0:00:03 > 0:00:06Thieves will steal our cash, our cars, our valuables.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Just about anything they can get their hands on.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13But now the police are using cutting-edge technology
0:00:13 > 0:00:14to catch the bad guys.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18The CCTV is gold dust.
0:00:18 > 0:00:19Great evidence for the police.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20Got to have him stopped.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Local councils, shops and businesses
0:00:23 > 0:00:26are fighting crime with their own tricks and traps.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28There's a eureka moment when you get that evidence.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31And the public are using secret cameras
0:00:31 > 0:00:34to make sure that crooks get their comeuppance.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36It makes me feel so angry.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39He has paid the price, he has been dealt with.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Yes. We got her.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44So anyone who's up to no good had better think twice,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47they might just get caught red-handed.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57Today, a workman steals a 30-tonne dumper truck
0:00:57 > 0:00:59and sets off on a frightening rampage.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03The people of a small town are terrified to discover
0:01:03 > 0:01:05he's heading their way.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06It was horrendous.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09He didn't have any concern of what he was doing
0:01:09 > 0:01:11or who he could have hurt.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Even the police don't scare this dangerous driver.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19The truck is eating up their cars.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25My concern was then, OK, if he's going to do that,
0:01:25 > 0:01:26what else is he going to do?
0:01:26 > 0:01:28The answer shocks everybody.
0:01:30 > 0:01:31Also today,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33a cold-hearted thief.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35He's not only stealing charity tins,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38he's targeting the ones that are full of money
0:01:38 > 0:01:40meant for sick children.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42I was absolutely disgusted,
0:01:42 > 0:01:47to actually steal from terminally ill children is the worst.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50But this callous criminal has made a basic mistake
0:01:50 > 0:01:52which could be his undoing.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58And ghostly figures make repeated raids on a chain of camera stores.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02You do think, "What have we done? Why are they picking on us?"
0:02:02 > 0:02:04The owners lay a series of traps
0:02:04 > 0:02:06so when the gang comes again,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09the crooks get confused.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12There is a big thrill to see the first one come through the door
0:02:12 > 0:02:14and not be able to find the shop because we barricaded it.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27The small Suffolk town of Brandon lies next to Thetford Forest.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Christine has been the town clerk here for 12 years.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I am a Londoner that moved up to here about 30 years ago,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37after I had a car accident,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41moved down near my parents and happened to move to Brandon.
0:02:41 > 0:02:42Ever since her accident,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Christine has been passionate about road safety,
0:02:45 > 0:02:50so she campaigned to change the town centre into a pedestrian-only zone.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53It was just a free-for-all car park.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Eventually, it was signed off as a pedestrian area.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01We've new planters, we've got seats, and people do socialise there.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03It's just made it a better and safer place.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09But Christine's safer place is about to become very dangerous indeed.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11A truck-load of trouble is on its way.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17A Monday in July,
0:03:17 > 0:03:18just gone midday,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22over 30 miles away from Brandon, at a quarry near Norwich.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26A 40-year-old workman has an argument with his employers
0:03:26 > 0:03:28and storms off in a dumper truck.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31And this isn't any old truck.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Weighing 30 tonnes, with wheels five foot high,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37this monster can be lethal in the wrong hands.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Traffic cameras on the Norwich ring road
0:03:41 > 0:03:44catch the driver thundering through a red light
0:03:44 > 0:03:46and smashing into some roadworks.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Norwich Detective Constable Andy Vinsen is alerted.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54It's a very large vehicle and they're not supposed to be driven
0:03:54 > 0:03:56on the road, they're not designed to be driven on the road.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00The driver was driving this truck down a single carriageway,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03moving across into the other lane with cars coming towards it.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Those drivers had a fairly terrifying experience.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Police cars are dispatched to pursue the truck.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16One of the police air service helicopters is also mobilised.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Tactical Flight Officer Andy Wood is on board.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23As we got up, we started recording, and downlinking our information
0:04:23 > 0:04:25to the control room so they can view exactly what's going on.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29The driver's hometown is Brandon
0:04:29 > 0:04:31and that appears to be where he's heading
0:04:31 > 0:04:35and it does not look like anybody's going to be able to stop him.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38A police car tries to get him to pull over,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40but he just ploughs on.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Up ahead, a policeman has laid a spiked strip, a Stinger,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55across the road to try and puncture the truck's tyres.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56It was at that point that I noticed
0:04:56 > 0:04:59that the vehicle took a sudden turn towards the officer.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03The policeman gets out of the way just in time.
0:05:05 > 0:05:06Quite shocking, really.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It became very apparent that the vehicle was far too big,
0:05:18 > 0:05:19the tyres were too large,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22the standard Stinger just wouldn't have any impact on it at all.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28What the truck driver does next is astonishing.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32He sees the parked car of the officer who laid the Stinger.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35The dump truck just drives straight into the side of the police car.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42He obviously had some sort of malice towards the police,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45and that's what we were thinking at that time.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47My concern was then, OK, if he's going to do that,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49what else is he going to do?
0:05:49 > 0:05:53The truck driver pulls off the carriageway into Thetford Forest.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56He's now just a few miles from Brandon.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59The surface of those tracks is extremely rough,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02very difficult for a standard vehicle to follow.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06He was a local person, knew these back roads.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Suddenly, a policewoman in a pursuit vehicle
0:06:09 > 0:06:12finds herself face-to-face with the truck.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14The officer has managed to jump out
0:06:14 > 0:06:17just before the truck drives straight into her car.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25The truck driver continues towards Brandon.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29The police car he leaves behind is a write-off.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33From the helicopter,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Andy sees two more police cars heading down the road
0:06:35 > 0:06:37towards the dumper truck.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39I immediately radioed to the control room
0:06:39 > 0:06:41and they tried to get out of the way.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44A dashboard camera on one of the police cars shows it
0:06:44 > 0:06:47desperately reversing away from the oncoming truck.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50But it's too late to turn around.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55The two officers who were in that vehicle just had time to get out.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Police control decide to change their strategy.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04The supervisor advised all units to back away
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and I think the tactic then was
0:07:06 > 0:07:09to follow this vehicle and wait for it to run out of fuel.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13After two hours of mayhem, the driver approaches Brandon.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16The damage to his truck means it's getting more dangerous
0:07:16 > 0:07:17by the minute.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Due to the way he was driving,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21parts of the vehicle were starting to fall off, as well.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23The truck's tailgate is hanging off.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27That's probably a tonne piece of steel flapping about.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30When the driver reaches his hometown,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34he drives headlong into Brandon's pedestrian-only zone.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Christine is at the council offices in the town centre.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44I just looked up and I just saw this huge, huge dumper truck
0:07:44 > 0:07:46and thought, "What on earth is happening?"
0:07:46 > 0:07:47The way it was angled,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50it looked as though it was coming straight for the window,
0:07:50 > 0:07:51cos we're really in a direct line.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55The truck careers through the precinct,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57sending pedestrians fleeing in terror.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Christine bravely runs outside to try and stop it.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06It was an instinct, really, to protect the town.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08I waved my arms for some reason,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12could just about see the person in the cab.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13It was so high up.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17I've never seen a vehicle that big, and it was horrendous.
0:08:17 > 0:08:18The truck driver ignores Christine
0:08:18 > 0:08:22and miraculously reaches the other side of the town centre
0:08:22 > 0:08:23without hitting anybody.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26He was very fast, very fast.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29He couldn't have stopped even if he'd seen anyone,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32it would have been impossible to stop at that speed.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34On the far side of the pedestrian zone,
0:08:34 > 0:08:39the town's roads become narrow, and the truck slows to a crawling pace.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41At this point, one of the police officers
0:08:41 > 0:08:44who was in one of the vehicles behind got out of his vehicle,
0:08:44 > 0:08:49approached the cab of the truck in an attempt to speak to the driver.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52He was met with some abusive language.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56The officer uses a special spray to stun the driver.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59It causes irritation in the eyes and nose.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02The truck then continued to drive off,
0:09:02 > 0:09:03but very shortly afterwards...
0:09:04 > 0:09:07..it became apparent that the driver was suffering the effects
0:09:07 > 0:09:10of this incapacitant spray. The truck stopped.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12He's still stationary, hasn't moved yet.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16A team of officers pull the driver out of the truck and arrest him.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19His rampage is finally over.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22No-one was injured, fortunately.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26To the police vehicles, the damage was in the region of about ?26,000.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Christine struggled to come to terms with what had happened.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36I just was in shock, because at that time of the day, normally,
0:09:36 > 0:09:37you have mobility scooters,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39children from the playgroup,
0:09:39 > 0:09:40children from the school...
0:09:40 > 0:09:42It's an absolute miracle no-one was injured.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51In court, the man pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking,
0:09:51 > 0:09:52dangerous driving, criminal damage
0:09:52 > 0:09:55and driving whilst under the influence of illegal drugs.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00He was sentenced to 14 months in prison.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06The aftershocks of this driver's actions
0:10:06 > 0:10:09affected Brandon's townsfolk for months.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12People tended to go on the outside, I noticed, for quite a while,
0:10:12 > 0:10:13you know, under by the shops,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16rather than straight across the middle.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18So, I don't think it spoiled it for Brandon, the incident.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Just made people cautious at the time. But...
0:10:22 > 0:10:24now I think we're back to normal.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37This chap's being recorded on a secret camera
0:10:37 > 0:10:39set up by Walsall Council
0:10:39 > 0:10:42in a known hot spot for illegal dumping of rubbish,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46and White Van Man here is illegally chucking his rubble and debris
0:10:46 > 0:10:48all over a grass verge.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52He seems to have more buckets than Blackpool beach.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59After the buckets, he starts on his bags full of rubbish.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01One, two, three bags full,
0:11:01 > 0:11:02now empty,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04and would you believe it?
0:11:04 > 0:11:08This flagrant fly-tipper is actually saving his bags.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Well, he doesn't want to be wasteful, does he?
0:11:10 > 0:11:13You get charged for them these days!
0:11:13 > 0:11:16But the messy muppet doesn't realise his number's up.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20His van registration has been caught on camera.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21Tracked down by the council,
0:11:21 > 0:11:27he's convicted, and ordered to pay a hefty ?1,900.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29Ouch!
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Every year in the UK,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38there are 45,000 burglaries of retailers and wholesalers,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42and for some unlucky businesses, lightning does strike twice.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Thousands of visitors come to Bournemouth on the south coast
0:11:51 > 0:11:52every year.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55That's why Brian felt it would be an ideal place to set up
0:11:55 > 0:12:00a camera business after he left university in 1974.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02My passions in life really are cameras and bicycles,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05and both of them you can actually take apart, put back together.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10I perhaps should say you could take apart and put back together!
0:12:10 > 0:12:11And I suppose it's gone on from
0:12:11 > 0:12:14that simple love of just improving things.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Brian's business went from strength to strength,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19and soon he opened another camera shop in Salisbury.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Rachel is his long-time business partner.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27I joined from school. I came from 16 and I started behind the counter,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29working my way through the company, really.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31And I've just been here ever since.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33It's my life.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37If we can encourage anybody to take pictures on whatever format,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40I think it makes us all smile, cos we all love looking at memories.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44But cameras don't only capture happy memories,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48and one day Brian and Rachel's shop's camera system
0:12:48 > 0:12:50records a video nasty,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53when both their stores become a target for crime.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59It's 6am on a Tuesday in November,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02and Brian's Salisbury store has just been broken into.
0:13:02 > 0:13:03ALARM WAILS
0:13:03 > 0:13:06The alarm is set off and the company who monitor it call him
0:13:06 > 0:13:08with the bad news. PHONE RINGS
0:13:08 > 0:13:10The thieves targeted certain areas of the shelving,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12indiscriminately from that point.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Once they went for a shelf, they took the whole shelf.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18The men are seen coming out of the store carrying large bags.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21When a person who sees them goes up to one of the gang,
0:13:21 > 0:13:22they are threatened.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25They were told not to go near because he had a knife,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27so he did back off, because of the threat.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31The gang gets away with ?28,000 worth of camera equipment.
0:13:31 > 0:13:32It really is a sinking feeling.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Your faith is knocked with the world in general.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40The robbers knew exactly where to find the most expensive cameras,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43and may have done a recce of the store beforehand.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Brian and Rachel fear their larger Bournemouth store
0:13:46 > 0:13:48could be targeted next.
0:13:48 > 0:13:49It's our flagship.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52We promote Bournemouth more than we do Salisbury, so you think,
0:13:52 > 0:13:53are they doing a dummy run in Salisbury?
0:13:53 > 0:13:56That increases your paranoia that they're going to come and get you
0:13:56 > 0:13:57in Bournemouth.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Brian and Rachel increase security at the Bournemouth store.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03We did double-check the CCTV,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06heightened that to make sure we were recording the various areas
0:14:06 > 0:14:08of the store. They also set some traps,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12altering the store's layout in the hope it might hold up the crooks.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15We did start putting different barricades up,
0:14:15 > 0:14:17just to give them a little bit of a challenge.
0:14:17 > 0:14:18We actually moved a tripod stand
0:14:18 > 0:14:20to make their life a little bit more traumatic
0:14:20 > 0:14:22if they did decide to come in.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28And soon, the thieves do come in.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31It's Saturday night, 11:45pm,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34and the infrared security cameras are rolling.
0:14:34 > 0:14:35At the close of business,
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Rachel placed the large tripod display across the gangway
0:14:39 > 0:14:40as planned.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43A ghostly figure suddenly appears.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46The masked man is confused by the shop's new layout.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53He's joined by three accomplices, and they pull down the display.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Carrying two large bags,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01the men scurry behind the counter.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04They've worked out where the more expensive cameras are stored.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08They start ransacking the shop, and the alarm is triggered.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11I got the call from the monitoring company again at quarter to midnight
0:15:11 > 0:15:14to say there'd been a break-in at the Winton shop.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16The phone goes at ten to 12.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18It was Brian just saying, yes.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21That was all. No more words, no need to say anything else.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Gives you that dry mouth feeling.
0:15:23 > 0:15:24So I jumped in the car.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Brian gets to the store first and finds the police are already there.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34The thieves have gone but they've left a trail of destruction.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36The back door had been beaten in.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38We thought the door was secure,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40but they kept hammering until the frame gave way.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42That triggered off the alarm and, in the past,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45that would be enough to scare off anybody who'd had a go,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47but this lot kept going.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49It is chaos. There was stock all over the floor.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52They'd literally just gone in and done a supermarket sweep,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54pulling the stock from one end to the other to put it into the bag.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Over ?50,000 worth of goods has been stolen.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02I think you feel stupid, because you hoped your business was secure.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05And it's your livelihood. You do feel it is a personal attack.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07And you do think, "Why?
0:16:07 > 0:16:10"What have we done? Why are they picking on us?"
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Rachel checks the CCTV.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15It's upsetting to watch the store being ransacked.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17It's quite wrenching, because you think,
0:16:17 > 0:16:18"Urgh, there's people running in."
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I think what is frightening is how quick it all happened.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22Even in the dark,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26these criminals knew where to find the expensive cameras
0:16:26 > 0:16:28and were in and out in just a few minutes.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30They weren't opportunists.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32It's scary thinking they had been in the store
0:16:32 > 0:16:35and watched us working on perhaps two or three occasions
0:16:35 > 0:16:36that we'd missed during the week.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41The crooks have taken care not to leave the police any forensic clues.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43They had hoods up. They all had gloves on.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47They clearly had some experience.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51But some of the robbers' features can just be made out on the footage.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53It's almost as if he's looking up at the camera, defying,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55"Oh, there's a camera but they can't get me."
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Brian and Rachel cleverly changing their shop's layout
0:17:00 > 0:17:01did hold up the crooks a little.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05There was a big thrill to see the first one come through the door
0:17:05 > 0:17:07and not be able to find the shop, because we barricaded it.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10So that was really quite rewarding.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13And the tripod display Rachel placed in the way
0:17:13 > 0:17:15causes the escaping thieves to stumble.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18We did enjoy a little giggle, cos they did trip on the way out.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20The footage from Brian and Rachel's cameras
0:17:20 > 0:17:23may help identify the culprits.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25They hand it over to Dorset Police,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27but don't hear anything for months.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Then, out of the blue, they're contacted by HAMPSHIRE Police.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36They had a gang based in Hampshire that had been out and about
0:17:36 > 0:17:38and they thought it might be one of theirs.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41The gang has been responsible for a spate of burglaries
0:17:41 > 0:17:44at different businesses across the south coast.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45After a police raid,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48an expensive camera is found at the home of one of the suspects.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Hampshire Police had a camera and it was a Nikon camera
0:17:53 > 0:17:55and could we confirm the serial number?
0:17:55 > 0:17:56And then we were able to confirm that, yes,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59it was one of our items that had been supplied to us.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05When they see the footage from the Bournemouth camera-store burglary,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Hampshire Police officers recognise members of the gang and arrest them.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13You can see very clear characters and distinguishing marks,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17so it is reassuring our cameras were useful at the end of the day,
0:18:17 > 0:18:19helping to solve this crime.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25In court, a total of seven gang members
0:18:25 > 0:18:31aged 22 to 29 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33The offenders received varying sentences,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36with the longest being four-and-a-half years in prison.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Brian and Rachel have improved their security
0:18:42 > 0:18:46and decided to put the burglaries down to experience.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49It's just part of the world, and hopefully it won't happen again.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Life has to go on, doesn't it?
0:18:52 > 0:18:56We've persevered and come through it and we're still here smiling.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04You get the impression that criminals are continually looking
0:19:04 > 0:19:07for devious ways to rob hard-working businesses,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10so what can business owners do to limit the risk they face?
0:19:11 > 0:19:13One of the things I'd like to urge people to do
0:19:13 > 0:19:17is to consider approaching their business with the eyes of a thief.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20What can you do now that would prevent crime taking place?
0:19:20 > 0:19:25Looking at where the weak spots are, repairing them, getting advice,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28getting in some CCTV, for example.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31You can get motion-activated, sound-activated,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34and even cameras that work in complete darkness.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37There's a range of different alarm devices that you can have
0:19:37 > 0:19:40for your premises. All of them will deter an offender.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53Aberdeen on Scotland's east coast is nicknamed the Granite City
0:19:53 > 0:19:56after the hard, grey rock used for many of its buildings.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01But as Keith, the owner of a local takeaway business, will tell you,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03this city has a soft centre.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07It's a lovely area. It's more like a village feel.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12All the public houses, small shops, we all talk to each other.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16We all know each other. So, it really is a small-community feel.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20And generous locals regularly fill the charity tins
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Keith puts on his counter.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26The two charities, one is child cancer,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28and the other one's child brain tumours.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33A friend of mine, whose grandchild had a brain tumour...
0:20:35 > 0:20:39..I thought it was the least I could do, was taking in a charity tin.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40So that was very personal.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45This tin raises money for the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48a small charity that helps families across the country,
0:20:48 > 0:20:50like Charlene and her three-year-old son Jacob,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52who live in Harlow, Essex.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Lots of my friends had babies around the same time. Jacob was the oldest.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00I started to notice he had, like, a white shine in his right eye,
0:21:00 > 0:21:01in the pupil.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05As I was a first-time mum, I just sort of left it and...
0:21:05 > 0:21:07it wasn't until he was about 11 weeks old
0:21:07 > 0:21:09that I googled the white shine,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12and the first thing that came up was retinoblastoma.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Specialists at the Royal London Hospital
0:21:16 > 0:21:20confirmed her baby son did have this rare form of eye cancer.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23It was really horrible.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Like, really horrible. He was only 12 weeks old.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29We didn't really know a lot about it.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32As soon as they say cancer, you instantly think...
0:21:32 > 0:21:34I just thought, "He's going to die."
0:21:34 > 0:21:37After emergency surgery and chemotherapy,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40doctors were able to give Charlene some wonderful news.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Jacob's condition was stable and he was out of danger.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47He does need a little bit more help now
0:21:47 > 0:21:50but it hasn't affected him in any other way.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Like, he's still a normal three-year-old boy.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55Throughout the process,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59it was the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust that helped the family cope.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00They've been invaluable.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02They're always at the end of the phone.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05They do weekend meet-ups.
0:22:05 > 0:22:06You meet so many families.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08It's not all doom and gloom.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10They make the best of it for you.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11They're brilliant.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15The charity couldn't survive without collection tins
0:22:15 > 0:22:17like the one in Keith's takeaway.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20But he and other residents of the Granite City
0:22:20 > 0:22:24are about to encounter a thief who must have a heart of stone.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It's a Sunday night in November.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35As usual, the CCTV is recording at Keith's takeaway.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37There were a few people in the shop.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39It was round about closing time.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41So, we're just running everything down.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46There's a man with a cap and a woman who come in separately.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49The man ushers her along the counter to get served first,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51but he's no gentleman.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Instead, he's moving her out of the way of
0:22:53 > 0:22:56what he's really come here for:
0:22:56 > 0:22:57the children's charity tin.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Pretending to look at a menu, he gets closer.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06When nobody's watching,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09he picks up the tin and hides it in his jacket.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Then he calmly goes to wait for his food.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18He's long gone by the time the crime is discovered.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23When we closed up, I noticed that the charity tins had gone.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27I checked back the CCTV footage.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30It was a shock to the system, when you actually see the act.
0:23:31 > 0:23:32The tin was nearly full.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38It could be anything from ?70 to ?150.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Very hurt and sad that somebody would take a charity jar.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47More so because it was the charity that's very personal to myself.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50So, I was very aggrieved at the time.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52And really sad. Really, really sad.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55To make it worse,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58on the same night the crook in the cap commits another callous crime...
0:24:00 > 0:24:02..against another children's charity.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06He obviously feels these tins are the most lucrative.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09He walks into this pub just around the corner from Keith's takeaway.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Bar manager Alison is on her shift.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15This man's come up to the bar.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17I say hello and what have you to him, as you do.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Greet him nicely.
0:24:19 > 0:24:20And...
0:24:20 > 0:24:22he asked for his pint.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26The man pays his money and sits down to drink his beer.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28I never thought nothing.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30I just thought, nice customer.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31He spoke away.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35He sat himself directly opposite a charity tin on the bar.
0:24:37 > 0:24:38It is really important to us.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41It actually is for terminally ill children.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44When Alison's distracted,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47the man takes out a tool he's brought with him
0:24:47 > 0:24:50to cut the cable tie that secures the tin to the bar.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54He waits for a few moments to check the coast is clear,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57and then picks up the tin, putting it under his coat.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03He comes away, puts his drink at the end of the bar and just leaves.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09After closing time, the pub staff discover the tin's gone,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11and realise the man must have taken it.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15To actually know that he knew what he was going to do,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17and I'm being so nice to him...
0:25:18 > 0:25:20It just isn't right.
0:25:20 > 0:25:26To actually steal from terminally ill children is...the worst.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28There was around ?100 in the tin,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31but the thief has made a foolish error.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34A flat cap isn't the greatest disguise in the world,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38and the pub security cameras clearly show his face.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41The police arrive and take the CCTV footage away
0:25:41 > 0:25:42to begin their investigation.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45Bar staff ring around,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48to see if any other local businesses have been hit.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53The following morning, Wagley's then contacted myself.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Then I let them know that I also had mine taken as well,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58the same evening.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01The police then came here for a statement.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04The CCTV footage shows it's the same man,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07a man who stupidly doesn't seem to realise
0:26:07 > 0:26:09pubs and cafes have security cameras.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13The pub puts the footage of their charity-tin theft
0:26:13 > 0:26:14out on the internet,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17in a bid to identify the flat-capped criminal.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19There is public outrage.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25We got some cheques sent, cos everybody was touched by it.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26PHONE RINGS
0:26:26 > 0:26:28And soon, there's a breakthrough.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Alison gets a tip-off about the thief's identity.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35We got a phone call from an anonymous caller,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39from the town he was living in to tell us his name and address. And...
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Cos they'd obviously recognised this guy.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48The pub passes the information on to the police.
0:26:48 > 0:26:49Soon, officers come to see
0:26:49 > 0:26:53if Alison can pick the thief out from some photos.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58It was just one A4 piece of paper with possibly about 12 photos.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02I knew, as soon as I got to the bottom one,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04didn't have glasses on, didn't have his hat,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08but I just knew by his face that it was him.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Two weeks after he stole the charity tins,
0:27:11 > 0:27:12the man is arrested.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19In court, he pleads guilty to two counts of theft
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and is sentenced to five months in prison.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Charlene was delighted to hear that the Aberdeen charity-tin thief
0:27:30 > 0:27:32had got his just deserts.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36I don't understand how anyone can steal from any charity,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40let alone such a small one like Chect, where it is so valued.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41And if they could see where the money went
0:27:41 > 0:27:43and they could see children like Jacob,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45hopefully, it'd make them think twice.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47The pub held a special event
0:27:47 > 0:27:51to raise funds for the charities whose tins had been stolen.
0:27:51 > 0:27:57We did a quiz night and we had a raffle. It was really successful.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00They managed to raise ?1,800.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04The money to both charities far exceeded
0:28:04 > 0:28:06what they'd estimated to be stolen in the first place.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10So, from a horrible thing that happened,
0:28:10 > 0:28:12there was some good came out of it.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15It brings your faith back in humanity.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16Absolutely.
0:28:21 > 0:28:22That's all we have time for today.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24An increasing number of criminals
0:28:24 > 0:28:27are being captured on camera every year.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Join us next time to see more villains who've been...
0:28:29 > 0:28:31caught red-handed.
0:28:55 > 0:28:56We've a spell of sunshine heading our way.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00With hot new comedies and fresh twists on cool classics.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02Mr Humphries, are you free? I'm free!