0:00:02 > 0:00:04Thieves will steal our cars, our valuables,
0:00:04 > 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 > 0:00:15police and other agencies are using new tactics
0:00:15 > 0:00:18and technology where the bad guys 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 > 0:00:28As soon as we walked in, I knew who he was.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31And the general public too, can help an unsuspecting crooks
0:00:31 > 0:00:33get their comeuppance.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36- We definitely needed proof.- You are not going to get away with it.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37You might as well just 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.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55A violent smash and grab.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58I could see his hammer in his hand and I realised then,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00"We're in trouble."
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Dave struggled to protect his family and his business
0:01:03 > 0:01:05but is it a wise move?
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Also today -
0:01:09 > 0:01:12you'd better hope you never see this man on your train.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16He stole from six trains, property valuing up to £11,000.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Can police stop this prolific baggage thief in his tracks?
0:01:25 > 0:01:28And the criminal making £750,000 and leaving their victims teed off.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31That's actually my set of clubs going out the door now.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41The town of Andover in Hampshire -
0:01:41 > 0:01:43it's just before ten o'clock
0:01:43 > 0:01:47and the CCTV cameras in this jeweller's show the assistant
0:01:47 > 0:01:51quietly serving a customer and her two-year-old grandson.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57But outside, the camera is about to capture the terrifying moment
0:01:57 > 0:02:00two criminals roar up on a high-powered motorbike.
0:02:08 > 0:02:09The guy came in and shouted out,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12"Stay where you are and you won't get hurt."
0:02:12 > 0:02:14There was a lot of screaming.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17There was a lot of hysteria. There was a lot of crying.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20These masked motorbike raiders smashed their way into cabinets
0:02:20 > 0:02:24holding expensive watches and they don't care who gets hurt.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Trying to protect his family from the raiders
0:02:28 > 0:02:30left shop owner David facing some hard facts.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32I was disappointed in myself.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35It came home to me that I'm not invincible any more.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Dave bravely grappled with the raiders.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41He can't stop them but he manages to grab something that will
0:02:41 > 0:02:43later prove absolutely crucial.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Dave Mellor runs three successful jeweller's in Hampshire
0:02:51 > 0:02:54with his wife, Christine, and their three children.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57He has grown the business from humble beginnings.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02I started off with £400 worth of stock
0:03:02 > 0:03:08and went off to Blackbushe Market in 1976 and that started the business.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13All his hard work paid off and the business is still going strong,
0:03:13 > 0:03:14nearly 40 years later.
0:03:14 > 0:03:20I wanted my name up on several shops and my children in the business
0:03:20 > 0:03:24and I'm very, very lucky to have that situation now.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29But one quiet Wednesday morning, Dave was not so lucky.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32A regular customer is in the shop with her two-year-old grandson.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34She chats to a member of staff
0:03:34 > 0:03:37while Dave is working in an office out the back.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41But this is about to become a crime scene.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45I'm in the workshop and I'm doing a job on a watch
0:03:45 > 0:03:49and I can hear this motorbike coming up. I didn't think nothing of it.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52The guy came in and shouted out,
0:03:52 > 0:03:56"Stay where you are and you won't get hurt."
0:03:56 > 0:03:59And that was it. I could see his hammer in his hand.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02I realised then that we're in trouble.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04The robber knows exactly what he wants
0:04:04 > 0:04:09and heads straight to the window display, full of expensive watches.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11The next thing I hear is the cabinets smashing,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13my girls screaming.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16It was very, very loud. The glass was flying everywhere.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19He was hitting it with his claw hammer and pulling it as well,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23so he could get his hands in to steal the watches.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Glass shatters across the room, the customer throws herself over
0:04:27 > 0:04:31the pushchair in a desperate attempt to protect her grandson.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34With his family and customer threatened,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Dave courageously confronts the robbers.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41I just went at him. I just pushed him through the door.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45In the desperate struggle,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Dave falls against the side of the moving motorbike.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53I just ended up on the floor.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Him being a lot younger than me, he managed to get up a lot quicker.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Dave may be down but he is not out.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03He wants his watches back and makes a grab for the robber's bag.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06He panicked and let go of the rucksack
0:05:06 > 0:05:09because he wasn't going to drag me along the street and that was it.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13He raced after his mate because his mate was starting to leave him
0:05:13 > 0:05:15and jumped on the motorbike and off they went.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Dave's worried the thieves may return for the bag.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24I threw it over my shoulder to get it as far away from me as possible,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27giving me time to get up, if they come back for it.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Back in the shop, Amy, Dave's daughter,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34makes sure the grandmother and toddler are OK.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Another member of staff from the jeweller's
0:05:38 > 0:05:41and a woman from a neighbouring shop rushed to help Dave.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44I was annoyed that he had got away.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47That was one thing I was disappointed in myself
0:05:47 > 0:05:51because it came home to me that I'm not invincible any more.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58In just six seconds, the raiders had got away with £13,000 worth
0:05:58 > 0:06:01of watches, despite Dave's valiant efforts to stop them.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07He is left injured and in shock after the violent confrontation.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12The police arrive.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Detective Constable Ben Lee of Hampshire Constabulary
0:06:15 > 0:06:18is there first and finds an emotional scene.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21We could see that everyone was very much shaken.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26There is a young lady member of staff who was inconsolable
0:06:26 > 0:06:31but you've also got a job to do. You got to find these offenders.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34DC Lee starts by checking the bag Dave managed to grab
0:06:34 > 0:06:36as the bike pulled away.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39It doesn't contain any of the valuable watches
0:06:39 > 0:06:43but it does contain something of great value to the police.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Inside the bag was a mobile phone.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49As soon as we got the phone, we were able to trace one of the suspects
0:06:49 > 0:06:54and on the phone itself, we had all his contacts, his family details.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58The mobile belongs to a man called Luke Peverell
0:06:58 > 0:07:01but the police will need to prove he is directly connected to the
0:07:01 > 0:07:05robbery because the robbers might have found or stolen his phone.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08It is then that Dave's wife remembers two men who
0:07:08 > 0:07:11visited his shop a few days earlier.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14They had gone straight to the expensive watches.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Both were caught on shop CCTV camera.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21My staff were wary of the way they behaved.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22They were suspicious of them.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Then a breakthrough.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29CCTV from another of Dave's shops shows one of these two men
0:07:29 > 0:07:31had recently visited there,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35possibly checking it out as an alternative target.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38This footage gives a much clearer image of the suspect.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42It is sent to other police forces and sure enough, the Metropolitan
0:07:42 > 0:07:47Police identify him as Luke Peverell, a known London criminal.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49One down, one to go.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54But we needed that pillion rider. We needed to know his identity.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Our colleagues in the London area had given us a name
0:07:58 > 0:08:01and said who the first suspect was working with.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06Now, DNA that was taken from the bag corroborated that and gave us
0:08:06 > 0:08:08that second person's name.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Peverell's accomplice is called Tom White.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Now armed with both names, the police set about finding them
0:08:14 > 0:08:16in a game of cat and mouse.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21They've known, I think, that the police were on to them
0:08:21 > 0:08:25and they were going from hotel to hotel in and around the London area.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Within seven days, we had managed to catch them at a hotel
0:08:29 > 0:08:30and arrest them.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34With such overwhelming evidence at court,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37the thieves plead guilty to conspiracy to rob.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43Tom White and Luke Peverell are both sentenced to five years imprisonment
0:08:43 > 0:08:46and ordered to pay victim surcharge.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50It was brilliant, that news was fantastic.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54It was a very good sentence. We were very happy with that.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Dave's risky wrestling with the raiders,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59when he managed to grab the bag, proved crucial.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03His actions on that particular day were nothing short
0:09:03 > 0:09:05of brave and amazing.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08We can't advise as police officers, for any member of the public
0:09:08 > 0:09:13to do that but his actions have left valuable evidence at the scene.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Dave and his family are very relieved to know
0:09:16 > 0:09:18the robbers won't be back any time soon.
0:09:20 > 0:09:21They've done a grand job.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23First class, the police, first class.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33The more evidence left at the scene of a crime,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35the more chance there is of catching the crooks.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38So, if people are unlucky enough to be the victim of a crime,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42there are things they can do to help police catch the perpetrators.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43After an incident,
0:09:43 > 0:09:44it's really important
0:09:44 > 0:09:46that the scene is locked down.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48In effect, it's frozen in time.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52We don't want people to go into that particular area and eat and drink
0:09:52 > 0:09:54and perhaps allow pets into that area
0:09:54 > 0:09:57because of all of those things can affect the forensic recovery
0:09:57 > 0:09:59which might lead to the arrest of a suspect.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Police CSIs see crime scenes
0:10:01 > 0:10:03much, much different
0:10:03 > 0:10:04to the general public.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08They are highly trained and they will see things that we won't see.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11A lot of forensic evidence isn't visible to the naked eye.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12Most people probably watch CSI
0:10:12 > 0:10:13on the television
0:10:13 > 0:10:16and it's not dissimilar to that
0:10:16 > 0:10:20so we can get fingerprints off hard surfaces, glass in particular,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23but DNA, in particular, is so sensitive now
0:10:23 > 0:10:27that we can pick DNA off virtually any surface.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Coming up -
0:10:33 > 0:10:36stealing from golf clubs may not sound like major crime
0:10:36 > 0:10:39but these two crooks are walking away
0:10:39 > 0:10:43with hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of equipment.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Police want to put an end to their game.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47The scale of this was quite incredible.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50It really did stretch the length and breadth of the UK.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Thieves love busy places and busy people
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and that's because busy people have often got valuables
0:10:58 > 0:11:01in their bags that they can't keep an eye on all of the time.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Paddington train station in London -
0:11:10 > 0:11:12it's ten days before Christmas,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15one of the busiest times of the year.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18The security cameras monitor the thousands of passengers
0:11:18 > 0:11:19passing along the concourse,
0:11:19 > 0:11:23both daily commuters and those going home for the holidays.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Amongst the crowd, this man looks like an ordinary commuter.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32His intentions, though, are anything but ordinary.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36He stole from six trains, property valuing up to £11,000.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42This man is a prolific thief, targeting bags on trains.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44He's already known to the police.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46He changed slightly with his appearance.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48It's a couple of years since I last dealt with him
0:11:48 > 0:11:50but you can still tell it's him.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52While he may have changed,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54the effect he's had on his victims remains the same.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58The upset, the devastation that you've lost all of your belongings.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02He has taken the victim's suitcase and that's Christmas ruined.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11The British Transport Police have the task of keeping people
0:12:11 > 0:12:15and their possessions safe on the nation's railways.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Detective Constable Dave Graney specialises in catching
0:12:19 > 0:12:22the thieves who target the transport network.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26It's a big problem, when we have lots of different teams who go out
0:12:26 > 0:12:28and about in plainclothes looking for the thieves.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32We've also got teams that carry on the investigations.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Four million people use the railways every day.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39There are plenty of opportunities for the thieves.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43One method they use is to steal unattended bags from luggage racks
0:12:43 > 0:12:46on board a train before it leaves the station.
0:12:46 > 0:12:47It's an easy offence.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50It's very hard to keep an eye on your bags once you're on the train.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53They haven't got an eye line to where their suitcases are.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56For many, the first they know about the crime
0:12:56 > 0:12:58is when they reach their final destination.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00It's very traumatic.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02It's a lot of sentimental items in a suitcase,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05it's all personal items, to the victim.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09This man, casually wheeling away stolen property,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12certainly doesn't consider the impact he has on his victims.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19A few years ago, he went on a spree, stealing 18 bags -
0:13:19 > 0:13:23one every few days from trains at Paddington Station.
0:13:23 > 0:13:24Disguised as a passenger,
0:13:24 > 0:13:29his technique was to seize his moment to jump on the train,
0:13:29 > 0:13:33and then get off shortly afterwards with someone else's luggage.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37He's thinking no-one's seen him, but he's wrong.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Transport detectives are experts at spotting criminals
0:13:41 > 0:13:43from station security cameras.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46When we get the crime reports,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49we will find out where the victim was sat, which carriage,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53so we look around that area to see if there's anybody coming off
0:13:53 > 0:13:55and here is a person coming out with a bag.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00To check he's got the right man, Dave rewinds the footage.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04This is the suspect, you can tell he hasn't got any luggage with him
0:14:04 > 0:14:07and then he boards where the luggage rack is.
0:14:07 > 0:14:1150 seconds later, he comes out with the bag.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14They didn't know the thief's name but had seen him
0:14:14 > 0:14:16often enough to recognise him.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Then one day, they struck lucky.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21We captured him by...myself and my colleague just thinking,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24"Let's go over to Paddington and have a look, cos we finish late."
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Then we bumped into him.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29The man taking bags was Adam Newton.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33He'd been travelling by train from Nottingham to commit his crimes.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37He was caught and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43End of story, you might think. Well, not quite.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Fast forward three years.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47It's Christmas time again.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Claire is packing her bags after visiting her friends in London.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55She's going to catch a train back home to Edinburgh
0:14:55 > 0:14:57from King's Cross Station.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00I had packed my favourite things.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03I also packed a whole load of jewellery as well
0:15:03 > 0:15:05cos I can never decide what I want to wear.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09When we got on the train, we put our luggage on the racks,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13sat down in our seats which were literally three seats away.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14But our backs were to it.
0:15:14 > 0:15:19For the next minute or so, I kept looking around but then I went,
0:15:19 > 0:15:20"OK, it'll be fine."
0:15:20 > 0:15:23The train leaves London and over an hour later,
0:15:23 > 0:15:24Claire goes to find her bag.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30I got up just to check it was there and discovered that it was gone.
0:15:30 > 0:15:31With the help of a guard,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34she frantically searches all the carriages
0:15:34 > 0:15:35but it's nowhere to be seen.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39At the time, it's just awful.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43The upset, the panic and this feeling of utter devastation
0:15:43 > 0:15:46that you have lost all of your belongings.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50It was very sad to discover that some of my favourite pieces
0:15:50 > 0:15:53that I'd had for years and years and years had been taken.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Claire phones the British Transport Police, only to find out
0:15:59 > 0:16:03that her theft isn't the only one that has happened at the weekend.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Six bags have been stolen from Paddington
0:16:05 > 0:16:07and two from King's Cross.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11Their combined worth is £11,500.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14The reports land on Dave's desk a couple of days later.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19He wastes no time and heads for Paddington.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21I went to the CCTV suite myself
0:16:21 > 0:16:24and I was able to follow the person around
0:16:24 > 0:16:27and get the best camera for the best image.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Eagle-eyed Dave soon spots a familiar figure.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34As soon as I saw him, I thought, "Gotcha!"
0:16:34 > 0:16:36He had changed slightly with his appearance.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38It was a couple of years since I last dealt with him
0:16:38 > 0:16:40but you could still tell it was him.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Yes, it's Adam Newton.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Not long after his stint in prison, he's up to his old tricks again,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50but this time, he's not waiting days between thefts, but minutes.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52This is him, he went straight from the over bridge
0:16:52 > 0:16:56down to the platform and that is him going into the train there.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58I don't think he studies what suitcase he takes,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00he just goes for the easiest one.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Moments later, he's back on the platform
0:17:03 > 0:17:06with someone else's rucksack over his shoulder.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08He's taken the bag out of the station,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10spending a couple of minutes rooting through it,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13seeing if there's anything straightaway that appeals to him,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16and then he'll go straight back onto another train.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18This is a new tactic for him,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20getting onto the train with a stolen bag
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and then swapping it for a different bag.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Here, he has stolen two suitcases
0:17:25 > 0:17:28and decides to visit the gents to rifle through them.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31He even manages to sweet-talk his way in without paying.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35This is him leaving without any of the suitcases.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Straightaway, he goes on to another train.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41He has no idea what's in the luggage
0:17:41 > 0:17:43but just looks for anything valuable,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45like jewellery, phones and laptops.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46It's definitely a lucky dip.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50If they steal enough, soon enough they will get something they like.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55For Claire, knowing the random way in which Newton selects the bags
0:17:55 > 0:17:58puts her mind at ease in one way.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01The fact that it isn't people he targets slightly reassured me,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05because there is an element of feeling unnerved by the fact
0:18:05 > 0:18:08you feel like you might have been targeted for whatever reason.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Newton seems to have forgotten that the cameras that
0:18:10 > 0:18:15caught him last time are still there, recording his every move.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19This one, on board a train, actually catches him taking a bag.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21He's seen his opportunity now.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24He's taken the victim's suitcase.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27And that's Christmas ruined.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Armed with the footage, Dave goes up to Nottingham to look for him,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36and finds him already in a police cell for another crime.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39This time on his own patch.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43He was sitting in custody for the unrelated matter and, as soon
0:18:43 > 0:18:47I walk in, he started smiling and he said, "Look, can we do a deal?"
0:18:47 > 0:18:51I said to him, "If we get all the property back, then I'm sure we can do something."
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Unfortunately we didn't, so we ended up charging him with all the offences.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03In court, Newton is sentenced to 15 months in prison.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09But the detective work doesn't stop there.
0:19:09 > 0:19:10They managed to find
0:19:10 > 0:19:13and reunite five of the missing bags with their owners.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15They were grateful to us, especially one
0:19:15 > 0:19:17who trekked through all the compartments and found
0:19:17 > 0:19:22her computer, which was still in there, so she was quite happy.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Another happy owner is Claire.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Her jewellery is still, sadly, missing,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30but her bag was returned with everything else in it.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33One officer arranged for my bag to be delivered to Edinburgh Waverley,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36where I picked it up on Christmas Eve.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39So I got my bag back for Christmas, which was ridiculously amazing,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42so I am forever grateful to him.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Coming up next, the dangers of illegal street racing.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55But luckily these reckless drivers are heading for the pits.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04No, Formula One hasn't swapped the streets of Monte Carlo
0:20:04 > 0:20:06for the streets of Tyneside.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10These reckless drivers are putting a lot of people, including
0:20:10 > 0:20:15themselves, in serious danger by turning roads into racetracks.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16And they're off!
0:20:16 > 0:20:20One by one, they line up at these traffic lights, wait for them
0:20:20 > 0:20:22to change and then speed off.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Luckily, one of the onlookers was so excited
0:20:25 > 0:20:29he posted some of his mobile footage of the race on the internet.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34This gave police a clear view of all the car numberplates involved,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37and led to the arrest of the shameless speed freaks.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40They all pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in court.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Six of the seven were banned from driving, each one of them
0:20:43 > 0:20:45received hefty fines.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47So, it wasn't the chequered flag they got that day
0:20:47 > 0:20:52but the black flag, and that means race over for good.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01If I told you you were about to see a couple of thieves who had
0:21:01 > 0:21:06just stolen goods worth £750,000,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10you might think they had just raided a jewellery shop.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15But you'd be wrong. Their victims aren't jewellers, they're golfers!
0:21:21 > 0:21:24The only crime you might expect to find on a golf club is
0:21:24 > 0:21:27someone cheating on their scorecard, maybe.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30But most golfers take their game very seriously.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Golf is some people's lives.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37They live and breathe the sport and they're not happy
0:21:37 > 0:21:40unless they're playing the sport and are part of their golf club.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43However, real crime came to this club one day
0:21:43 > 0:21:45when the players' lockers were broken into.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47And they were not alone.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51The crooks targeted 36 clubs all over the country.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53The scale of this was quite incredible.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57It really did stretch the length and breadth of the UK.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01The two thieves stole hundreds of sets of clubs, netting them
0:22:01 > 0:22:05£750,000 worth of goods.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Victims were left angry and upset.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12The victims range from the elderly to some very young juniors.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15They were heartbroken as such. Devastated.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Dainton Park Golf Club in Devon -
0:22:19 > 0:22:20in the changing room,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23two men look like they're preparing for their round.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25But they're not golfers.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Those clubs they're holding don't belong to them.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32It's a crime they've committed many times before, and although their
0:22:32 > 0:22:37image has been caught on camera, they themselves had eluded capture.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44All around the country, golfers, like Miles, are seething with frustration.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47That's actually my set of clubs going out the door now.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51It's £1,200 worth, including the club that my wife bought me for Christmas.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Dressed in golfing gear to blend in,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56they simply follow someone into the locker room.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58If a door is locked, they sometimes con
0:22:58 > 0:23:01a member of staff to reveal the door code.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Golfers, being polite people, would actually open doors for them,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08say, "Hi, how are you? Did you have a good round? Have you played here before?"
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Nathan Brown works at Dainton Park, where this footage was recorded.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15He has visual evidence of how the burglars carefully
0:23:15 > 0:23:16planned their crimes.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19He wasn't actually stealing the golf clubs at that time.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21He was peeking through, having a look at what was in there,
0:23:21 > 0:23:23and he was marking the doors.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26So it was quite clear he was going to come back to those ones.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29The pair used this same method of pre-marking
0:23:29 > 0:23:31the doors across the country.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36At Taunton Vale Golf Club, Reuben Evans found the telltale signs.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39The targeted lockers were marked in a distinct fashion with
0:23:39 > 0:23:41a scratched cross.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43This means as soon as the coast is clear,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46the shameless thieves act quickly.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49If they are disturbed by a golfer, they behave normally
0:23:49 > 0:23:53and pretend to be preparing for their round, or duck into the toilet.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56And here you see the offender, down the bottom right,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58making his way into the loo.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00I've just finished my round of golf.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03It's quite frustrating watching it back because you'll see me
0:24:03 > 0:24:07walking, and I actually walked straight past him, not knowing who he is.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Unfortunately for the police,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13the thieves know the club's CCTV cameras are watching them.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16They're actually being quite clever and careful to try
0:24:16 > 0:24:17and avoid detection -
0:24:17 > 0:24:20having a cap which concealed their eyes, or turned their back
0:24:20 > 0:24:22towards the cameras.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25With their identities hidden, there isn't enough evidence to
0:24:25 > 0:24:27convict them.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28So while they're still at large,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32many of their victims buy new clubs and carry on.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33They call it the bug.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36People play it and catch the bug and then can't stop.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39And it seems the crooks can't stop either.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43A few months later, they returned to steal the replacement clubs.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48For some unlucky golfers, like Miles, it seems lightning strikes twice.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Any second now.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Over goes the towel on them, and they've got my second set of clubs.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Miles was really unlucky.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01His club took measures to avoid being targeted again,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04including putting up a wanted poster, and it worked.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08This is one of our long-standing members,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11who actually recognised the guy from the poster.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13After he put his clubs in his locker, he immediately came
0:25:13 > 0:25:15and notified me.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17But before Nathan reaches the locker room,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21one of the thieves takes yet another set of clubs.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25And he's on his way back to steal more when Nathan gets there.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27I thought I recognised him but I wasn't sure.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31I just simply said to him, "Can I help you?" He answered very sharply.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35He said, "No, I'm fine." He then quickly leaves the premises.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38These two continue their crime spree for over a year.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42No golf club is safe, and the pair reap the rewards.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47We think that the total value of the golf clubs stolen was
0:25:47 > 0:25:50something like £750,000.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55The thefts come to the attention of the National Crime Agency,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Britain's answer to the FBI.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00This was considered to be organised crime,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04because we have people who really did use each other's experience,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08and plan ahead to get the property that they wanted.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12On one occasion they got 20 sets of golf clubs,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14with a value of £35,000.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20The NCA uncover one of the suspects when he is arrested
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and questioned about another unrelated crime.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26His name is Daniel Lloyd.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29During that investigation, the NCA search Lloyd's house,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32where they discover more than they expected.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37We examined his computers, and we saw he had been searching for different golf clubs throughout
0:26:37 > 0:26:42the country, but he'd also been searching for ways to unpick locks.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46With Daniel Lloyds their main suspect, the National Crime Agency
0:26:46 > 0:26:49wastes no time building their case against him.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51We were in a position, as a national agency,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53to really pull together all our information,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56to liaise with all those different golf clubs, different police forces.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00For example, we know that he used to drive his vehicle towards
0:27:00 > 0:27:01the golf clubs.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04What we were able to do is to retrospectively track his
0:27:04 > 0:27:07movements around the country very effectively, even though
0:27:07 > 0:27:10he had changed his registration plates.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Lloyd and his partner in crime are about to land in the rough.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18It was only when we came to knock on his door again,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20and we arrested him for the burglaries, that he
0:27:20 > 0:27:23became aware of the NCA's involvement in this.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Even with overwhelming evidence against them,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Lloyd and his accomplice, Joe McCaughey, plead not guilty in court.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35The jury doesn't agree.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Lloyd is sentenced to four years and six months in prison.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44McCaughey gets two years and nine months.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47It's a good score.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52The seriousness of what these guys did was
0:27:52 > 0:27:55reflected in the sentences that they received.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58And the golfers are happy to hear their bogey men have
0:27:58 > 0:28:00had their cards well and truly marked.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05When I heard that they'd been caught, I thought it was absolutely fantastic.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07One, it was relief And one, it was absolute joy.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16That's it for today.
0:28:16 > 0:28:17Join us next time when the police
0:28:17 > 0:28:20and the public catch more criminals red-handed.