0:00:02 > 0:00:05Thieves will steal our cars, our valuables,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08just about anything they can get their hands on.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12To cut down on crime and antisocial behaviour,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15the police and other agencies are using new tactics
0:00:15 > 0:00:19and technology where the bad guys actually get caught in the act.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Brilliant footage. Police officers love CCTV.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Local councils, shops and businesses are laying some traps of their own.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29As soon as he walked into the picture, I knew who he was.
0:00:29 > 0:00:30The general public, too,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33can help unsuspecting crooks get their comeuppance.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36- We definitely needed proof. - You're not going to get away with.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37You might as well pack up.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40It made him swallow his pride. It was brilliant.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43So, anyone who is up to no good had better think twice.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46They might just get caught red-handed.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57Today, two small businesses are ransacked. First, a jewellers.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01But next, Lisa's cafe gets hit and the burglar best beware.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Lisa has turned detective and she's angry.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07I've put everything I own into this business.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09It's that what was making me hunt him down.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15Also today, cold-hearted conmen pose as builders then
0:01:15 > 0:01:19march their victims to the bank to fleece them out of thousands.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Within a month, I'd spent £22,000.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25But, in Cardiff,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29the roof is about to come crashing down on this criminal gang.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31And, he's big, but he's not clever.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34A fully-grown man steals a child's bike,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37but he releases an unstoppable force.
0:01:37 > 0:01:38The child's mum.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Farnworth, Lancashire.
0:01:49 > 0:01:50In the middle of a night,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54a raider breaks into a family-run shop to steal jewellery.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59In just a few seconds, he smashes up the shop and, with it,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01the owner's livelihood.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04It sinks into you that everything is gone.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07That's it. We're actually on our knees now.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09A man is arrested and charged with the burglary,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12but bailed while he awaits trial.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14And, in that time there is another break-in.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Another business, another distraught owner.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Why should I work hard and you just go out and rob and think you can
0:02:21 > 0:02:24take off us hard-working people at the end of the day.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27As we'll see, angry cafe owner, Lisa,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29launches her own investigation.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33And the police provide some clever forensic science.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36We're going to develop that oily footprint on the paper.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Could it possibly be the same man who ransacked Alex's shop nearby?
0:02:46 > 0:02:50In Farnworth, near Bolton, Alex has a passion for reconditioning
0:02:50 > 0:02:51old jewellery.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55In his shop, he only sells pieces he's painstakingly restored
0:02:55 > 0:02:57back to their former glory.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00A lot of other jewellers and pawnbrokers,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03everything that comes in, they'll just put it in a melting pot
0:03:03 > 0:03:04and melt it.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07We decided to put everything back to new.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11We remould it, new claws where necessary, new gems,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14re-plate it so nothing goes in the melting pot.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Every item of Alex's jewellery has unique value
0:03:17 > 0:03:21and he usually locks each piece away when he closes up.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Except one day, there is a family emergency.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28My daughter had fallen ill at school
0:03:28 > 0:03:33and I was quite eager to get home to make sure she was OK.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37In the rush and the haste, it was just one of those one-off times
0:03:37 > 0:03:40that everything wasn't put away.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Unfortunately for Alex, there are serious consequences.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49At just gone 11.30 that night,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52burglars break into the rear of his shop.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56They raid the till in a back room.
0:03:56 > 0:03:57But there's no alarm sounding.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59It's failed
0:03:59 > 0:04:02and the thieves realise they've got the store to themselves.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Over the next hour-and-a-half, they're in and out of the shop,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09smashing the place up and plundering the jewellery.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13It's mindless destruction.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17When Alex arrives to open the shop the next morning, he's horrified.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21I walked around the back and that's when I saw complete devastation.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25The steel door was ripped open, there was glass everywhere.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29I couldn't take it in at first. I couldn't believe it.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33He calls the police and checks the footage from his CCTV camera.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35It's painful to watch.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37It's sickening. Unbelievable.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Totally empty.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45We spent a year making and recycling all that jewellery
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and they've just come and emptied it out in minutes.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Soul-destroying, that.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Alex is particularly distressed when the thieves empty the drawer
0:04:53 > 0:04:57containing customers jewellery brought in for repair.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01A lot of the things were family heirlooms.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Obviously, you do whatever you can to replace them,
0:05:03 > 0:05:08but how do you replace sentimental items like that?
0:05:08 > 0:05:12Alex's case is investigated by Detective Constable Carl Chandler
0:05:12 > 0:05:14of the Greater Manchester Police.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18The amount of property stolen was particularly upsetting for the victim.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23It was up in the region of about £40,000 worth of jewellery
0:05:23 > 0:05:27stolen, which was a massive amount to that company.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30It was just a nightmare for him, really.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Alex's alarm didn't go off, but at least his cameras were working.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38It's panned in at the right angles, it's all focused.
0:05:38 > 0:05:39It's absolutely brilliant.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43The thieves don't realise Alex's infrared cameras can see them
0:05:43 > 0:05:44in the dark.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47I could see the guy smashing at these cabinets.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49It's like, "Oh, Jesus!"
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Then he turned around and a complete straight on shot.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56I thought, "Got you! Surely."
0:05:56 > 0:06:00As soon as I see this image here I think, that's fantastic.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02The man's image is sent around the forced to see
0:06:02 > 0:06:05if anybody recognises him.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09It's that shot that a PCSO saw on the intelligence bulletins
0:06:09 > 0:06:13and was able to make an identification.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17The man is 21-year-old Timothy Nolan. He's immediately arrested.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Nolan is charged and put in custody to await trial.
0:06:21 > 0:06:27It was a great relief. It was, at least that's something anyway.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30But, at a later hearing, a judge rules that Nolan can be
0:06:30 > 0:06:35released on bail until his case comes up, he's a free man.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39While Alex tries to rebuild his business, just around the
0:06:39 > 0:06:44corner, Lisa has been working hard to get her business off the ground.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48She's put her heart and soul, plus all her savings,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50into opening a cafe.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52My cafe is my livelihood.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55I borrowed money to open the business as well.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57I borrowed off my family.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00My family has helped me out loads to start up.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02The cafe needs to succeed.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Lisa and her husband have to support four children of their own
0:07:05 > 0:07:08and three they've adopted.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11I've got seven children who I want to show...
0:07:11 > 0:07:14You know, having a job is good.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18That's all I'm trying to do, work hard for a living.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20But, sadly, Lisa's about to find out
0:07:20 > 0:07:24that someone wants to help make their living by stealing hers.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Early one morning, she gets a distressing call.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Her mother has arrived at the cafe to prepare food
0:07:30 > 0:07:32and makes a shocking discovery.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34She was like, "The shop's been robbed" and I was like,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37"What do you mean the shop's been robbed? While you were in it?"
0:07:37 > 0:07:39She went, "No, last night. They've come in last night."
0:07:39 > 0:07:43She went, "Everything's hollow, I don't want to go in."
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Lisa rushes over to check out the damage.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49My display fridge was all over the floor.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Where my till was on the side was a mess
0:07:52 > 0:07:55because he'd obviously just ripped it off and run with it.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59All my cupboard doors were open in my kitchen. He'd really gone to town.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01He'd been here for quite a while rooting about.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04The thief has even taken the pictures off the wall.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12Furious, Lisa is determined to try to track down the burglar herself.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18I was so annoyed inside, it was that what was making me hunt him down.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22And the police are also hot on the burglar's heels.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Could these footprints belong to somebody who's
0:08:24 > 0:08:26crossed their path before?
0:08:30 > 0:08:35Also coming up, conmen who charge thousands for shoddy work.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38This is how they left an elderly woman's kitchen.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41They've got no conscience, they've got no morals.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45But they do have fingerprints and they've left police a handy clue.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47And there's this man,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51rather heartlessly stealing a little child's bike but he meets
0:08:51 > 0:08:55his match when the kid's angry mum helps police to wheel him in.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09But first, we're in Boston, Lincolnshire
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and if dropping rubbish was an Olympic sport,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14then this litterbug would be up for a gold medal.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20For reasons only known to himself, the youth starts tearing up
0:09:20 > 0:09:23bin bags and kicking the rubbish all over the road.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30And just in case nobody can believe his stupid antics, this lad
0:09:30 > 0:09:35gets out his cameraphone to record those stupid antics for posterity.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39He refuses to leave the refuse alone until he's been
0:09:39 > 0:09:42and emptied every bin in the street.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46The pair walk off, paying no attention to the
0:09:46 > 0:09:48"Litter-free Zone" sign.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53But a council CCTV operator has been following their actions
0:09:53 > 0:09:56and has notified the police.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Officers soon sweep up the offenders and next morning,
0:10:00 > 0:10:02council workers have to sweep up the mess.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04But the litter lout will be footing the bill.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08He has to pay clean-up costs and a fine.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13His wilful waste dispersal ends up as a waste of his own money.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Thieves and fraudsters obviously don't care who their victims
0:10:19 > 0:10:22are or what effect their crimes will have on their lives.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26But in some cases, that makes the police even more determined
0:10:26 > 0:10:28to bring the villains to justice.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33We're watching pictures from a security camera in a bank.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Two men in the queue appear to be having a friendly
0:10:36 > 0:10:38chat as they wait to be served,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42one in his 70s, the other in his early 20s.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46They could be grandfather and grandson but they're not
0:10:46 > 0:10:53and this is not a friendly chat. One of them is anything but friendly.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54The older man is a victim
0:10:54 > 0:10:58and the young man is a crook scamming him out of his money.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02They'll go back time after time after time to get as much
0:11:02 > 0:11:05money as they can and they don't care how that will leave the victim.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Money, health, they don't care.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11The young man is one of a pair of criminals known to
0:11:11 > 0:11:15deliberately target the elderly and vulnerable, fleecing them
0:11:15 > 0:11:17out of thousands of pounds.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20They, and others like them, have to be stopped.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Cardiff.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29This picture shows the kitchen of an elderly woman.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33It appears she's in the middle of renovations but she's not.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37This has been taken after the room has been refurbished by some
0:11:37 > 0:11:39doorstep conmen.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44Her kitchen being removed completely and the kitchen ceiling being
0:11:44 > 0:11:46torn down which is how it's remained,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48she doesn't have a ceiling or a kitchen.
0:11:48 > 0:11:54For this "home improvement", the woman has been charged £6,000.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58She's handed over all her savings and has had to get a bank
0:11:58 > 0:12:01loan to try to keep up with the conmen's demands.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04They only leave when her concerned neighbour calls the police.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07PC Simon Walker starts to investigate.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11We spoke with the residents, quickly identified she lived alone.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14She was vulnerable by her age
0:12:14 > 0:12:17and she was vulnerable by her capacity, as well.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21The woman thinks the so-called workmen first called round
0:12:21 > 0:12:22after following her home.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25They knocked the door and spoke with her on the doorstep.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Giving her false names, they quickly established a bit of rapport
0:12:28 > 0:12:29and earned her trust.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Once they had their foot in the door,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35they talk her into doing up the kitchen.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38And we've seen how that turned out.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41This is the second incident like this that has come to
0:12:41 > 0:12:43light on Simon's patch.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47He notices similarities between the cases that suggest this is
0:12:47 > 0:12:51- the work of the same men.- These incidents, technically, are frauds.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53The common name is "rogue traders".
0:12:53 > 0:12:57They'll be persistent, they've got no conscience, they've got no morals.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01These men choose victims they know will be easy to deceive
0:13:01 > 0:13:04and are unlikely to call the police.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06People who are being targeted are vulnerable. They don't realise
0:13:06 > 0:13:12they're victims or they're too embarrassed to report it.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15There are cases of conmen like these
0:13:15 > 0:13:19preying on vulnerable people across the country. In Northampton,
0:13:19 > 0:13:2474-year-old David was targeted by a similar fraudster.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28It's as if he got some sort of hold, you know?
0:13:28 > 0:13:33I was tearing my hair out at night, I kept waking up in the night -
0:13:33 > 0:13:36"You fool, you fool! What have you done this for?!" You know?
0:13:36 > 0:13:39David is semiretired piano tuner.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Living on his own with failing eyesight,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44he finds it hard to maintain his home.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47And one day, he's approached by a man in the street.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52I was called from across the road, there was somebody sitting in a van.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55He said, "Oh, you've got a bad crack on your driveway?"
0:13:55 > 0:13:57I said, "Yes, I know about that."
0:13:57 > 0:14:01He quoted me...£470 or so.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05It seems a reasonable price, but having gained David's trust,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09the man comments on the poor state of decoration inside the house,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11and offers a deal.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16"If you had all your rooms decorated, if we do them all in one hit,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20"I can give you a much better discount offer."
0:14:20 > 0:14:24The man starts many jobs that never get finished.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28He kept saying, "Well, I shall need so many more thousands up front,"
0:14:28 > 0:14:30this, that, and the other.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34And if David questions the work or the money, the man gets aggressive.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37I suppose I was intimidated by him.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41I thought, "Well, perhaps I'll just let him carry on,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44"and hope that things will turn out all right in the end."
0:14:44 > 0:14:47David makes several trips to the bank
0:14:47 > 0:14:50to withdraw large amounts of cash, until, fortunately,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54an employee at the bank who knows David becomes suspicious.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59He invited me into the office and he got Trading Standards on the phone.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02When the conman realises the authorities are involved,
0:15:02 > 0:15:04he simply disappears,
0:15:04 > 0:15:08leaving a mess and a huge hole in David's savings.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13I'd spent £22,000 within a month
0:15:13 > 0:15:17for work that was done shoddily and incomplete.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22But for the bank employee, David could have lost everything.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27Back in Cardiff, PC Simon Walker is working to stop other people
0:15:27 > 0:15:30from being conned in the same way as David.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32He's on the trail of a couple of men posing as builders.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36They've wrecked the kitchen at the home of their latest victim
0:15:36 > 0:15:38before being scared off by a neighbour.
0:15:38 > 0:15:44But in this case, in their rush to run off, these men make a mistake.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47The workers had left behind some paint tins and a pickaxe.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50It's a breakthrough for Simon.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54We were successful in obtaining a number of fingerprints
0:15:54 > 0:15:55from some of those paint tins.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58They're sent to the lab for analysis.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02In the meantime, the same pair of conmen make a further blunder.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04They approach another elderly man
0:16:04 > 0:16:08and offer to replace a broken tile on his roof.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11That quote was given as £25 to change that single tile.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15But this time their intended victim smells a rat.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19He catches them pulling off perfectly good roof tiles
0:16:19 > 0:16:20and orders them to stop.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22This victim was quite switched on.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24They picked him out to be vulnerable,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27but they picked the wrong victim here.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31And what's more, the man takes photos of the conmen.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36Simon and his colleagues recognise two of the men - the O'Briens -
0:16:36 > 0:16:4034-year-old John and 21-year-old Michael.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Simon searches the police database to find out
0:16:43 > 0:16:46if they have been involved in any other incidents.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49And it turns out they have.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Michael's name is linked to a suspected fraud in a bank,
0:16:53 > 0:16:5620 miles away in Bridgend. That's him there.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Suspicious staff have alerted the police because their customer
0:17:00 > 0:17:05has withdrawn hundreds of pounds six days in a row.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07We see him regularly in the bank.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10For him to be coming in and withdrawing this money
0:17:10 > 0:17:13in this manner, in these amounts, was out of character.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16And they did the right thing by calling the police.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20The man's being scammed out of thousands by conmen
0:17:20 > 0:17:23who are charging him a small fortune to replace his garage door.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26He might feel embarrassed, ashamed of what's going on,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30and can't see a way out of it, so he's just going along with it.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Thanks to the sharp-eyed bank staff,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36the rest of the man's savings stays saved.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38The evidence is stacking up.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Better yet, the forensic results are back from the lab,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44analysing paint tins that were left at the house of the woman
0:17:44 > 0:17:46whose kitchen was demolished.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49This one in particular we had several fingerprints.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52He couldn't dispute his fingerprints were on an item
0:17:52 > 0:17:56that was used in the offence and was within the household.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58The O'Briens are arrested.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Both plead guilty to fraud on multiple counts.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Michael is jailed for 13 months.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13John is put away for 38 months.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18They were caught thanks to the combined efforts of police,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22alert bank staff - among others - and the victims themselves.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Vulnerable people need to be looked after.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26In these cases it's been proven.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Neighbours, family, friends, everybody needs to look out for them.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Everybody needs to look out for them.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37And back in Northampton, David gets some good news, too.
0:18:37 > 0:18:43The conman who cheated him out of £22,000 has also been convicted.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48I'm pleased to see that they've locked him up for six years,
0:18:48 > 0:18:52but the only worry I have - they haven't thrown the key away yet.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05The sales pitches offered by some conmen can sound very plausible.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Anyone might fall for their patter.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10So, how can we protect vulnerable relatives,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13neighbours and ourselves from these fraudsters?
0:19:13 > 0:19:16The first thing you should be concerned about a trader is
0:19:16 > 0:19:18if they come to your door in the first place.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Reputable traders don't usually call door-to-door.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24If someone is demanding cash from you there and then,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27then do not give over the money.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30There is no legitimate builder that would put you under that
0:19:30 > 0:19:34kind of pressure or offer any kind of aggressive attitude.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Could you get their licence plate off the car or the van?
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Is there an office they work at?
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Have they just given you a mobile number?
0:19:41 > 0:19:44If it all goes wrong, how are you going to trace them?
0:19:44 > 0:19:47If you identify, or have suspicions about a rogue trader,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51then contact the police or local Trading Standards,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55cos you might not be the only one who's come forward, but also
0:19:55 > 0:19:58you might be the person that stops somebody else becoming a victim.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Do you remember when thieves would wear stripy shirts
0:20:06 > 0:20:09and carry bags with "swag" written on them?
0:20:09 > 0:20:10Those were the days, eh?
0:20:16 > 0:20:20And there's nothing to suggest this innocent-looking passer-by is
0:20:20 > 0:20:22a thief. But hold on.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26He's walking back to this garden to get a better look.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28But there's nothing here, apart from this child's bike.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Surely he can't be after that(!)
0:20:31 > 0:20:36Well, he is, and he's planning it like a military operation.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39He wedges the gate open for a quick getaway,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42then he creeps cautiously towards the bike.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Leaning towards the saddle,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49he grabs the bike and makes off pretty sharpish.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55What he doesn't know is that his mean-minded little crime has been
0:20:55 > 0:20:58captured on the house-owner's CCTV.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01The next day the angry mum puts the footage
0:21:01 > 0:21:06up on the internet to see if anybody recognises him...which they do.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09And after a tip-off, she catches up with him,
0:21:09 > 0:21:13complete with her child's bike, and calls the police.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17For this, and another offence, he's given a four-month sentence.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20The only free ride he's getting is straight to jail.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Now back to Farnworth, Lancashire.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Two small businesses have been plundered by burglars.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40First, Alex's jewellery store has been cleaned out.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46We had absolutely nothing, and we was right back to square one again,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48and had to literally start from the beginning.
0:21:48 > 0:21:5221-year-old Timothy Nolan's been charged with the crime
0:21:52 > 0:21:54and is out on bail, awaiting trial.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59And now there's another break-in at Lisa's cafe nearby.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Detective Constable Karl Chandler is in charge of both cases.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07He's seen the impact break-ins have on business owners.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09People tend to think that nobody gets affected,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13everybody's insured, and nobody loses but
0:22:13 > 0:22:14that's not the case at all.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17We go to burglaries on many occasions where
0:22:17 > 0:22:19the people at the business premises - their lives have been
0:22:19 > 0:22:22absolutely devastated, ruined.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Lisa, she's got a family to feed,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28she's got seven children...
0:22:28 > 0:22:30you know, it's...it's a massive deal.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Outraged by the break-in, Lisa is spurred into action.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I thought - "I've put everything I own into this business"
0:22:37 > 0:22:39and for somebody just to come in...
0:22:39 > 0:22:44and treat it like it's nothing - I wasn't having it!
0:22:44 > 0:22:48So, alongside the police, Lisa turns detective.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51She starts hunting for clues to track down the culprit.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55I lifted my blinds up in the middle of the shop, I noticed...
0:22:55 > 0:22:58a footprint which was on my work surface.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01The police told me on the phone that if I find any footprints
0:23:01 > 0:23:04or fingerprints to put a box over them.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08The burglar smashed a window at the rear of the cafe
0:23:08 > 0:23:11by climbing a pallet he'd placed against the wall.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14The police collect the forensic evidence
0:23:14 > 0:23:17while Lisa takes her own search to the next stage.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21When I went in the backstreet to see if anything had been dropped
0:23:21 > 0:23:24I noticed the shop further down had cameras up the backstreet
0:23:24 > 0:23:27so I just went in on chance.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Lisa asks for a copy of the previous night's footage.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34He was more than happy to help me cos all small businesses
0:23:34 > 0:23:36stick together, really.
0:23:36 > 0:23:41Lisa fast-forwards through the CCTV and at 3am on the recording...
0:23:41 > 0:23:46bingo! She spots movement. There's a cobweb covering the camera
0:23:46 > 0:23:49but Lisa can make out a hooded figure walking to the
0:23:49 > 0:23:50back of her shop.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55- A few minutes later he reappears. - He's got hold of
0:23:55 > 0:23:59part of my egg box and then he comes round the corner
0:23:59 > 0:24:03and he throws the egg box up against the wall.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05And walks over...
0:24:05 > 0:24:08to the taxi rank.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12To Lisa's surprise, the man jumps into a cab and it drives round
0:24:12 > 0:24:16to her back door. Unbelievably, the burglar is using the
0:24:16 > 0:24:19cab to cart away the stolen goods.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21So he must have been...
0:24:21 > 0:24:24..getting stuff out, like, me till and me pictures and
0:24:24 > 0:24:27bits and bobs and the taxi driver drives off.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31Lisa heads to the taxi office and asks about the man.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34They tell her they're not allowed to breach customers' privacy
0:24:34 > 0:24:38but word gets round and the next day a driver comes to see Lisa
0:24:38 > 0:24:40with some information.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45He just said, he was so sorry. He said - "It was me who took
0:24:45 > 0:24:48"the lad home last night." He said, "I didn't know.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53"He said he was moving house." He'd took pictures, which is plausible,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56if someone's taking pictures you're not going to think
0:24:56 > 0:24:57they're robbing a property.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01The driver reveals where he dropped off his late-night fare.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Lisa has got the detective bug now and can't resist going to
0:25:05 > 0:25:06look for herself.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Even if she does risk being spotted by the burglar.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11I just thought - "It's only a street, it's not a house
0:25:11 > 0:25:13"that he's given me." So I went to the street.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17Me till was there in the corner, in, like, a pile of rubble.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20And me empty box of eggs. So then I thought -
0:25:20 > 0:25:24"Well, you've got to live local, now."
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Lisa goes to the police with her discovery.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30DC Karl Chandler goes straight to the taxi company
0:25:30 > 0:25:33to find out more about the passenger.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36He'd spoken to, er, the girl behind the counter.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39She was able to identify him.
0:25:39 > 0:25:45There was, also, a computer log of the journey he'd asked to take.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49And the name of the man who took the taxi is very familiar.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51It's Timothy Nolan.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54He's supposed to be behaving himself on bail
0:25:54 > 0:25:57not hiring a taxi to raid another business.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59For somebody to give their own name, for a start,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02is a little bit, you know, bizarre, isn't it?
0:26:02 > 0:26:03SHE LAUGHS
0:26:03 > 0:26:08That was the biggest mistake, that he ever, possibly could do!
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Lisa's detective work has led the police to Nolan's door
0:26:11 > 0:26:12and he is arrested.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15But the police still need evidence to prove Nolan was
0:26:15 > 0:26:17actually inside the cafe -
0:26:17 > 0:26:20remember that footprint on Lisa's counter?
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Police seize Nolan's shoes to find out
0:26:23 > 0:26:24if they might be a match.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Forensic officer Andy Watson takes on the job.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32In an investigation a footwear mark can be as useful as a fingerprint.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Andy already has an impression of the footprint
0:26:34 > 0:26:38scanned into his computer. He then steps into the
0:26:38 > 0:26:39suspected criminal's shoes.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42What we're doing is coating the under sole of the shoe with a
0:26:42 > 0:26:45very fine oil - what we're going to do...
0:26:45 > 0:26:46..is take a print...
0:26:48 > 0:26:49..from the shoe...
0:26:49 > 0:26:51..heal-to-toe.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53And using this magnetic fingerprint powder we're going to
0:26:53 > 0:26:56develop that footprint on the paper.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01Prints of Nolan's shoes are compared with a print taken from Lisa's cafe.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05- Andy makes an important discovery. - There is a large scratch
0:27:05 > 0:27:08of the toe area of the shoe and by flicking that
0:27:08 > 0:27:12image on and off on there we can see that there's a similar
0:27:12 > 0:27:14image appearing at the crime scene
0:27:14 > 0:27:18and that's our eureka moment, if you want to call it that.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22This proves Nolan's shoe definitely made the footprint at the cafe.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30In court, Nolan pleads guilty to the burglaries at Alex's jewellers
0:27:30 > 0:27:33and Lisa's cafe. He is jailed for two years.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37It's a good result.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39It's nice to be able to go back to the victim
0:27:39 > 0:27:42and say - "Look, you know, despite what's happened,
0:27:42 > 0:27:47"that person is now in custody," and that their business is safe again.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Both Lisa and Alex have had to work extra hard to recover
0:27:50 > 0:27:55from their ordeals, they've also increased their security.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Since I've put all me bars on and me gates, er,
0:27:59 > 0:28:04which was more expense, I do feel more secure and I feel like
0:28:04 > 0:28:05the property is more safe.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Everything in life is a learning curve.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13And if you learn something from something
0:28:13 > 0:28:15then it's not been in vain.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18We've got a lot closer to a lot of the customers
0:28:18 > 0:28:21because they feel for you as well, so...
0:28:21 > 0:28:24I just concentrate on our... The good things and the nice people.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32That's it for today, join us next time,
0:28:32 > 0:28:33when police and the public
0:28:33 > 0:28:36will be catching more criminals red-handed.