Episode 18

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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 > 0:00:16police and other agencies are using new tactics and technologies

0:00:16 > 0:00:18where 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 > 0:00:29As soon as he walked into the picture, I knew who he was.

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 > 0:00:36We definitely needed proof. You're not going to get away with it.

0:00:36 > 0:00:39You might as well pack up. It made him swallow his pride. It was brilliant.

0:00:39 > 0:00:43So, anyone who's up to no good had better think twice.

0:00:44 > 0:00:46They might just get Caught Red Handed.

0:00:54 > 0:00:58Today, this thief's picked the wrong car to steal from.

0:00:58 > 0:01:02It's outside a building full of muscular men training to be bouncers

0:01:02 > 0:01:05and it belongs to one of the instructors.

0:01:05 > 0:01:07I actually said, "Are you stupid,

0:01:07 > 0:01:10"trying this with all these security officers here?"

0:01:11 > 0:01:14Also today, a beloved grandmother

0:01:14 > 0:01:18is treated with anything but the care she deserves.

0:01:18 > 0:01:22And I seen the handprint - four fingers and a thumb - on her arm.

0:01:22 > 0:01:24And it was very deep, deep bruising.

0:01:26 > 0:01:30And builders make a not-so-generous donation to a hard-pressed

0:01:30 > 0:01:33charity shop - a huge pile of heavy rubble.

0:01:33 > 0:01:38We had to pay ?150 for a builder's skip.

0:01:45 > 0:01:48A 91st birthday party for great-great-grandmother Bridie,

0:01:48 > 0:01:51surrounded by her family.

0:01:51 > 0:01:53Come on, all the kids, blow the candles out.

0:01:53 > 0:01:55Come on. Spit all over the cake!

0:01:55 > 0:02:01A happy home movie filmed by one of Bridie's grandchildren.

0:02:04 > 0:02:08But just months later, another camera shows Bridie -

0:02:08 > 0:02:10but it's a very different scene.

0:02:12 > 0:02:15Bridie's health has deteriorated dramatically,

0:02:15 > 0:02:18and she now needs 24-hour care in a nursing home.

0:02:20 > 0:02:24What you're about to see is hard to watch and could be upsetting,

0:02:24 > 0:02:27but the family feel Bridie's story needs telling.

0:02:29 > 0:02:33As Bridie lies in her bed, a nurse comes in to tend to her.

0:02:42 > 0:02:45No-one should hit anyone, but when you're 90 years old

0:02:45 > 0:02:47and you can't move, that's evil.

0:02:57 > 0:03:00East London.

0:03:00 > 0:03:04Bridie Rees, matriarch of a large family,

0:03:04 > 0:03:07was known for her larger-than-life personality.

0:03:07 > 0:03:09My mum was the first person at a party,

0:03:09 > 0:03:14that was always up to do a knees-up and get everyone laughing.

0:03:14 > 0:03:17Happy, jolly. She would sing a lot.

0:03:17 > 0:03:20As soon as you heard that laugh, you knew Bridie Rees was in that room.

0:03:23 > 0:03:25Bridie had left her home in Limerick, Ireland,

0:03:25 > 0:03:27shortly after the War,

0:03:27 > 0:03:31and with her husband William moved to England, where she found work.

0:03:31 > 0:03:35Mum worked in the Hackney hospital for 38 years as an auxiliary nurse.

0:03:35 > 0:03:40It meant ever so much to my mum.

0:03:40 > 0:03:43"Come on, Bridie, give me that song again."

0:03:43 > 0:03:50And she'd sing songs from back home.

0:03:50 > 0:03:53Bridie's health starts to go downhill

0:03:53 > 0:03:56and she finds herself no longer nurse, but patient.

0:03:58 > 0:04:00She had a succession of heart attacks and strokes.

0:04:00 > 0:04:03With the family rallying round to care for her,

0:04:03 > 0:04:06Bridie is able to return to her own home.

0:04:06 > 0:04:08She looked after us, then we looked after her.

0:04:08 > 0:04:10She was our focal point.

0:04:10 > 0:04:13She was the person that, you know, our routines went by.

0:04:13 > 0:04:15"When are you going to see Nan?

0:04:15 > 0:04:17"Are you coming down to see Nan? Meet you at Nan's."

0:04:17 > 0:04:23But when they see Nan, they notice signs of memory loss,

0:04:23 > 0:04:27and after tests, she's diagnosed as having dementia.

0:04:27 > 0:04:29It was very hard for us, watching this.

0:04:29 > 0:04:32It was very, very, very, very hard.

0:04:32 > 0:04:35Daughter Veronica decides to bring her mum back to her home

0:04:35 > 0:04:39and look after her full-time. And her dementia got worse.

0:04:39 > 0:04:42It just went down and down.

0:04:42 > 0:04:44It becomes increasingly difficult for Veronica

0:04:44 > 0:04:47to cope with Bridie on her own.

0:04:47 > 0:04:49I spoke to my brothers and sisters and said,

0:04:49 > 0:04:51"I can't give her nursing care. I can care."

0:04:52 > 0:04:56"I can't give her the 24-hour nursing care that she needs."

0:04:56 > 0:04:59So it was the case that she had to go into a nursing home.

0:04:59 > 0:05:04Not because we didn't want her, but because she needed the care.

0:05:04 > 0:05:08They find a suitable home that can provide the level of care needed,

0:05:08 > 0:05:10and Bridie moves in.

0:05:12 > 0:05:14The family visit every day.

0:05:14 > 0:05:16At first, all is well.

0:05:16 > 0:05:20But within weeks, they start to notice changes in her.

0:05:20 > 0:05:22We'd go and give her a kiss

0:05:22 > 0:05:25and she would flinch or she would recoil into the bed,

0:05:25 > 0:05:28pull the covers up like a child so you could just see her eyes.

0:05:28 > 0:05:30And there was fear in her.

0:05:30 > 0:05:34Bridie's fearful reaction, coupled with some of the things she says,

0:05:34 > 0:05:36starts alarm bells ringing.

0:05:36 > 0:05:38Mum saying things to me like,

0:05:38 > 0:05:43"A nurse punched me on the nose today." So I said, "Really?"

0:05:43 > 0:05:50And then she said, a week or so later, "That nurse came back."

0:05:50 > 0:05:53I said, "Did she?" "She slapped me in my face."

0:05:53 > 0:05:56But she kept saying things like that too often.

0:05:56 > 0:06:00And I'm thinking, dementia? And I was like a weighing scale.

0:06:00 > 0:06:03Dementia? Real or not? I don't know.

0:06:03 > 0:06:07The balance is finally tipped when Veronica notices a worrying injury.

0:06:09 > 0:06:12I went in there one day and I seen the handprint -

0:06:12 > 0:06:15four fingers and a thumb - on her arm.

0:06:15 > 0:06:18And it was very deep, deep bruising there.

0:06:18 > 0:06:20The home suggests the bruising

0:06:20 > 0:06:23may be a side effect of Bridie's medication.

0:06:23 > 0:06:25As she's been on it for some time with no problems,

0:06:25 > 0:06:28Veronica thinks that's unlikely.

0:06:28 > 0:06:30Meanwhile, more marks appear.

0:06:32 > 0:06:34From the first bruising and the second bruising,

0:06:34 > 0:06:36I knew there was something happening.

0:06:36 > 0:06:41But without the proof you can't do nothing, and I needed that proof.

0:06:41 > 0:06:43Veronica needs evidence.

0:06:43 > 0:06:45She decides to put a hidden camera in the room,

0:06:45 > 0:06:48with the help of her more technically minded nephew.

0:06:48 > 0:06:52We looked at little clocks, little alarm clock things.

0:06:52 > 0:06:55We looked at other things, and then the clock came up.

0:06:55 > 0:06:58So I said, "Get her a clock.

0:06:58 > 0:07:00"Put it right on the end of her bed so when she looks up,

0:07:00 > 0:07:02"she can see the clock.

0:07:02 > 0:07:06"And that will have a little camera in it."

0:07:06 > 0:07:08Her nephew installs the clock camera

0:07:08 > 0:07:11and leaves it in movement-detection mode.

0:07:11 > 0:07:14So nothing can happen around that bed

0:07:14 > 0:07:17without the camera clicking into action.

0:07:17 > 0:07:20Veronica collects the footage every day

0:07:20 > 0:07:22and gives it to her nephew to download.

0:07:22 > 0:07:24My nephew, he does a lot of work away,

0:07:24 > 0:07:28so I had to wait for him to come home to view it.

0:07:28 > 0:07:31After an agonising wait, Veronica checks a few sections,

0:07:31 > 0:07:33but sees nothing untoward.

0:07:33 > 0:07:36And then she receives a call from the nursing home.

0:07:36 > 0:07:40The matron said to me, "My staff has got reason to believe

0:07:40 > 0:07:42"you've got a device in your mum's room."

0:07:42 > 0:07:44And I said, "I have."

0:07:44 > 0:07:46Veronica's nephew removes the camera

0:07:46 > 0:07:50and a meeting is set up with the matron to talk it over.

0:07:50 > 0:07:53But just before they arrive, her nephew describes something

0:07:53 > 0:07:55he has seen on the last bit of footage.

0:07:55 > 0:07:58He said to me, "Veronica, you're not going to like it.

0:07:58 > 0:08:02"I've looked at the footage and the nurse has hit Nanny."

0:08:05 > 0:08:08In the meeting at the home, the matron, the head of nursing

0:08:08 > 0:08:10and Veronica watch the footage for the first time.

0:08:12 > 0:08:16What they see is a nurse entering Bridie's room,

0:08:16 > 0:08:19and without a word to her, starts to change the dressing on her arm.

0:08:22 > 0:08:26Bridie asks the nurse what she's doing but the nurse becomes angry.

0:08:32 > 0:08:35When Bridie puts her arm up to object, the nurse finally responds.

0:08:35 > 0:08:37But roughly.

0:08:41 > 0:08:43As the nurse makes the bed,

0:08:43 > 0:08:46she pulls the sheet up over Bridie's head and leaves it there.

0:08:49 > 0:08:53This is what happens when Bridie tries to object to her treatment.

0:09:06 > 0:09:08Then the nurse accuses Bridie of abusing HER.

0:09:22 > 0:09:25The nurse leaves, and Bridie is alone in the dark.

0:09:30 > 0:09:33The next morning, the nurse returns and discusses Bridie's injuries

0:09:33 > 0:09:38with her colleagues, claiming they were self-inflicted.

0:09:46 > 0:09:48Viewing the footage with the care-home staff,

0:09:48 > 0:09:51Veronica is shocked. But not as much as they are.

0:09:51 > 0:09:55As the filming finished, they both turned to me -

0:09:55 > 0:09:58they both had tears in their eyes as well,

0:09:58 > 0:10:03they were absolutely gutted - and the head of nursing said to me,

0:10:03 > 0:10:06"Veronica, what would you like to happen now? I'm so sorry.

0:10:06 > 0:10:08"What would you like to happen now?"

0:10:08 > 0:10:11That night, when the nurse turns up for her shift,

0:10:11 > 0:10:13the care home take immediate action

0:10:13 > 0:10:16and she is escorted from the premises.

0:10:16 > 0:10:19They hand the incriminating film to the police.

0:10:19 > 0:10:24Back at home, the rest of Bridie's family watch the footage. I cried.

0:10:25 > 0:10:28Because it's just not nice.

0:10:28 > 0:10:30Someone hits your nan.

0:10:30 > 0:10:33To be told it was happening, I cried.

0:10:33 > 0:10:37To actually watch it, it cut through like a knife.

0:10:37 > 0:10:41The family tell Bridie she will not have to see the nurse again.

0:10:41 > 0:10:44We said to my nan, "Nan, she's not coming back."

0:10:44 > 0:10:47And my nan said, "Good. She doesn't deserve to work here.

0:10:47 > 0:10:49"She shouldn't be here."

0:10:53 > 0:10:56In court, the nurse pleads guilty to ill-treatment

0:10:56 > 0:10:59and wilful neglect and is jailed for four months.

0:11:01 > 0:11:04The family are putting the experience behind them by taking

0:11:04 > 0:11:08action to try and prevent this type of abuse happening to other people.

0:11:08 > 0:11:11We're talking about a tiny percentage of people in this profession

0:11:11 > 0:11:14that are not doing the right thing, and to protect the people

0:11:14 > 0:11:19at the hands of those bad people, it can only be CCTV.

0:11:19 > 0:11:22Since all of this has happened, we started the petition.

0:11:22 > 0:11:26We want CCTV to be in all care homes and nursing homes.

0:11:26 > 0:11:29Not compulsory, necessarily, but to be a choice.

0:11:33 > 0:11:36Sadly, Bridie passed away shortly after her 92nd birthday.

0:11:36 > 0:11:38But with justice done,

0:11:38 > 0:11:42the family can now concentrate on happier memories.

0:11:42 > 0:11:44She always liked a bit of glam, didn't she?

0:11:44 > 0:11:47She loved the dressing up. She loved the hair lacquer.

0:11:47 > 0:11:50Always having her hair done. Laugh a minute. Yeah, laughing.

0:11:58 > 0:12:00What a load of rubbish.

0:12:00 > 0:12:03Thoughtless builders dump their waste

0:12:03 > 0:12:06and hinder the work of a hard-pressed charity shop.

0:12:06 > 0:12:09There was pieces of breeze blocks, there were bricks,

0:12:09 > 0:12:14there was cement, there was heavy pieces just left there, in each pile.

0:12:18 > 0:12:21And can Spider-Man's special spider senses

0:12:21 > 0:12:23sniff out someone about to make a snatch?

0:12:30 > 0:12:34Opportunist thieves are always on the lookout to take a chance.

0:12:34 > 0:12:38But when opportunity knocks for a would-be car thief,

0:12:38 > 0:12:41there are some big knocks just around the corner.

0:12:47 > 0:12:50Manchester city centre.

0:12:50 > 0:12:54A parked car. A man opens the car door.

0:12:55 > 0:12:59Nothing unusual in that, you might think.

0:12:59 > 0:13:01But it isn't his car.

0:13:01 > 0:13:04He's a chancer, looking to pinch whatever's inside.

0:13:04 > 0:13:08OK. One. In. Not too tight. Two. In.

0:13:08 > 0:13:11And he's about to find out that he's picked the wrong car

0:13:11 > 0:13:13in the wrong place.

0:13:13 > 0:13:17I actually said, "Are you stupid, trying this?

0:13:17 > 0:13:19"It's a security training company."

0:13:24 > 0:13:27Although his surname may suggest otherwise,

0:13:27 > 0:13:32ex-soldier Marcus Gentles has been a security doorman for 16 years.

0:13:32 > 0:13:36When I came out the Fusiliers I basically found myself...

0:13:36 > 0:13:37The only jobs that I could do

0:13:37 > 0:13:40was working on building sites or being a doorman.

0:13:40 > 0:13:42I actually went to work at Butlins holiday centres.

0:13:42 > 0:13:45Best time of my life, working security for them.

0:13:45 > 0:13:48I then decided I wanted to pass what I've learned on,

0:13:48 > 0:13:53so I started a training company and here we are today.

0:13:53 > 0:13:55So he's going to come in at you, bringing it in. OK.

0:13:55 > 0:13:58Step. In. Drop.

0:13:58 > 0:14:02Down. Down, down, down, down. If need be. OK?

0:14:02 > 0:14:06In the five years Marcus has been running his training school,

0:14:06 > 0:14:10he's helped almost 5,000 people get the accreditation

0:14:10 > 0:14:12they need to work the door.

0:14:12 > 0:14:15As of 2005, it became compulsory that all security operatives

0:14:15 > 0:14:18in the UK had to have their licence.

0:14:18 > 0:14:20The industry has changed so much in nearly ten years

0:14:20 > 0:14:24because of this licensing.

0:14:24 > 0:14:28With this guy, he's got more power, so you use your strong hand. OK.

0:14:28 > 0:14:31If need be, straighten.

0:14:31 > 0:14:33One of the skills Marcus teaches is how to restrain

0:14:33 > 0:14:35and handcuff troublemakers.

0:14:37 > 0:14:41And that's the course he's running on the day this opportunist thief

0:14:41 > 0:14:44wanders into the closed-off car park.

0:14:44 > 0:14:47You can't get through that way, so anyone coming there,

0:14:47 > 0:14:50they're hanging about doing something they shouldn't be.

0:14:52 > 0:14:54After getting lucky with the unlocked door,

0:14:54 > 0:14:58the thief sits in the driver's seat. He's after the sat nav.

0:14:58 > 0:15:02But the car belongs to one of the security instructors, Daniel,

0:15:02 > 0:15:06who's spotted his uninvited passenger and goes to confront him.

0:15:08 > 0:15:13I looked up and saw Daniel outside and he basically waved at me.

0:15:13 > 0:15:17Marcus can see there's trouble brewing. His instincts kick in.

0:15:17 > 0:15:21In anything we do in security, when we're approaching people,

0:15:21 > 0:15:23when we're taking a task on,

0:15:23 > 0:15:25we're taught to do a dynamic risk assessment.

0:15:25 > 0:15:26A dynamic risk assessment

0:15:26 > 0:15:29is assessing a situation before you actually get to it.

0:15:29 > 0:15:33Well, this situation is developing fast.

0:15:33 > 0:15:36What's the term for a collection of bouncers?

0:15:36 > 0:15:38A bruising of bouncers, maybe?

0:15:38 > 0:15:40That's how it must be looking for that thief.

0:15:40 > 0:15:44Caught like a rat in a trap as a crowd gathers.

0:15:44 > 0:15:47You've got to buy yourself that split second ahead of the person,

0:15:47 > 0:15:50and I thought he may have a weapon, so I pushed his arms back.

0:15:50 > 0:15:54Marcus asks one of the trainees to pass him some handcuffs.

0:15:54 > 0:15:56It was quite easy to get the cuffs on him as well.

0:15:56 > 0:15:58It was like he'd done it before.

0:15:58 > 0:16:01And then with the help of Danny as well,

0:16:01 > 0:16:04we lifted him up and took him inside the centre.

0:16:05 > 0:16:08The incident has been dealt with so well,

0:16:08 > 0:16:10the students think it's all just part of the training.

0:16:10 > 0:16:13They honestly did believe that it was a set-up

0:16:13 > 0:16:16until I started to bring the guy in, started to tell him

0:16:16 > 0:16:18he'd been arrested and turned around to them and said,

0:16:18 > 0:16:20"Can you call the police?"

0:16:20 > 0:16:23That was a shock to them because they thought, "Oh, my God. This is real."

0:16:23 > 0:16:27Marcus is stunned by the thief's stupidity.

0:16:27 > 0:16:30Choosing to rob a car park at a security training school

0:16:30 > 0:16:32isn't particularly smart.

0:16:33 > 0:16:35I actually said, "Are you stupid, trying this?

0:16:35 > 0:16:38"With all these security officers here and that?"

0:16:38 > 0:16:41And his reply was, "You've got to try."

0:16:41 > 0:16:45Not the best place to try, but a good place to fail.

0:16:48 > 0:16:52In court, he pleaded guilty to theft from a motor vehicle.

0:16:53 > 0:16:56Come on, then. See? There, there, there.

0:16:56 > 0:16:58That's what you have to do.

0:16:58 > 0:17:01Marcus, meanwhile, has ended up with a brilliant video

0:17:01 > 0:17:03to use on his training course from now on.

0:17:03 > 0:17:06We're going to show that to all our candidates in the future.

0:17:06 > 0:17:09This is what happens. I mean, this is real.

0:17:15 > 0:17:19If only all thieves were that simple to catch, there'd be no car crime.

0:17:19 > 0:17:22But we don't all have Marcus's band of muscle men on hand,

0:17:22 > 0:17:26so it's a good idea to make it less easy for the crooks.

0:17:26 > 0:17:28Don't leave anything on display in the vehicle.

0:17:28 > 0:17:31Lock it away in the boot or, if you can, hide it under the front seats.

0:17:31 > 0:17:35One of the things we have in cars in this day and age is sat navs.

0:17:35 > 0:17:39They're quite valuable pieces of kit so take them down,

0:17:39 > 0:17:42put them in the glove box, make sure you lock the glove box as well.

0:17:42 > 0:17:45But also, don't leave that telltale sign of the sucker mark,

0:17:45 > 0:17:48cos they'll spot that in an instant.

0:17:48 > 0:17:49Park somewhere where it's well-lit,

0:17:49 > 0:17:52perhaps where there's a number of other people,

0:17:52 > 0:17:55comings and goings, because that will deter an offender

0:17:55 > 0:17:57from trying to break into your vehicle.

0:17:57 > 0:18:00You might think they might not bother with a few quid

0:18:00 > 0:18:03in your ashtray, but they will break into your car for just that.

0:18:03 > 0:18:05Don't end up with a bill for a window smashed of a couple

0:18:05 > 0:18:09of hundred pound for the sake of a few pound coins in your ashtray.

0:18:09 > 0:18:12Now and again, check and make sure the central locking system

0:18:12 > 0:18:14is working in the car and you're not inadvertently leaving it open.

0:18:19 > 0:18:23Now for a short comic interlude, complete with a superhero

0:18:23 > 0:18:27who uses his superpowers to trap a thief in his web.

0:18:33 > 0:18:34You'd think any sensible thief

0:18:34 > 0:18:38would avoid trying to steal from a shop owned by Spider-Man.

0:18:38 > 0:18:42At least, that's what shop owner Michael is hoping.

0:18:42 > 0:18:46His shop sells comic books, and some command high prices.

0:18:46 > 0:18:50So Michael patrols the aisles, but in his own comic way,

0:18:50 > 0:18:52dressed as Spider-Man.

0:18:52 > 0:18:55It's all good fun until suddenly,

0:18:55 > 0:18:58our superhero spots a customer acting oddly.

0:18:58 > 0:19:00His spidery senses start to tingle.

0:19:02 > 0:19:04As the man goes to leave,

0:19:04 > 0:19:09Michael notices he's making off with a rare X-Men comic worth ?100.

0:19:11 > 0:19:14Michael intercepts the not-so-super-villain,

0:19:14 > 0:19:16who refuses to open his bag.

0:19:16 > 0:19:19So our crusading crime-fighter snatches the rucksack from

0:19:19 > 0:19:23the man's evil clutches, reveals the hidden comic, and calls the police.

0:19:26 > 0:19:28Luckily, the baddie comes quietly

0:19:28 > 0:19:31and Michael doesn't need his fanged teeth or venomous stingers.

0:19:31 > 0:19:33Maybe next time.

0:19:39 > 0:19:41Not in my back yard.

0:19:41 > 0:19:44And that's particularly true when it comes to rubbish.

0:19:44 > 0:19:47I mean, we've got enough of our own to deal with,

0:19:47 > 0:19:50without being dumped with other people's.

0:19:54 > 0:19:57The village of Little Chalfont in Buckinghamshire.

0:19:57 > 0:20:02These pictures come from a CCTV camera behind a row of shops.

0:20:02 > 0:20:06This man is making a delivery. But it's one nobody wants.

0:20:06 > 0:20:11These men are fly-tipping, illegally dumping their building waste.

0:20:11 > 0:20:15And they've come all the way from North London to do it.

0:20:15 > 0:20:18Worse still, they're thoughtlessly dumping it

0:20:18 > 0:20:22at the back of a charity shop, blocking the fire escape.

0:20:22 > 0:20:26We had to pay ?150 for a builder's skip.

0:20:26 > 0:20:28But they don't know they've been recorded,

0:20:28 > 0:20:31and the council want to track them down.

0:20:31 > 0:20:34The prospect of having some CCTV was a very exciting moment.

0:20:34 > 0:20:36It definitely gave us hope.

0:20:41 > 0:20:44Fly-tipping is a countrywide problem.

0:20:44 > 0:20:46Not only does it blight the landscape,

0:20:46 > 0:20:48it's a drain on resources.

0:20:48 > 0:20:51Fly-tipping is a huge burden on the council in terms of cost

0:20:51 > 0:20:54because not only have we got to employ people to clear it up, we've

0:20:54 > 0:20:57then got to pay for it to go into landfill and dispose of it that way.

0:20:57 > 0:21:00Buckinghamshire suffers like any other county.

0:21:00 > 0:21:04Chris Smith works as an enforcement officer for the local council

0:21:04 > 0:21:10and illegal waste dumpers occupy a great deal of his time.

0:21:10 > 0:21:13There isn't one location that's particularly suited to fly-tippers.

0:21:13 > 0:21:16They will go anywhere. Obviously, the rural offences stick out more

0:21:16 > 0:21:19and look particularly unsightly,

0:21:19 > 0:21:23but there are a lot of offences in the urban environment as well.

0:21:23 > 0:21:26And a distressing example of this recently affected a charity shop

0:21:26 > 0:21:30in Little Chalfont, run by Gill Edwards.

0:21:30 > 0:21:33This shop has been here for about 14 years.

0:21:33 > 0:21:37We raise money for people in later life

0:21:37 > 0:21:41and we have about 18 or 20 volunteers who work extremely hard.

0:21:41 > 0:21:43They give an awful lot of time for free here.

0:21:43 > 0:21:47The shop relies on donations.

0:21:47 > 0:21:52But one morning there's a donation they certainly don't need or want.

0:21:52 > 0:21:54Builders' waste.

0:21:54 > 0:21:57There was pieces of breeze block, there were bricks,

0:21:57 > 0:21:59there was cement, there was...

0:21:59 > 0:22:04Heavy pieces that had just been left in a huge pile.

0:22:04 > 0:22:07To make matters worse, the bags are originally piled up

0:22:07 > 0:22:10against the charity shop's fire escape.

0:22:10 > 0:22:13We could open the door inwards but we couldn't actually physically get out.

0:22:13 > 0:22:16If there had been a fire, we wouldn't have got out.

0:22:16 > 0:22:18Plus we have flats upstairs,

0:22:18 > 0:22:21so it doesn't bear thinking about the consequences.

0:22:21 > 0:22:23Whoever dumped it had no thought at all.

0:22:23 > 0:22:26With the fire escape blocked, it's dangerous for the shop to stay open,

0:22:26 > 0:22:30but the waste is too difficult for the volunteers to shift.

0:22:30 > 0:22:34We couldn't have asked any of them to have helped

0:22:34 > 0:22:37move the rubble because it was so heavy.

0:22:37 > 0:22:40They, you know... It would have been a danger to themselves.

0:22:40 > 0:22:42They call the council.

0:22:42 > 0:22:45They were big, heavy bags and that's what prompted my colleague

0:22:45 > 0:22:47and I to give them a hand.

0:22:47 > 0:22:50But even after Chris and his colleagues move the bags

0:22:50 > 0:22:52away from the fire escape,

0:22:52 > 0:22:55the dumped waste is too heavy to put in the shop's normal bins.

0:22:55 > 0:22:58So as well as costing the charity time,

0:22:58 > 0:23:01it's now going to cost them money.

0:23:01 > 0:23:06We had to pay ?150 for a builder's skip.

0:23:06 > 0:23:08You can imagine, a charity shop,

0:23:08 > 0:23:11how much stock we need to sell to raise ?150.

0:23:11 > 0:23:14It's this kind of charge the fly-tippers are trying to avoid.

0:23:14 > 0:23:17Building or trade waste needs to be disposed of properly,

0:23:17 > 0:23:22but to avoid the cost, dodgy operators dump it illegally instead.

0:23:22 > 0:23:25Some even fly-tip so they can make money.

0:23:25 > 0:23:28They'll tend to charge a household and say to a household,

0:23:28 > 0:23:31"I'm going to charge you ?60 to get rid of that waste,

0:23:31 > 0:23:34"but I'm going to have to charge you another ?40

0:23:34 > 0:23:37"because I will be charged that when I go to the dump."

0:23:37 > 0:23:40But rather than go to the dump and pay the ?40,

0:23:40 > 0:23:42they will dispose of it illegally and that saves them that ?40

0:23:42 > 0:23:45and they've made ?100 from that particular job.

0:23:45 > 0:23:49The fly-tippers who dumped their waste at the back of Gill's shop

0:23:49 > 0:23:51probably thought the quiet, poorly lit area

0:23:51 > 0:23:53would enable them to avoid detection.

0:23:53 > 0:23:55But they'd miscalculated.

0:23:55 > 0:23:58The rear of another shop has a security camera.

0:23:58 > 0:24:01There was potential for CCTV, and it doesn't happen very often,

0:24:01 > 0:24:03so, yeah, it was a very exciting moment.

0:24:03 > 0:24:05It definitely gave us hope.

0:24:06 > 0:24:08This is what the camera shows.

0:24:08 > 0:24:125:00am and a transit van reverses up to the rear of the charity shop.

0:24:13 > 0:24:16One man gets out and goes to the back of the van,

0:24:16 > 0:24:19followed by the driver, who then acts as a lookout

0:24:19 > 0:24:23while his accomplice presumably unloads their cargo.

0:24:23 > 0:24:26The vehicle that was involved reversed in

0:24:26 > 0:24:29more or less where this vehicle is here,

0:24:29 > 0:24:35and it got so far back that this camera on the wall

0:24:35 > 0:24:37but could see the door to the front of the van.

0:24:37 > 0:24:40So while the two men are seen on camera getting out,

0:24:40 > 0:24:43they aren't actually shown directly dumping the waste.

0:24:43 > 0:24:47But crucially, in the 13-hour period between Gill's shop closing

0:24:47 > 0:24:51and opening, their vehicle is the only one to come near this area,

0:24:51 > 0:24:54so the evidence is clear that they are responsible.

0:24:54 > 0:24:57I was quite shocked that they were quite brazen.

0:24:57 > 0:25:00They obviously thought there wasn't any cameras.

0:25:00 > 0:25:03But these fly-tippers are unaware that they've given

0:25:03 > 0:25:05a tip-off to the council.

0:25:05 > 0:25:09We could see the registration number and it was just so promising.

0:25:09 > 0:25:11When they chase up the registered owner of the vehicle,

0:25:11 > 0:25:15they find that he had sold it on before this offence was committed.

0:25:15 > 0:25:18But we were able to identify the current user of that vehicle,

0:25:18 > 0:25:21and it was that person we went after.

0:25:21 > 0:25:24They had the name of a man based in the Tottenham area of London.

0:25:24 > 0:25:27On the off-chance he might be known to police,

0:25:27 > 0:25:29Chris visits the local station.

0:25:29 > 0:25:32A particular officer there was very helpful

0:25:32 > 0:25:35and happened to know this individual.

0:25:35 > 0:25:38So he was able to supply me with a couple of addresses.

0:25:40 > 0:25:43But the man proves to be elusive. It was a bit cat-and-mouse.

0:25:43 > 0:25:46Every time I got one bit of information I went after,

0:25:46 > 0:25:48checked that address and he wasn't there.

0:25:48 > 0:25:51Having got another address, I checked that address and he wasn't there.

0:25:51 > 0:25:56It was frustrating. The fear was that he'd gone abroad.

0:25:56 > 0:25:59Before they dumped the inquiry, Chris has a brainwave.

0:25:59 > 0:26:02He checks to see if the man has any pending court cases

0:26:02 > 0:26:05and, unsurprisingly, he has.

0:26:05 > 0:26:09He's got one coming up at Hertfordshire Magistrates' Court.

0:26:09 > 0:26:12It was a particularly exciting moment, almost equalled

0:26:12 > 0:26:16only by the discovery on the CCTV of a van with a registration. Yes.

0:26:16 > 0:26:20Chris and his colleague find the man waiting outside court

0:26:20 > 0:26:21and speak to him.

0:26:21 > 0:26:24But even after being shown the CCTV evidence,

0:26:24 > 0:26:26he still tries to wriggle out of it,

0:26:26 > 0:26:31saying he's not been filmed personally dumping any waste.

0:26:31 > 0:26:34But what it did show, and what swung the case,

0:26:34 > 0:26:36if you like, was the fact he was the driver of the vehicle.

0:26:36 > 0:26:39He drove the vehicle to its spot where the waste was dumped from

0:26:39 > 0:26:43and obviously had control of the vehicle

0:26:43 > 0:26:46and, in that sense, took part in the offence.

0:26:46 > 0:26:50And rather than fly-tipping it in his North London manor,

0:26:50 > 0:26:52where he stands a greater chance of being seen,

0:26:52 > 0:26:56it appears this fellow has decided he's better off dumping his waste

0:26:56 > 0:26:59in the quieter county of Buckinghamshire instead.

0:26:59 > 0:27:03It just seemed as if it didn't matter to them where they put it.

0:27:03 > 0:27:05There wasn't any conscience.

0:27:05 > 0:27:09It was just literally "dump the rubbish and go".

0:27:12 > 0:27:15The other culprit is yet to be identified,

0:27:15 > 0:27:18but Chris and the council decide to prosecute this man.

0:27:18 > 0:27:21And at court, he eventually pleads guilty.

0:27:21 > 0:27:23As punishment for his rubbishy behaviour,

0:27:23 > 0:27:27he's ordered to pay hefty fines and costs totalling over ?3,000.

0:27:31 > 0:27:33I was pleased with the result.

0:27:33 > 0:27:35A lot of work went into that investigation.

0:27:35 > 0:27:38It took a lot of time and effort to get the man,

0:27:38 > 0:27:42and it was right that he had to pay for the costs in doing that.

0:27:42 > 0:27:45This includes compensation to the charity shop.

0:27:45 > 0:27:53The day we got the phone call was...

0:27:53 > 0:27:57we'd be getting our funding back from the skip that we'd hired.

0:27:57 > 0:28:00So it was really good news on that day. I was really happy.

0:28:00 > 0:28:03They'd done a great job at the council.

0:28:06 > 0:28:11That's it for today.

0:28:11 > 0:28:23catch more criminals red-handed.

0:28:44 > 0:28:46For three nights in a row, on BBC Four,

0:28:46 > 0:28:49I'll be putting stuff back together...

0:28:49 > 0:28:51slowly.

0:28:51 > 0:28:53This is rather beautiful, it must be said.