of sentimental jewellery,

which you cannot replace.

The second time, they got in through an open bathroom window.

Another time, my grandson was in the house

and he could hear somebody trying to get in through the patio door.

So he did actually chase them away. And now this one now.

They'd stolen a lot of money because my grandson was doing the London Marathon

and I'd collected the money and put it in a jar on top of the microwave.

I don't think these thieves realise quite...

..the effect it has on people.

And it's that sort of fear that you get, your heart trips over.

I don't think that'll ever leave me, to be quite honest.

'Police are doing all they can to reduce the amount of burglaries in Gwent.

'Wayne sets up capture houses at locations where thieves are most active

'and chooses different baits for different areas.

'To reel a crook in at this house, he's planting some scrap metal.'

I suppose it's like fishing, you know, I wouldn't use a particular bait for a particular pond.

Erm, I would have to know which bait to use in a particular pond if I want to catch the right fish.

So I would go somewhere where there are burglaries happening,

where there is intelligence to say that it's likely to be burgled, if you like,

or a place where I know someone's actually coming out of prison soon and they're a good burglar.

So all those things would give me the indication of where to put a capture house

and why to put a capture house in that particular area.

'As well as different baits, he uses different technical equipment, as well.

'There's a new device that helps catch burglars who hide their identity

'or who have escaped before the police arrived.

'It's a spray of specially-coded water.'

You just need to be a little bit creative and innovative where you put things,

but certainly the offender wouldn't know where to look for it.

'This special water spray leaves an invisible coating on the thief

'which will only show up under an ultraviolet light.'

The offender will come in and try and remove the copper piping.

But, of course, I've got a spray system already set up in this area.

It'll probably spray out most of the room, to be honest with you,

and that's exactly what we're trying to achieve.

OK, so the smart water system has just activated, it's actually gone all over me.

This is what it would look like. You can't see it at the moment.

But you shine a certain frequency of light on you,

and as you can see, it's probably all over my face.

'And there's a unique code in that liquid

'which means it can only have come from this property.

'Anyone who's marked with it has definitely been here.

'The system can be used in different ways.

'Wayne and his colleagues caught these two lager looters in this capture house in Cwmbran.

'On that occasion, the special liquid had been used

'to mark cans of beer, cigarettes and a laptop left in the house.'

So this male here has obviously come in through the window.

His friend joins him, and as you can see, they've got the cans under their arm,

the laptop is under his arm.

They climb out of the window but you can actually see he's wiping the windowsill to disguise fingerprints.

It's too late for these guys. We paid these guys a visit, we shined the torch on them

and they've actually got yellow all over their lips where they've been smoking my cigarettes.

'The marked goods have made them marked men.

'Later, how another capture house with just one tiny camera

'helped call game over for three hooded hoodlums

'as they attempt to steal a PlayStation.'

Anyone who appears on TV is more likely to be recognised in the street.

Well, that can happen to criminals, too,

if they happen to appear on CCTV.

'It's a cold Tuesday night in Shropshire.

'This is the beer garden at the rear of a bar in Bridgnorth.

'A couple of men appear, looking towards the pub.

'Maybe they want to grab a drink.

'But closing time has been and gone.

'That doesn't bother these two, though. They're after more than just a quick pint.

'But of all the bars in all the towns in all the world,

'these two had to break into one owned by a former police detective.'

I dealt with crime for 30 years. Other people's crime.

I don't think I've ever been a victim of crime that I can think of.

'And the stupidity of this duo will lead to the easiest capture of his career.

'The BamBoo Bar is run by Mark and his partner, Debbie.

'They recently moved to Bridgnorth, Mark's hometown,

'to start a new life for themselves.'

It's a lovely place to live. It's very picturesque.

So it's been nice to come back and reacquaint myself with a few old pals. Yeah, it's been good.

'Mark and Debbie have invested a lot of time and money in their dream of managing a successful pub.'

This bar was offered to me, a friend of mine owns it, owns the building,

and said, "Would you like to take it over and run it as you see fit?"

And Mark and I invested six weeks of hard work,

completely gutting the building, making it into what we felt

was a really great place for people to come and dine and socialise.

'Mark is revelling in his new role as the landlord of the BamBoo Bar.

'It's a far cry from his previous career.'

I retired in July last year from the police, having served for 30 years.

I'm 50-old years of age, I can't think I've ever been a victim of crime.

And I've never had to worry about it,

so you kind of put it out of your mind, you think, "It's never going to happen to me.

"Crime is what happens to other people."

Within the police, having dealt with lots and lots of other people,

I saw that every day, but it never happened to me, so I never worried about it.

'But crime is about to catch up with Mark in his own backyard.

'Mark and Debbie have locked up and gone home for the night.

'But two mysterious figures are creeping up to the back door of the bar.

'They smash the door down.

'They're in and quickly get to work.

'One of the men heads straight for the TV on the left-hand side of the screen.

'The other heads behind the bar.

'Even though there's a cobweb covering the camera,

'it still manages to catch what these thieves are up to.

'The one behind the bar helps himself

'to various expensive bottles of booze

'and the contents of the till.

'While his partner in crime is busy getting the 42-inch telly off the wall.

'With cash in their pockets and a brand-new TV in their hands,

'they're satisfied with their hoard and make an easy getaway.

'The following morning, a neighbour notices that the back door has been kicked in

'and alerts Mark and Debbie.'

When the call came through, I physically felt sick.

We hadn't been open long, and this is all our money that we've invested.

So it was just sheer panic of what we were going to come in to.

'Ex-copper Mark immediately heads to the pub to investigate.'

I didn't know what I was going to come to,

whether the place would be devastated, whether they'd trashed everything.

I found the rear door had been kicked. I realised straight away that somebody had been in

and immediately noticed the television was missing off the wall,

the till tray was missing, and later on I found that the Macmillan charity box had been taken.

'Using his professional police skills,

'Mark knows exactly what to do when it comes to looking after a crime scene.'

I was pretty much aware that there would be forensic opportunities.

One of the things that I have got downstairs is CCTV.

'He starts to examine the evidence.'

We were viewing the CCTV and saw that the two men had entered the bar at about five to two in the morning.

'But Mark is about to have an incredibly lucky break.

'Outside, through the pub window,

'he sees a face he recognises.'

I just had an inkling that I'd seen this lad before.

I've seen him, I know I have, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

And it was at that point that he walked past, and I thought, "That's him!"

I was absolutely convinced it was him.

It was just so bizarre to think, "God, I've got him,

"and it's barely three or four hours since the crime was committed."

'Amazingly, the pair of blase burglars try to cash in their money from the previous night's bounty

'in the local ice cream parlour, right next door to the BamBoo Bar.'

Immediately shouted, "Come here, I want a word with you two!"

And they just straight away went on their toes,

one on his bike and the other one ran off straight away,

they didn't ask why or anything, so I knew I'd got the right two.

'Mark's instinct, well-honed by years of policing, kicks in

'and he gives chase.'

The one on the bike I was unable to get hold of,

despite having a kick out at his bike.

And the other one ran off and eventually I grabbed hold of him.

'Gotcha! And just hours after the crime,

'Mark is marching one of the hapless thieves back to the BamBoo Bar.'

He was pretty much telling me, "Please don't call the police and I will get you your telly back."

So I was straight away onto the fact that he'd done it.

By the time I got him back to the bar,

the police had already arrived and they detained him.

'With the help of CCTV, this burglar is identified.

'At court, he was given a four-month suspended prison sentence,

'put on a 12-month drug rehabilitation programme,

'and put under an 18-month supervision order.

'His accomplice got a community order,

'supervision order and drug rehabilitation, all for nine months,

'and was ordered to pay compensation, a victim surcharge

'and court costs.

'To this day, Mark still can't believe what this pair did.'

To trying and cash the change at the shop next door

and walk past us whilst doing it, I just think is...

Of every other shop in town they could've gone to

and they picked the one next door to where they'd burgled,

it just beggars belief just how stupid they are.

'With their back door fixed and extra security precautions now in place,

'Mark has at least got a new record to be proud of.'

As crimes go, it was my quickest ever.

It's ironic that I detected it after I'd left the police, rather than in it, but there you go.

'Hopefully Mark can now forget all about crime and criminals

'and enjoy a new life, spending time behind bars of a different sort.

'Coming up on Caught Red Handed,

'a very uncharitable thief.'

Who steals money from a charity box?

We're all short of money, but you don't go doing things like that.

'But while this woman is making clumsy attempts to steal a collection box,

'a camera is collecting evidence to donate to the police.

'But now, back to Gwent, South Wales,

'where temporary sergeant Wayne Alexander is spearheading a police operation

'to stop the rise in burglaries. He's setting up capture houses,

'so-called because they have the latest hidden surveillance

'and technology to catch thieves in the act.'

With water, with the footage we get,

with the forensic technology, we're certainly moving

in the right direction and it's making criminals think twice.

'Gwent resident Margaret has been burgled four times since she moved in.

'On the last occasion, they stole her grandson's sponsorship money for the London Marathon.'

As a friend of mine says, build a bridge and get over it,

which is what you've got to do. Make sure you lock the doors,

always keep the windows shut, and, yeah,

you've just got to learn to get on with your life.

'Margaret lives in a typical Gwent house

'and that's exactly the way Wayne wants his capture properties to appear when setting them up.'

We try to give the impression to people that somebody is moving in.

Plain clothes officers, et cetera, would pretend to be moving in.

Perhaps a couple, anything really, we can manufacture anything to suit the particular situation.

'And we're about to see how, one evening,

'three thieves take advantage of a situation Wayne has set up.

'In this capture house, a games machine has been laid out as bait.

'The camera's hidden, ready and waiting.

'Incredibly, only a few hours after the undercover officers leave,

'burglars break in.

'One man walks in.

'He spots the games console but ignores it.

'His mate is far more easily tempted.

'He grabs it without a second thought.'

At this moment, we know that they've come into the living room.

We've been alerted as police, and a certain response is on its way.

We have pictures of the offenders coming through so we know how many there are

and what they're wearing in case they leave the property, run down the street.

All good intelligence that we're going to need from this equipment that we've installed.

'The thieves are still hanging around,

'taking the cables and the box, presumably planning to sell the games console.

'One of them shows his face to the camera.

'These clueless crooks casually hunt around for more stuff,

'but they're overstaying their welcome.

'The capture house has done exactly what it was set up to do.'

When the police arrived, they were walking down the stairs

with some of the gear and they were caught red-handed.

'These three were captured, found guilty and sentenced

'to a variety of community and supervision orders plus costs.

'Result!

'And word spreads about the capture houses throughout the criminal fraternity.'

We're starting to gain the upper hand with the battle of the deterrent, if you like.

We were having between 12 and 13 burglaries a month in Caerphilly homes, in council houses.

We did capture houses covertly and then overtly.

After the project, they actually went to zero for a 12-month period.

And that really is quite an impact, so it goes to show, that it certainly works.

'Margaret's grandson completed the London Marathon

'and a story in the local paper helped him to raise

'even more money for charity than was originally stolen.'

A lot of people then came towards me and gave me money,

which was great.

We actually got probably about £400 in the end.

And he ran it and I think he raised about £2,000, something like that.

-And we went and cheered him on.

-SHE LAUGHS

'And despite Margaret being burgled so many times,

'she still remains defiant.'

They're not going to beat me. I'm not going to live in Fort Knox.

This is my home and they're not going to beat me.

'So, how do we beat the burglar?

'Well, there's things we can do to make our houses less attractive to unwelcome visitors.'

Burglars know what to look for, they know the weak spots.

You imagine it, if you've got an alarm on your property,

you've got the security lights up, you have a dog,

there's no valuable items on show,

they're going to go somewhere else, they're not going to take that risk.

Why not consider putting gravel on your driveway?

No burglar wants to be heard approaching a house.

Or a prickly hedge at the bottom of your garden.

Again, it may just be the deterrent for the thief to move on.

There are those people who will leave their wallet and car keys on a little table

that is in their hallway, and all they've got to do is open the letterbox

and they've got your items straight away.

And before you know it, your car has gone off the drive

or they're actually in your house with the key that's on the car keys. It happens so often.

Have strong top-quality locks on internal and external doors

and make sure that you cut back trees and shrubs from windows

that may provide cover for burglars.

And now to a crime that might not seem as serious as some of the ones we've seen.

But nonetheless, it's one that leaves a bit of a nasty taste in the mouth.

'Wakefield, Yorkshire.

'This CCTV camera is installed inside a shop that specialises

'in everyday living aids for elderly and less-able people.

'One day, a woman with a child enters

'and asks to look at some equipment for her grandfather.

'Everything looks normal.

'But this woman isn't here to help a relative.

'She's here to help herself

'to a charity box full of donations.'

To steal from a charity is the lowest of the low.

I just don't understand it. I don't know how they can sleep easily at night.

We're all short of money, but you don't go doing things like that.

'She takes what others have given.

'But a camera will give her away.'

Right, if you could just bob a couple of signatures on here for me.

-Just there and there, please.

-'Karen is the store manager.'

We have a lot of customers that come in and they're very friendly,

very chatty, open, and tell us all about their lives and everything.

They'll sit down and have a cuppa with us and a biscuit.

They offer me a cup of tea now and again, like.

That's a lie. We offer you a cup of tea every time!

Yeah, OK. OK.

It's nice to come in, have a look round,

-see if there's anything that you need.

-It's a good, friendly atmosphere.

'While they're in the shop, Karen's customers often show their generosity

'by giving to a charity that's near to many of their hearts.'

Nine years ago, I had a triple bypass. I've had a heart attack.

They helped me cos I've got angina.

I have given to the charity.

And I've also got a friend that had a triple bypass.

'But unlike these good people,

'this customer has not got her heart in the right place.'

The lady came in with her son, a little five-year-old boy,

he was just a sweet little boy, he was looking round all the scooters.

It must have been about half past four.

And she came to ask about a scooter for her grandfather.

'And she's come well-prepared.'

I was obviously asking her questions which she responded to straight away.

There was no pause or anything. So when I asked about her granddad and what he suffered from,

she said immediately, "He's got spina bifida."

She'd have the answers there, just ready.

'She's very convincing.

'But there is something that makes Karen feel slightly uneasy.'

I could smell alcohol on her breath all the time I was talking to her,

which is not a good thing when you've got a little boy with you.

It was that that made me wary, really.

'Time ticks by as they discuss the scooters and flick through brochures.

'The woman also stealthily moves her bag closer to the charity box.'

And there she is opening the bag again, just in preparation.

'The woman has now been in the shop for almost ten minutes.

'She even pretends to make a phone call to check information.

'It's turning into a long operation.

'She has no idea how much money is in the box.'

I would imagine there'd be about £5 in the collection box, that's all.

Because it had been the week before emptied.

'The woman tries a new tactic.'

She's realised that I'm actually not going to move away from the desk.

This is where she thinks, "I need to ask about something across the shop to get her away from the desk."

'She leads Karen over to another section of the shop.'

She comes back to the cash desk and she's checking to make sure I'm not looking in the right direction

for the ideal opportunity to take the box. That's the first attempt, there.

Obviously, I've spoken to her again and turned round.

'A moment later, she gets herself into position for a second attempt.'

She's waiting for me to look away again.

Yep. It's amazing, isn't it?

'Karen then sits back down to begin her paperwork for a sale.'

As you can see, she's wiggling her legs now, looking really nervous.

'Finally, when Karen goes to pick up the stock,

'the woman makes a very uncharitable grab.'

There she takes her opportunity to put the charity box in the bag.

'Next, she has to find a way of leaving without arousing suspicion.'

She passes me her credit card, but the card is split

so I couldn't actually process the payment at this time.

So the lady took it back and said that she was going to go to the cash machine

and get some cash out to pay for the items.

'Of course, she's no intention of getting anything out of the cash machine.

'She just gets herself out of the shop... fast.'

My partner came to the shop to pick me up,

and he'd been shopping next door and he'd got a penny in his hand.

And he went to put it in the collection tin

and he said to me, "Where's your collection tin?"

And that is when we realised it had gone.

And I was just so shocked.

I mean, who steals money from a charity box?

And it's not just about that, it's about the people that actually donate to the charity, as well.

So it's like stealing from two people.

When I found out it was taken...

I...

It's not very nice to find out something like that.

I actually felt guilty because a lot of our customers don't have a lot of money themselves,

so for them to have donated, I felt responsible that I'd let her get away with that, really.

'Karen hopes that the whole thing has been recorded by the shop's CCTV camera.

'She contacts head office where the footage is kept.'

They rang me back after I'd spoken to them and they said, "Yeah, we've got her on CCTV."

'They hand over the recording to the police

'who decide to release an image of it to the local press.'

When that came out,

I mean, we put a piece on the cash desk as well about it,

and a lot of people were chatting about it, talking about it,

and apparently somebody saw the picture in the Wakefield Express

and that's how the police found out who it was.

'The woman is arrested.

'She pleads guilty to stealing the charity box

'and she also admits to other thefts.

'In court, she is sentenced to a 12-month community order...

'..and a year of drug rehabilitation.

'Hopefully, the charity that is shown to her will rub off

'and any fundraising activities she undertakes in future will be for other people.

'Karen now has a new collection box in the shop.

'And her bosses have chipped in, too.'

Obviously it was upsetting for the company as well as for us.

So the company has actually donated a sum of money to the British Heart Foundation.

That's all for now. Join us next time

when the police and the public catch more crooks red-handed.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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