Episode 18 Caught Red Handed

Thieves will steal our cars, our valuables,

just about anything they can get their hands on.

To cut down on crime and antisocial behaviour,

the police and other agencies are using new tactics

and technology so the bad guys get caught in the act.

-The CCTV is gold dust.

-Great evidence for the police.

Got to have him stopped.

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

The eureka moment when you get that evidence.

And the general public, too, can help unsuspecting crooks

-get their comeuppance.

-People won't stand by.

-I couldn't sit back and do nothing.

-Yes, we've got her!

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

They might just get caught red-handed.

Today...

a gang of armed robbers embark on a month-long reign of terror.

-They're chaotic, these criminals.

-They are desperate people.

The guy with the shotgun, really loud, he said, "Don't turn.

"If you do, I will shoot you."

But they haven't counted on victims who fight back.

A large group chased them out of the shop.

Also today, the depths to which some crooks will sink.

They're just despicable,

they've got no consideration for how

people feel about their pets.

When prized fish are stolen,

the family trawl through CCTV to land a catch.

And thou shalt not steal.

A higher power watches a church usher pocketing the collection money.

Greater Manchester, and the police are on the hunt for an armed

-and dangerous gang.

-They're running around the streets with a shotgun.

Absolutely chaotic.

They're targeting businesses and commit nine raids in a month,

leaving behind them terrified victims.

She's got a gun in her face, she's got somebody else grabbing her from behind.

Her whole life must have just flashed in front of her.

Then they try to rob Ali's restaurant.

-OVER PHONE:

-'We've got a robbery here, with guns.'

'Someone's just entered with a gun?'

-'Yes, shotgun.'

-'A shotgun?'

But he bravely stands up to them.

The guy with the shot gun, very loud, he said, "Don't turn.

"If you do, I will shoot you."

I just want to protect my colleagues,

so that's why I just took a risk.

With a population of nearly 3,000,000, Greater Manchester

is one of the largest metropolitan regions in the UK.

So, it has its fair share of serious crime.

To tackle it, Greater Manchester Police has a division called

the Serious and Organised Crime Group.

Robert Cousen works as a detective inspector.

And Richard Castley as a detective sergeant.

We've got specialist skills to tackle professional criminals.

That's where we are brought in.

So that's the most sophisticated criminals that you have,

really, in society. You never know what you're coming in to.

You never know when you're going to be going home.

But it is something that I'm passionate about,

and luckily I've got a team that are really passionate about it as well.

I've been in the police 16 years.

I've always wanted to be a police officer, since I was a small kid.

And the team are about to be tested by a highly active

and violent gang of armed robbers.

A May evening in Chorlton, Manchester.

It's just after 9.00pm at this bookmaker's, when two men burst in.

One's armed with a shotgun.

He points the gun at the face of the cashier

and demands he opens the shop's safe.

Deciding the cashier isn't moving fast enough,

the robber hits him over the head with the shotgun.

Finding only a small amount of cash, the two masked men leave.

This isn't something that happens every day of the week,

this is a really serious, violent crime.

You can see how close that shotgun is. Right at his head.

He must have been absolutely petrified.

The robbers are in and out in under four minutes, and there's not

much for the police to go on, as they were masked and wearing gloves.

It was a really difficult investigation,

we didn't know who the people were who were responsible.

There was no intelligence coming in from the public to say

who was responsible.

Five days later, and 80 miles away in Derby,

there's a robbery at another bookmaker's.

This time there are three raiders. Again, one of them carries a shotgun.

The police believe it is the work of the same gang.

A shotgun is not the most common weapon to be used in an armed

robbery. Contrary to popular belief.

You've then got the description of the males,

wearing face coverings, described as bandannas.

Again, the gang commit the robbery in minutes,

but two of their faces are captured on CCTV as they escape.

This is the gunman.

Unbeknown to him, there was a camera that caught him

just as he left, and as he pulled down his bandanna.

It is like a picture you'd have on your mantelpiece at home,

it is that clear. You can see this person's face.

It's a great lead, but it doesn't bring an immediate result.

Basically, we searched our entire Greater Manchester Police system

to try and identify this male, and just couldn't find him anywhere.

And that causes a great deal of frustration.

But they're about to have more luck identifying the other robber

wearing the sunglasses.

A witness comes forward with the number plate of the gang's

getaway car.

The vehicle was identified as being hired in Manchester,

so enquiries were conducted and the vehicle was stopped.

One of the suspects was arrested.

The man found driving the car is 25-year-old Omar Berryman,

and he has a distinctive pair of sunglasses with him.

When we look at the CCTV, it is

clear to see that the sunglasses recovered in the car is the

same sunglasses as being worn by one of the offenders during the offence.

Berryman is held in prison.

While the police go after the rest of the gang.

They're a man down, but they aren't about to stop.

Their next target, a fast-food restaurant.

Ali works here as a shift manager.

He originally came to this country in 2000 as a refugee

-from Afghanistan.

-15 years before, I moved here in the UK.

Started living here. Very happy here. Happy family, happy life.

Then one Friday night, when the restaurant is about to close,

Ali is on duty, working in the back office.

I was cashing up tills in the office around 10.55.

Ali has cash on the table, which he's just about to put into the open safe.

But then the assistant behind the counter is

confronted by a terrifying sight.

A masked man with a shotgun bursts in, followed by two others.

She ran in the office and screamed, "Guys with gun!"

Straight away, I checked the camera.

And I saw the three guys with masks and gloves.

Ali could, and really should, have stayed in the office.

But he makes the decision to face the robbers,

to help his colleagues and customers get to safety.

I had the option to do not go on front.

But I thought maybe they come in the office,

or they might harm my colleagues.

So, as I was shift manager, I think it is

my responsibility to protect my staff.

Now Ali's at gunpoint.

The raiders demand he open the tills.

The guy with shotgun, he seems very angry. He was very loud.

But Ali has lived through dangerous times in Pakistan

-and Afghanistan, so he doesn't scare easily.

-I've seen guns before.

A couple of times. I just want to protect my colleagues.

So that's why I just took a risk.

Ali turns his back on the robbers and heads towards the office.

The guy with shotgun, very loud, he said, "Don't turn.

"If you do, I will shoot you."

I didn't give him chance to take any action,

I just turned away and then went into the office.

It's a big risk.

Once in the office, Ali shuts the open safe.

The other staff have got away, so he locks the office door,

sealing himself off from the armed gang.

Then he calls the police.

-OVER PHONE:

-'We've got a robbery here, with guns.'

-'Someone has just entered with a gun?'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.'

Realising they've been outsmarted, the gang leave empty-handed.

-'Are you OK?'

-'Yeah, I'm fine.'

-'And all your staff are OK, yeah?'

'Yes. A little scared, but they're OK.'

Ali keeps a cool head and checks on some customers who witnessed

the raid but were ignored by the robbers.

To these customers I said,

"Don't be scared. I just rang the police. They are coming."

One customer sitting over there. After that, this customer came

and said, "You are my hero." It makes me feel very proud.

When the police arrived, Ali gives them

the CCTV footage of the attempted robbery.

There's never really a silver lining in these types of offences,

cos you've always got victims there.

However, on this occasion, they were unsuccessful.

Our concern is, are they going to continue committing these

offences, whilst were looking for them,

while we are trying to identify who they are?

The gang's crimes escalate.

They become more desperate and aggressive.

This must be the most frightening experience that these people

will have ever had and are ever likely to have.

But when they attempt to rob a mobile phone shop,

they get more than they bargained for.

Throwing a chair, the staff fight back.

The likelihood of anyone being caught up in an armed robbery

like this is, thankfully, extremely slim.

But if we are unfortunate enough to come face-to-face with violent

criminals, there are steps we can take to help avoid getting hurt.

Fighting back is an absolute last resort,

when you're faced with an offender with a weapon.

It can actually make the situation worse.

This is not the movies, it hurts.

So, your life is far too precious. Don't get involved.

Never be ashamed to run away from the crime or to hide.

There is nothing more important than your life.

The description of a weapon can prove absolutely vital to

a criminal investigation.

Whether or not it's a long-barrelled weapon,

short-barrelled weapon, the type of knife, that will help us.

In this situation, the offenders were masked,

but it's surprising how much evidence you can still gather.

What accent do the offenders have? How many are there?

Do they call each other by name or nickname?

All of this is absolutely essential.

Thieves try to net a fortune from fish

by stealing valuable Koi Carp.

The biggest fish that we had could have been worth up to about £30,000.

The family check their cameras

and hook a couple of slippery crooks

out for some night-time fishing.

Is nothing sacred any more?

When the church usher takes the collection at the end

of the service, the congregation don't expect him to help himself.

Now, only in America.

These pictures, taken by a hidden camera,

show a man who's at a church service.

But he's not worshipping with the congregation,

he's skulking in a corner of the back room.

And the money he's rather inelegantly

stuffing into his trousers is from the church's collection baskets.

To make things worse, he's one of the church ushers.

And he's doing this while the service is still going on.

Still, his sins are being watched from on high.

Well, certainly, by this secret camera.

Suspecting someone is stealing from the collection fund,

church officials have informed the police,

who've set up a sting operation to catch the culprit.

As well as the camera,

there are plain clothes officers sitting amongst the congregation.

Oblivious, the man continues to collect the church's

collection into his own pockets. Every last coin and cheque.

He then returns to join in the service.

Found with nearly 350 on him,

the uncharitable usher at first claims it's all his own money.

May he be forgiven? Well, no.

The police and the church don't turn the other cheek.

He is ushered away and charged with theft.

Thieves will take just about anything that's not bolted down.

But here's a fishy tale for you.

When a couple of net themselves a bizarre catch.

Sunderland.

It's the early hours of the morning

and these men are about to commit an unusual sort of crime.

They're going fishing, but for somebody else's fish.

They're just despicable.

They've got no consideration for how people feel about their pets.

Andy's beloved Koi Carp have been stolen.

The pond was completely empty, it was desolate.

The family can't understand why anybody would steal their pet fish.

Until they find out exactly how much these carp are worth.

Anywhere from 1,000 to 30,000.

Now, Andy and his family desperately hope the police

can hook these crooks.

Fish and fishing have been important to Sunderland over centuries.

And fish certainly play a major role in the life of

this Sunderland resident.

These Japanese Koi Carp belong to Andy.

Fish, to me, is comforting. It's very comforting.

They're nice to watch, they're nice to see,

they're nice for the grandkids and they're tranquil.

It's something nice for you just to sit in the garden

and enjoy with your family.

Koi Carp can live to over 50.

The first two Andy bought are nearly 30 years old.

Daughter Gemma has grown up with them.

Dad got the pond when I was about 11 or 12 I think.

It grew from there.

Gradually, every fathers' day, birthdays, we'd buy him more

and more fish. Since then, the love has grown.

When we've had children, we've passed that love on to them.

Gemma lives down the road from her parents.

She now has her own smaller pond of fish.

But, for her and her children, including daughter Megan,

Grandad's pond is still the best.

We'd just love to come down and feed them,

and watch them swim about and gobble up all the food.

"Oh, can we feed the fish? Can we feed the fish?"

It is, it's a lovely atmosphere for them.

Everybody has a firm favourite.

There was one silver fish and I'd named it Victoria Beckham,

because it just reminded me of her with the sparkles and everything.

The family have never had any problem with crime,

but Gemma's husband has installed security cameras

on the outside of their house.

They're going to prove useful in a way they could never have expect it.

Andy and his wife have gone away on holiday.

As usual, while they are away, daughter Gemma looks after

her mum and dad's fish. But early on a Wednesday morning,

she immediately knows there's something wrong.

Usually, when you go out to the pond,

the first thing you see is the fish jumping. They sense you

coming and they realise that they're going to get food

straightaway. And there was nothing.

All of the big fish had gone. Just panicked, really.

With a ladder leaning against the garage wall opposite the pond,

there's no doubt, somebody has deliberately fished out their fish.

So, I quickly rang the police.

Gemma then checks her own pond, to find that she

too is missing some of her fish.

My husband actually suggested we checked the cameras, to see

if they'd picked anything.

This is what the cameras revealed.

Nearly 1.30am, three men holding buckets

and a net walk around the side of Gemma's house.

Moments later, in the dim light, the camera in Gemma's back garden

shows one of the buckets being placed on the ground.

Three shadowy figures move towards her pond.

They stay for a few minutes,

before heading towards Gemma's dad's garden.

They collect their bucket.

What we think they've then done is climbed over next door's garden

and then down into my parents garden.

Out of view of Gemma's cameras, they then clear Andy's pond.

They use his ladder to climb out over the garage.

I think the most shocking thing was to know that somebody

was in that close proximity and, yet, we weren't aware of it.

They've just been right outside of my daughter Meg's window.

When my mum told me,

I'd realised that the noises that I thought were just the wind

wasn't, it was actually the men moving my fish out of the garden.

It took us a while to get her to calm down.

And on a few nights she couldn't sleep.

She was upset by the whole thing really.

As thefts go, stealing a pond full of fish is fairly uncommon.

The police were really surprised when we contacted them.

I don't think they'd even ever heard of it.

They were really good, really supportive.

Gemma gives the police CCTV footage and they begin their investigation.

Then, with a heavy heart, Gemma makes a call abroad.

So, then, I had to ring my dad.

An awful phone call to have to make,

because I know how much Mum and Dad love the fish.

Very upsetting, very annoyed,

couldn't do anything sitting in Tenerife.

Obviously, it's bodged your holiday.

It's just despicable.

They've got no consideration for how people feel about their pets.

When the police ask what the fish are worth, Andy has no idea.

I couldn't put a price on them, because you cannot value a pet,

because it's not something you would sell.

But, when Andy does look up how much his Koi Carp could be worth,

he's stunned.

Anywhere from 1,000 to 30,000.

Quite astonished, really, that they were valued at that much.

But the footage from Gemma's cameras means the net is about to

tighten on these fish thieves.

After the images are circulated around Sunderland,

a local police officer recognises two of them.

And the pair proved to be an easy catch.

The police officer told us when he'd gone into their house,

he'd actually found some of the Koi Carp in the bathtub.

There were some still in the plastic trug buckets

in the bathroom as well. And they were trying to hide them.

The haul of exotic fish at the thieves' house

comes from a number of ponds.

Amongst them, they find some of Andy and Gemma's carp.

They shouldn't have done it because we'd looked after them for years.

They just took them and thought nothing of it.

In court, a 21-year-old and a 25-year-old man

admit three counts of theft and criminal damage.

They are both placed under curfew,

electronically tagged for three months

and ordered to pay compensation and costs.

Come on, we'll feed the fish.

Some of Andy's fish, including the eldest, were returned.

He's now installed CCTV cameras and other security devices

in his garden, to help keep a better eye on his freshly restocked pond.

Now, obviously, it's back to where it was,

which is quite satisfying.

I was just pleased that my mum and dad managed to get some back,

so they can enjoy some happiness again.

We'll have the fish as long as I'm here.

There'll always be fish in my family. Yeah.

Now, these two men are out on a day trip.

Or rather, a day's tip.

Salford Council, in Greater Manchester,

are cracking down on illegal rubbish dumping.

One of those CCTV operators zooms in on this pair,

who have been throwing bin bags and boxes out of their car.

After watching this man with trouser trouble, and his buddy, kick

rubbish into the buddleia, the operator then sets the camera

into position ready to capture the number plate as they drive off.

The council are shocked to discover that the car belongs to

a man from Eastbourne, East Sussex.

And that he has driven nearly 300 miles to fling

out his junk in Salford.

But his far flung fling is going to prove very expensive.

He's taken to court and ordered to pay fines and costs,

totalling £850.

Throw in the petrol costs on top of that

and he really should have stayed at home.

The Greater Manchester Police Serious And Organised Crime

Group are on the trail of an aggressive gang of armed robbers.

They've already raided two businesses at gunpoint

and attempted to rob another,

until they were foiled by the selfless actions

of restaurant manager Ali.

I think it's my responsibility to protect my staff.

The guy with the shotgun, very loud, he said, "Don't turn.

"If you go, I will shoot you."

I didn't give him the chance to take any action.

I just turned away and then went into the office.

But now, the gang's crimes are starting to escalate.

We then get hit with a double whammy and there's two offences in one day.

They hold up a bookmaker's in Stratford, Manchester.

Then, 15 minutes later, they rob the shop a few miles away.

Over the next week, they hit more small businesses.

This team were relentless.

Offences were being committed, on average, every three days.

We were playing catch up, trying to get clues that we needed to

put these people behind bars.

It was difficult, because no sooner had

we made progression on one crime, and then there was another crime.

But police are collecting evidence about these robbers.

They wear similar clothes each time.

Distinctive bandannas,

a grey hoodie and a blue hoodie with a yellow logo.

Despite carrying out so many armed robberies,

the gang aren't getting away with large sums of money.

They're committing offences at convenience stores,

which is really low value they're going to get from them.

Three offenders committing an offence, getting £300 or £400.

It indicates that there is a degree of desperation,

in relation to these people.

And, alarmingly the gang are getting more aggressive, too.

When they realise they're not getting as much as perhaps

they want, they then target the female who is working there

and rip her chain off her.

She's got a gun in her face, she's got somebody else grabbing

her from behind, her whole life must have just flashed in front of her.

But the gang get a taste of their own medicine

when they try to rob this mobile phone shop.

It's Monday lunchtime.

As before three raiders burst in, but this time

they're in for a shock.

A staff member throws a chair at the gunmen and there's another

surprise for the robbers, this shop has its own gang

of brave assistants.

A large group of males in the back of the shop see what's going on

and then they start to chase them out of the shop.

Now, it's the robbers turn to be alarmed.

They run out, empty-handed.

So, you're quite chuffed that they've not got anything

and no-one's been harmed on this occasion.

The concern from my perspective at that point is

they've not got away with anything, these are desperate people,

somebody else is going to be a victim of crime.

And that's exactly what happens.

Just four hours later, they launch a raid on this bookmaker's shop.

Their actions are becoming more desperate.

They're more ready to use force with staff

and members of the public.

They're starting to rob customers, taking mobile phones,

taking jewellery from them, actually threatening them

with shotguns as they were leaving.

This must be the most frightening experience that these people

will have ever had and are ever likely to have.

It just increases our fear of what they're going to do next.

The police turn up the heat on the streets of Manchester

and flood the area with officers.

It goes quiet.

For a short while there are no robberies.

But then, Robert's team get a surprise call

from Northamptonshire police.

They have arrested three men after a couple are held hostage

and robbed in their own home.

We were made aware,

because the three people who were arrested were from Manchester

and, significantly, the fact that they had a sawn off shotgun.

This could potentially be the same team.

We then researched the people that were in custody.

The men were stopped in a car, trying to escape.

They are 20-year-old Kayode Freeman and 23-year-old Romahn Richards,

from the Manchester area.

And, importantly, the gunman, whose face was caught on camera,

23-year-old Jake Prempeh.

Basically, he was from London, he'd come up to Manchester

and associated with people in Manchester.

Could Prempeh and the other men be the gang

responsible for the entire recent series of robberies?

And that was really the start of where some really important

pieces of the jigsaw just started to fit in.

They find a treasure trove of evidence inside the car.

Grey and blue hoodies that match those worn in the robberies,

as well as a bandanna and bright orange gloves.

And then, there is the shotgun.

We've compared that to the CCTV footage of the firearm

used in the offences.

You can see the shape is all the same.

They also seize mobile phones.

Robert and Richard can retrieve data from them

and they discover further evidence against the men.

They were really important.

When we started to look where the phones had travelled to

and the times of the offences, we were able to quickly

ascertain that these people had been at the scenes of crime.

And then some more proof.

DNA from all three men is found on the clothes taken from the car.

It proves each of them committed some or all of the raids.

When you get the confirmation that it is our suspects,

we can match the clothing to the CCTV, that is a bingo-type moment.

In total, the gang have committed nine armed or attempted armed

robberies. Despite their aggression, they have stolen just six grand.

The behaviour of that gang was absolutely disgusting.

Clearly, they had no regard at all for any other person,

other than themselves.

In court the robbers plead guilty.

Jake Prempeh is jailed for 15 years, seven months.

Omar Berryman and Kayode Freeman, who took part in some

of the robberies, are given six years and four months

and six years and eight months respectively.

And Romahn Richards is sentenced to eight years

and four months in prison.

We were really pleased with the convictions.

A real feeling of success.

And the fact that we put some dangerous criminals behind bars.

And, hopefully, for the victims,

they can get on with their lives and they can move on.

And restaurant manager Ali,

who outwitted the robbers the day they tried to rob him,

is glad no other victims will suffer at the hands of this gang.

It's good they've been arrested

and at least they going to stop doing this.

I was very happy.

That's it for today.

Join us next time,

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