Episode 14

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0:00:02 > 0:00:05Thieves will steal our cash, our cars, our valuables.

0:00:05 > 0:00:07Just about anything they can get their hands on.

0:00:09 > 0:00:12But now the police are using cutting-edge technology to catch

0:00:12 > 0:00:13the bad guys.

0:00:13 > 0:00:16CCTV is gold dust.

0:00:16 > 0:00:17Great evidence for the police.

0:00:17 > 0:00:19Got to have him stopped.

0:00:19 > 0:00:22Local councils, shops and businesses are fighting crime

0:00:22 > 0:00:24with their own tricks and traps.

0:00:24 > 0:00:27There's a eureka moment when you get that evidence.

0:00:27 > 0:00:31And the public are using secret cameras to make sure crooks

0:00:31 > 0:00:35- get their comeuppance. - It makes me feel so angry.

0:00:35 > 0:00:37He's paid the price. He's being dealt with.

0:00:37 > 0:00:39Yes! We've got her!

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

0:00:43 > 0:00:45They might just get caught red-handed.

0:00:51 > 0:00:56Today - teenager Jordan is enjoying his first-ever full-time job.

0:00:57 > 0:01:02Until the day an armed robber fires a gun at him point-blank.

0:01:04 > 0:01:06But Jordan bravely fights back.

0:01:06 > 0:01:09I was so scared, my adrenaline was going.

0:01:09 > 0:01:11The violent attacker runs off,

0:01:11 > 0:01:14but clever police work and camera footage

0:01:14 > 0:01:18combine to catch him, quite literally, by the seat of his pants.

0:01:18 > 0:01:21Where the tracksuit bottoms had slipped down,

0:01:21 > 0:01:24you could see blue and white Bermuda shorts.

0:01:24 > 0:01:28Also today - after his father died in a tragic accident,

0:01:28 > 0:01:32Stephen suddenly had to take over the family business.

0:01:32 > 0:01:37But then, a theft in broad daylight threatens his family's livelihood.

0:01:37 > 0:01:39This guy just decides to take our stuff,

0:01:39 > 0:01:41the stuff that's paying the staff's wages.

0:01:41 > 0:01:43It was a bitter pill to swallow.

0:01:43 > 0:01:47Then the thief comes back again, so this time they're going after him.

0:01:50 > 0:01:52And a rubbish dumper gets a shock

0:01:52 > 0:01:54when he's caught doing his dirty deed.

0:01:59 > 0:02:02But when officers analyse CCTV footage,

0:02:02 > 0:02:05they realise there's more to this case than meets the eye.

0:02:16 > 0:02:19Morriston is on the outskirts of Swansea.

0:02:19 > 0:02:24Jordan, who's 19, works at one of the town's convenience stores.

0:02:24 > 0:02:2555p.

0:02:25 > 0:02:28He's delighted to have finally landed a job,

0:02:28 > 0:02:31following a long search for employment after leaving school.

0:02:31 > 0:02:33I was out every day looking for jobs,

0:02:33 > 0:02:35because I left school early.

0:02:35 > 0:02:38I've got no qualifications, so I was over the moon.

0:02:38 > 0:02:39I couldn't wait to start.

0:02:39 > 0:02:43Jordan's mum Emma is proud at how he's turned things around

0:02:43 > 0:02:45for the better.

0:02:45 > 0:02:47He's a typical 19-year-old.

0:02:47 > 0:02:49He used to get into trouble.

0:02:49 > 0:02:51You know, he used to get in trouble here and there.

0:02:51 > 0:02:53And we haven't always seen eye to eye,

0:02:53 > 0:02:56but he has grown up a lot lately.

0:02:56 > 0:03:00He's got his own house, so he's getting money to decorate it,

0:03:00 > 0:03:02got the steady job that he's settling down with,

0:03:02 > 0:03:05so he's really self-sufficient.

0:03:05 > 0:03:07Thank you.

0:03:07 > 0:03:11It's not easy for young people to find employment in the area and

0:03:11 > 0:03:13Jordan is happy to have a proper job at last.

0:03:14 > 0:03:18But his new life is about to become violently disrupted when an armed

0:03:18 > 0:03:21robber invades the shop and attacks him.

0:03:25 > 0:03:28It's early afternoon on a weekday in winter.

0:03:30 > 0:03:34CCTV cameras dotted around the shop show that it's quiet.

0:03:35 > 0:03:39Jordan's working on his own, filling shelves in the stockroom.

0:03:41 > 0:03:43But suddenly, he's not alone.

0:03:43 > 0:03:47A hooded man bursts into the shop.

0:03:47 > 0:03:51He'd come in, he had a massive scarf, I think, over his face,

0:03:51 > 0:03:52a hat on.

0:03:52 > 0:03:54He says, "You open the till, open the till."

0:03:54 > 0:03:55It's so bizarre.

0:03:55 > 0:03:58At first, Jordan thinks it's a wind-up,

0:03:58 > 0:04:01but soon realises this is no joke.

0:04:02 > 0:04:06Because as the man gets closer, he pulls out a gun.

0:04:06 > 0:04:09I'd never seen a gun, so I didn't know if it was a real gun or not.

0:04:09 > 0:04:10I just panicked.

0:04:12 > 0:04:14Jordan pushes the man away.

0:04:14 > 0:04:16Obviously, he got more angry.

0:04:16 > 0:04:20And then, an extraordinary and horrifying moment.

0:04:20 > 0:04:22The man fires the gun at Jordan from close range.

0:04:24 > 0:04:28And he feels something sting his cheek, but Jordan realises it can't

0:04:28 > 0:04:32have been a full-size bullet and the robber may have a BB gun that fires

0:04:32 > 0:04:34pellets rather than bullets.

0:04:34 > 0:04:38But even so, they can pierce skin and fracture bones.

0:04:38 > 0:04:41I didn't want to give him the money because it weren't my money to give away.

0:04:41 > 0:04:44I felt I could fight back, like, I had a chance.

0:04:44 > 0:04:49But the robber threatens Jordan again and follows him into the stockroom.

0:04:49 > 0:04:53It was like I was cornered, so I stepped back and I picked up a can.

0:04:53 > 0:04:55Jordan hits the attacker hard with a drinks can.

0:04:57 > 0:04:59The pair start a desperate tussle.

0:05:00 > 0:05:02The man hits Jordan over the head with his gun.

0:05:02 > 0:05:06I was so scared, like, I didn't feel anything.

0:05:06 > 0:05:07My adrenaline was going.

0:05:10 > 0:05:13Jordan uses all his strength to force the attacker back.

0:05:13 > 0:05:17I said, "You're not having anything, best to leave."

0:05:17 > 0:05:19And he ran and it was over.

0:05:26 > 0:05:29He feels the top of his head as he goes behind the counter.

0:05:30 > 0:05:33That's when I realised I could feel something on my head and my hand was

0:05:33 > 0:05:37- covered in blood.- Dazed by what's happened and the sight of the blood,

0:05:37 > 0:05:40his first thought is to phone his mum.

0:05:40 > 0:05:43I was just in so much shock, it was the first person I wanted to see.

0:05:43 > 0:05:45He was really panicked.

0:05:45 > 0:05:48Well, my heart just sunk because I just thought, "Oh, my God,

0:05:48 > 0:05:51"he's been shot," and obviously, I just thought the worst then.

0:05:51 > 0:05:53I was in such a panic.

0:05:53 > 0:05:54Emma sets off for the shop.

0:05:56 > 0:05:58Meanwhile, Jordan calls the police,

0:05:58 > 0:06:01who soon arrived in force with a firearms unit,

0:06:01 > 0:06:03dog handlers and many officers.

0:06:03 > 0:06:05I think there was about three vans,

0:06:05 > 0:06:08a car, all the way up the street.

0:06:08 > 0:06:12Detective Constable Andy Davies heads up the investigation.

0:06:12 > 0:06:15When I got to the shop and I spoke to Jordan,

0:06:15 > 0:06:16he told me what had happened,

0:06:16 > 0:06:19it was quite courageous in the way that he did fight back,

0:06:19 > 0:06:21putting aside his own safety.

0:06:21 > 0:06:24He was quite shaken up and I think as time was going on,

0:06:24 > 0:06:28it was dawning on him the reality of what could have happened.

0:06:29 > 0:06:33I kept thinking about it in my head, like, what just happened,

0:06:33 > 0:06:35my lips went blue and I was shaking.

0:06:35 > 0:06:37When Emma reaches the shop,

0:06:37 > 0:06:40she's relieved to find that her son is not badly injured.

0:06:40 > 0:06:43He was really shook up by it.

0:06:43 > 0:06:46But once I had a cuddle off him, it was great.

0:06:46 > 0:06:49I knew he was OK. He was going to be OK.

0:06:49 > 0:06:50Yeah.

0:06:52 > 0:06:56Andy and his team get back to the station to begin identifying the

0:06:56 > 0:06:59would-be robber. They don't have to wait long for an answer.

0:06:59 > 0:07:02After a few hours, they receive a tip-off.

0:07:02 > 0:07:05We had a phone call from a member of the public telling us that

0:07:05 > 0:07:09the person possibly responsible for this armed robbery

0:07:09 > 0:07:11was at an address in Morriston.

0:07:11 > 0:07:15Andy heads round to the address with a search team and firearms officers.

0:07:15 > 0:07:19We found him hiding in a wardrobe in one of the spare bedrooms.

0:07:19 > 0:07:21We could see that he had black eyes developing,

0:07:21 > 0:07:23he had a cut under his left eye.

0:07:23 > 0:07:27And you could see that he had recently been hit in the face with some force.

0:07:27 > 0:07:30Jordan's drink can must have hit home.

0:07:32 > 0:07:36Officers arrest the suspect and soon find more evidence in the house.

0:07:37 > 0:07:41Other officers had found a BB gun box, which was the same size and

0:07:41 > 0:07:46shape of the gun that was used that we saw on the CCTV footage.

0:07:46 > 0:07:48They take the suspect back to the station.

0:07:48 > 0:07:53Andy checks the CCTV to see if the robber's clothing matches items

0:07:53 > 0:07:57they've seized and it does, in a rather unusual way.

0:07:58 > 0:08:01Jordan's fightback had caused the man to become dishevelled.

0:08:01 > 0:08:06His hood had come down and so had his trousers.

0:08:06 > 0:08:08Where the tracksuit bottoms had slipped down,

0:08:08 > 0:08:10you could see blue and white Bermuda shorts.

0:08:10 > 0:08:14The suspect in custody is wearing the same underwear.

0:08:14 > 0:08:17He's been caught with his trousers down.

0:08:17 > 0:08:19He had basically no option but to plead guilty.

0:08:22 > 0:08:25In court, the man was sentenced to four years in prison.

0:08:30 > 0:08:34Even though Jordan was shaken, he went back to work the next day.

0:08:34 > 0:08:38Support from local well-wishers has helped him to get over the ordeal.

0:08:38 > 0:08:40The customers that come in, they've been lovely,

0:08:40 > 0:08:43just ask me what happened with things,

0:08:43 > 0:08:45just said well done.

0:08:45 > 0:08:47'All the family and friends,'

0:08:47 > 0:08:52everybody is so proud of him and he doesn't take compliments very well.

0:08:52 > 0:08:56But, yeah, he really did well, yeah.

0:08:56 > 0:09:00But from now on, his mum and his boss have insisted that he must put

0:09:00 > 0:09:01his own safety first.

0:09:01 > 0:09:04I know now I should have given him the money,

0:09:04 > 0:09:07but that's the first time anything like that has ever happened to me.

0:09:07 > 0:09:09I didn't know what to do. It was just one of those things.

0:09:21 > 0:09:24Now, most thieves only care about what they're stealing,

0:09:24 > 0:09:26not who they're stealing from.

0:09:26 > 0:09:29But maybe this chap should have checked out

0:09:29 > 0:09:31exactly who owns the beer barrel he's nicking.

0:09:33 > 0:09:37He's spotted the unattended beer keg by the back door of a club

0:09:37 > 0:09:39and decides to pick it up in his pick-up.

0:09:41 > 0:09:45But what he doesn't realise is he's stealing the keg from a karate club.

0:09:46 > 0:09:48Perhaps not a smart move,

0:09:48 > 0:09:52because when the masters of the martial art see on CCTV what's happened,

0:09:52 > 0:09:54they recognise the thief.

0:09:55 > 0:09:57Taking a hands-on approach,

0:09:57 > 0:10:00they pay the culprit a friendly visit

0:10:00 > 0:10:03and make him an offer he, hm, can't refuse.

0:10:06 > 0:10:09Luckily, the thief hasn't drunk the beer and decides it's best to bring

0:10:09 > 0:10:11the barrel straight back.

0:10:11 > 0:10:14Maybe he was afraid that if he didn't, they'd give him the chop.

0:10:21 > 0:10:25Every year, 45,000 businesses are burgled.

0:10:25 > 0:10:29Thieves are always on the lookout for goods they can sell on and when

0:10:29 > 0:10:32they see something they want, they can be pretty brazen.

0:10:34 > 0:10:38A thief steals an expensive mower from a family business.

0:10:38 > 0:10:40Not exactly a major crime, you may think,

0:10:40 > 0:10:43but stealing from a small family concern

0:10:43 > 0:10:46can have far-reaching effects on the family involved.

0:10:46 > 0:10:50Especially when the brazen thief thinks nothing of coming back

0:10:50 > 0:10:52and doing it all over again.

0:10:52 > 0:10:54It's a small business.

0:10:54 > 0:10:55It's a week's wages.

0:10:55 > 0:10:57It makes you feel...

0:10:57 > 0:10:58vulnerable.

0:11:05 > 0:11:08The town of Lurgan in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

0:11:10 > 0:11:13McKerr's hardware store has been in the town centre for decades.

0:11:15 > 0:11:19Stephen McKerr now runs the family business that was started by his

0:11:19 > 0:11:21grandfather in the 1930s,

0:11:21 > 0:11:25and then taken over by his father, David, in the '60s.

0:11:25 > 0:11:30As a teenager, Stephen started to help his dad out in the shop too.

0:11:30 > 0:11:33It's a big thing being with my dad, I really enjoyed that.

0:11:33 > 0:11:35Took me everywhere,

0:11:35 > 0:11:38brought me to every single meeting that he ever really went to.

0:11:38 > 0:11:40I loved the people,

0:11:40 > 0:11:42I enjoyed the social aspect of serving people

0:11:42 > 0:11:44and looking after them.

0:11:44 > 0:11:46I got a taste of what work was like

0:11:46 > 0:11:48and I thought it was cool.

0:11:48 > 0:11:51Having run the store for over 40 years,

0:11:51 > 0:11:54Stephen's father, David, was a pillar of the community.

0:11:54 > 0:11:57I looked up to my father a lot.

0:11:57 > 0:11:59He was a great man

0:11:59 > 0:12:02and had lots of really...

0:12:02 > 0:12:06nice attributes that I wanted to have, you know, when I was older.

0:12:08 > 0:12:12But Stephen's dad was killed in a road accident nine years ago.

0:12:13 > 0:12:16He was knocked off his bike and...

0:12:16 > 0:12:18it was a tough time, but...

0:12:18 > 0:12:21I suppose it was a time when you saw...

0:12:21 > 0:12:24customers in a different light.

0:12:26 > 0:12:29Dad's funeral, like, was massive.

0:12:29 > 0:12:31It was about 600 people standing outside the church,

0:12:31 > 0:12:33they had to set up speakers and everything outside.

0:12:35 > 0:12:38At the age of 27, Stephen took over the business,

0:12:38 > 0:12:43wanting to make a success of it for his father and to support his mother.

0:12:43 > 0:12:45He was helped by Nigel,

0:12:45 > 0:12:49the store's general manager and his dad's trusted right-hand man.

0:12:49 > 0:12:53David McKerr, he was close to me and Stephen,

0:12:53 > 0:12:55I look at him as a younger brother,

0:12:55 > 0:12:57I watch out for him and look out for him.

0:12:57 > 0:13:01We can fight sometimes, but we're like brothers and that encouraged

0:13:01 > 0:13:03me to keep going.

0:13:03 > 0:13:05You know, not to give up.

0:13:07 > 0:13:11And Nigel will prove his worth once again when a thief threatens

0:13:11 > 0:13:12the family business.

0:13:17 > 0:13:21It's a Tuesday in March, nearly 5pm.

0:13:21 > 0:13:24As usual, all the larger lawn mowers the store sells

0:13:24 > 0:13:26are out on the forecourt.

0:13:27 > 0:13:28But not for long.

0:13:28 > 0:13:31The store's entrance camera picks up this man going to

0:13:31 > 0:13:34look at the most expensive lawn mowers outside.

0:13:35 > 0:13:38He moves one of them closer to the front of the forecourt.

0:13:40 > 0:13:41But he's not trying it out.

0:13:42 > 0:13:44Checking nobody's watching him,

0:13:44 > 0:13:47he stoops to lift the mower up and over the wall.

0:13:49 > 0:13:52After one glance back, he simply walks away with it.

0:13:57 > 0:13:59We didn't notice until the next morning.

0:13:59 > 0:14:02Bringing the stuff out as normal and this lawn mower's missing,

0:14:02 > 0:14:04so we checked with all the staff members.

0:14:04 > 0:14:07Next protocol was to have a look on the cameras.

0:14:07 > 0:14:10Stephen and Nigel can't believe what they see.

0:14:10 > 0:14:15It was a bit of a shock because somebody had actually had the nerve

0:14:15 > 0:14:19and the gall to do this in broad daylight.

0:14:19 > 0:14:22It was about £460, this lawn mower cost.

0:14:22 > 0:14:26As a small business, it's a week's wages for someone.

0:14:26 > 0:14:31And it was a hard pill to swallow, it was at bitter pill to swallow.

0:14:31 > 0:14:34When you've got a family at home and my mum doesn't work in the business

0:14:34 > 0:14:39any more, but she's still dependent on it, it makes you feel vulnerable.

0:14:40 > 0:14:44The police collect the shop CCTV recording and take it to surrounding

0:14:44 > 0:14:47stores to see if anybody's seen anything.

0:14:47 > 0:14:50This has an immediate result.

0:14:50 > 0:14:54Someone had witnessed that the mower had been taken.

0:14:54 > 0:14:58What's more, this witness knows the mower thief's identity.

0:14:58 > 0:15:01Now it's just a case of the police tracking him down.

0:15:01 > 0:15:04A few weeks later, the police came and said, "Yeah,

0:15:04 > 0:15:07"we've caught up with him and he's been charged."

0:15:07 > 0:15:10Sadly, there's no sign of the lawn mower,

0:15:10 > 0:15:14but it's some consolation for Stephen that although the thief is on bail,

0:15:14 > 0:15:15he will soon be going to court.

0:15:17 > 0:15:20I thought, "Right, that's it, done and dusted."

0:15:22 > 0:15:23But two weeks later,

0:15:23 > 0:15:27Stephen and Nigel are about to get a nasty surprise.

0:15:28 > 0:15:32I was stood in the shop and the next thing a customer comes running in

0:15:32 > 0:15:35and says, "Someone just run down the street with one of your lawn mowers."

0:15:35 > 0:15:38I was, like, "You're joking. This cannot be happening."

0:15:38 > 0:15:42This time an even more expensive mower has been taken.

0:15:42 > 0:15:44This is £1,000 this time.

0:15:44 > 0:15:46Just thought, "Right, I'm going to go.

0:15:46 > 0:15:49"Try and get this guy." Adrenaline took over.

0:15:49 > 0:15:52As Stephen is with a customer,

0:15:52 > 0:15:56Nigel rushes outside and finds the thief has left a trail.

0:15:57 > 0:15:59As I went round the back of the shop,

0:15:59 > 0:16:01I've seen the grass box laying on the ground,

0:16:01 > 0:16:03so I grabbed it.

0:16:03 > 0:16:05That's good, but unfortunately,

0:16:05 > 0:16:09the grass collector is the least valuable part of the lawn mower.

0:16:09 > 0:16:13Nigel searches behind nearby houses in the hope he can find the rest,

0:16:13 > 0:16:15and success.

0:16:18 > 0:16:20He probably left it there,

0:16:20 > 0:16:23thinking that he'd come back later and lift it.

0:16:23 > 0:16:28So Nigel hasn't got his man, but at least he has got the mower.

0:16:28 > 0:16:29I was delighted.

0:16:29 > 0:16:32It was a good feeling to get it back

0:16:32 > 0:16:36and it means it was something that we could sell and we hadn't lost it.

0:16:36 > 0:16:39They wonder who the culprit is this time,

0:16:39 > 0:16:43but when Nigel and Stephen check the CCTV footage,

0:16:43 > 0:16:46it's a shocking case of deja vu.

0:16:46 > 0:16:48Unbelievable, it was the same guy.

0:16:48 > 0:16:53He's still on bail for the first offence, but this thief has come back.

0:16:53 > 0:16:56I just can't get over the brass neck on the guy.

0:16:56 > 0:16:58You know, he's just so brazen.

0:17:00 > 0:17:02Obviously no remorse in him at all.

0:17:02 > 0:17:06I think there's a bit of a nerve and there's a bit of stupidity as well.

0:17:06 > 0:17:11As before, the thief goes to lift the mower over the wall, but this time

0:17:11 > 0:17:15he's seen by the driver of this red car, who pulls up immediately.

0:17:15 > 0:17:17A customer actually spotted him.

0:17:17 > 0:17:22Thanks so much to that guy who come in and let us know that, you know,

0:17:22 > 0:17:24this guy was stealing a machine.

0:17:24 > 0:17:28It doesn't take the police long to find the man and charge him.

0:17:31 > 0:17:37In court, he pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and was sentenced to

0:17:37 > 0:17:38three months in jail.

0:17:44 > 0:17:47It was a huge relief when we heard that he'd been actually put behind

0:17:47 > 0:17:51bars and we knew that, for a little while at least,

0:17:51 > 0:17:52we're hopefully safe.

0:17:54 > 0:17:58Just to be sure, the lawn mowers outside are now chained up.

0:17:58 > 0:18:01Other than that, it's business as usual for Stephen at the family store.

0:18:02 > 0:18:08I just hope to keep it going and, you know, obviously make it better,

0:18:08 > 0:18:10improve it and always keep its character.

0:18:10 > 0:18:14It's not easy. Doing what he's done after the death of his father,

0:18:14 > 0:18:16to keep the business running,

0:18:16 > 0:18:17Stephen's dad would be very proud.

0:18:26 > 0:18:29We can't just rely on the police to fight crime.

0:18:29 > 0:18:31We all need to do our bit too.

0:18:31 > 0:18:36Sharp-eyed citizens can help stop criminals up to no good if we know

0:18:36 > 0:18:37what to look out for.

0:18:37 > 0:18:39Lookout for suspicious activity.

0:18:39 > 0:18:42So, for instance, somebody coming out of an address with boxes

0:18:42 > 0:18:44and you don't believe that person's moving out.

0:18:44 > 0:18:46It could be a neighbour,

0:18:46 > 0:18:49somebody trying to card doors as they walk down the street,

0:18:49 > 0:18:51somebody checking the doors of garages.

0:18:51 > 0:18:53Those are not normal behaviours.

0:18:53 > 0:18:57Offenders will wear winter clothing, such as a winter hat, winter coat,

0:18:57 > 0:18:59gloves, during the height of summer.

0:18:59 > 0:19:03Mainly because it's to protect their identity,

0:19:03 > 0:19:05perhaps there's CCTV in the area.

0:19:05 > 0:19:07And if you do see something, then don't sleep on it,

0:19:07 > 0:19:11ring us straightaway and not only could you help us catch them for

0:19:11 > 0:19:13that crime, but you also could've prevented

0:19:13 > 0:19:16a number of other crimes from occurring in the future.

0:19:16 > 0:19:19Give as much detail as possible, particularly descriptions.

0:19:19 > 0:19:22We need to know what people look like, so we can trace them later on.

0:19:22 > 0:19:24Think about the direction they're going in.

0:19:24 > 0:19:26Were they in a vehicle or on a bike?

0:19:26 > 0:19:29Every piece of information you give us, helps us build that jigsaw.

0:19:39 > 0:19:41It's roll-out the barrel day today.

0:19:41 > 0:19:45We've already seen a fellow who was foolish enough to try to steal beer

0:19:45 > 0:19:47from a karate club.

0:19:47 > 0:19:51Well, here's a thief and his accomplices who also get into a barrel of

0:19:51 > 0:19:55trouble when they go on a roll at a winemakers.

0:19:55 > 0:19:57After snipping through the wire fence,

0:19:57 > 0:20:00they steal 17 barrels used to store wine,

0:20:00 > 0:20:02worth thousands of pounds.

0:20:03 > 0:20:06But the burglars make a schoolboy error

0:20:06 > 0:20:09by advertising them for sale online.

0:20:09 > 0:20:13The owners see the advert and go to the location mentioned in the ad,

0:20:13 > 0:20:14where they find the barrels.

0:20:16 > 0:20:19There's no sign of the burglars, but at least the winemakers have their

0:20:19 > 0:20:24property back and the CCTV evidence means that when the police catch up

0:20:24 > 0:20:27with the thieves, they'll have them over a barrel.

0:20:34 > 0:20:38Fly-tipping can be a scourge on our countryside, but all over Britain,

0:20:38 > 0:20:41there are teams hard at work to stamp it out.

0:20:41 > 0:20:44You don't not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you

0:20:44 > 0:20:47do not mention when questioned something you that you later rely on in court.

0:20:47 > 0:20:51Hidden cameras can provide vital evidence.

0:20:51 > 0:20:55And sometimes, the most straightforward cases have a twist in the tale.

0:20:56 > 0:20:59You do get quite a little bit of an adrenaline rush, because you know

0:20:59 > 0:21:02these people are literally caught red-handed.

0:21:11 > 0:21:15The countryside near Peterlee in the north-east of England is renowned

0:21:15 > 0:21:16for its beautiful scenery.

0:21:19 > 0:21:23John Butler's job means he's lucky enough to have seen a fair bit of

0:21:23 > 0:21:25our wilder areas.

0:21:25 > 0:21:27He works for The Woodland Trust,

0:21:27 > 0:21:31which strives to maintain and enhance natural habitats.

0:21:31 > 0:21:33The best bits I look forward to is walking through the ancient

0:21:33 > 0:21:35semi-natural woodland.

0:21:35 > 0:21:37They're really important for habitat,

0:21:37 > 0:21:39for wildlife, for wellbeing.

0:21:39 > 0:21:42It's really nice to walk through them and see all the flora and the

0:21:42 > 0:21:44different trees.

0:21:44 > 0:21:49But sadly, anyone setting out to enjoy the fascinating flora and fauna here

0:21:49 > 0:21:53is likely to be shocked to find something far less pleasant.

0:21:55 > 0:21:59Parts of the local National Trust site Warren House Gill have been

0:21:59 > 0:22:02spoiled by fly-tippers dumping rubbish.

0:22:02 > 0:22:04The fly-tippers, they just don't care and they don't realise what

0:22:04 > 0:22:08they're doing to the environment. They don't understand the costs involved.

0:22:08 > 0:22:10It's quite devastating to see.

0:22:10 > 0:22:13There's a constant battle raging throughout the country to prevent

0:22:13 > 0:22:16the illegal dumping of rubbish.

0:22:16 > 0:22:18But as we will see, here in County Durham,

0:22:18 > 0:22:24they're having some success setting fly traps to catch the fly-tippers.

0:22:24 > 0:22:27Ian Hoult of Durham Council heads an anti-fly tipping unit.

0:22:27 > 0:22:29It causes a problem

0:22:29 > 0:22:31for the wildlife that live here,

0:22:31 > 0:22:34it causes a problem for the people that use this area as well.

0:22:34 > 0:22:37Not to mention the fact that it costs money to remove it and,

0:22:37 > 0:22:39of course, it's just an absolute eyesore.

0:22:40 > 0:22:42Kendra is part of Ian's team.

0:22:43 > 0:22:47This place is quite historic with regards to fly-tipping, because it's

0:22:47 > 0:22:50secluded. You haven't got passing traffic.

0:22:50 > 0:22:54Ironically, there's a recycling centre just 200 yards from the entrance

0:22:54 > 0:22:56to the gill.

0:22:56 > 0:22:58Possibly due to the fact either maybe the skip site's closed,

0:22:58 > 0:23:00or there's possibly a queue,

0:23:00 > 0:23:03they end up just driving down here and dumping the waste.

0:23:04 > 0:23:08But some tippers would do better to turn around and drive back home with

0:23:08 > 0:23:11their rubbish, because they're about to get their comeuppance.

0:23:16 > 0:23:21It's a mid-summer's day and Ian's team has placed a covert camera into

0:23:21 > 0:23:22the undergrowth.

0:23:22 > 0:23:25We always put a sign up in advance.

0:23:25 > 0:23:28It's important to let people know that they could get videoed

0:23:28 > 0:23:30and that's often a deterrent in the first place.

0:23:31 > 0:23:34The camera starts recording when it senses motion.

0:23:34 > 0:23:36We look at the angles that we've got,

0:23:36 > 0:23:40we look at making sure that we can pick up registration plates,

0:23:40 > 0:23:42pick up the people who are doing it.

0:23:42 > 0:23:44Sometime later...

0:23:45 > 0:23:48..Kendra and a colleague are out on one of their regular patrols

0:23:48 > 0:23:52of the area, near the site of the covert cameras.

0:23:52 > 0:23:54We came travelling down the bank,

0:23:54 > 0:23:59we saw a vehicle pulling under the bridge and over to the site.

0:23:59 > 0:24:03My colleague actually said to me, "Let's follow that vehicle,"

0:24:03 > 0:24:05and his hunches are usually right.

0:24:07 > 0:24:09As well as the fixed hidden cameras,

0:24:09 > 0:24:13the team also have body cameras to capture evidence that can be used in

0:24:13 > 0:24:17court. Kendra's colleague has switched his camera on.

0:24:17 > 0:24:20There are two people in the suspicious car they've seen,

0:24:20 > 0:24:21a man and a woman.

0:24:21 > 0:24:25We came under the bridge and at just the exact time, a male was taking

0:24:25 > 0:24:29items out of his boot and throwing them over the hill.

0:24:29 > 0:24:31As Kendra's colleague approaches,

0:24:31 > 0:24:35the man sheepishly puts a large bag back into the boot of his car.

0:24:35 > 0:24:37When we are witnessing it happening there and then,

0:24:37 > 0:24:41you do get quite a little bit of an adrenaline rush, because you know

0:24:41 > 0:24:43these people are literally caught red-handed.

0:24:43 > 0:24:44So you know why we are here.

0:24:47 > 0:24:48You do not have to say anything,

0:24:48 > 0:24:50but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when

0:24:50 > 0:24:53questioned something which you later rely on in court.

0:24:53 > 0:24:55Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?

0:24:55 > 0:25:00- Yeah.- You're also being recorded on CCTV, OK?

0:25:00 > 0:25:03I just have to get a few details off you.

0:25:03 > 0:25:06The man's partner is sitting in the front seat.

0:25:06 > 0:25:07As far as we were aware,

0:25:07 > 0:25:10the female wasn't fly-tipping at all in this incident.

0:25:10 > 0:25:13The male's reaction was, he just went along with it.

0:25:13 > 0:25:16He knew he'd been caught, he knew he couldn't get out of it.

0:25:16 > 0:25:20You do realise it's an offence, fly-tipping? Yeah?

0:25:20 > 0:25:24He told us that he'd just moved into his house with his girlfriend

0:25:24 > 0:25:27and was clearing out all old stuff that they no longer needed.

0:25:27 > 0:25:35Carpet, cardboard, an old vacuum cleaner and household debris

0:25:35 > 0:25:37have all been dumped onto the verge.

0:25:39 > 0:25:42The woman says she isn't involved.

0:25:42 > 0:25:46Her partner claims he only did it because the nearby recycling centre

0:25:46 > 0:25:48- was shut.- There's no excuse.

0:25:48 > 0:25:51He could've easily just saw that the skip was closed,

0:25:51 > 0:25:54left it in the car and came back the next day and brought it back to the

0:25:54 > 0:25:56- skip site.- Did you put anything over there?

0:25:56 > 0:25:58- Sorry?- Did you put anything over there?

0:25:58 > 0:26:00No. What will happen?

0:26:00 > 0:26:03- You'll have to go to court. - Go to court?- Court?- Yeah.- Really?

0:26:03 > 0:26:05Yeah. If it was littering,

0:26:05 > 0:26:07then it would be a fixed penalty from ourselves.

0:26:07 > 0:26:11- Right.- But because it's fly-tipping, it carries a harsher sentence.

0:26:11 > 0:26:13You can understand why.

0:26:15 > 0:26:18Couldn't tell you, it's up to the courts to decide.

0:26:19 > 0:26:21Once they've got his details,

0:26:21 > 0:26:25Kendra and her colleague let the man go and they return to their office.

0:26:26 > 0:26:30Kendra came back and said, "You'll never guess what's happened today.

0:26:30 > 0:26:33"I caught somebody fly-tipping."

0:26:33 > 0:26:34There's a certain buzz that goes around,

0:26:34 > 0:26:37finding out that that's what's happened.

0:26:37 > 0:26:41It's highly unusual to catch a fly-tipper in the act and in this case,

0:26:41 > 0:26:44there's some more surprising evidence still to come.

0:26:46 > 0:26:48Remember that hidden camera?

0:26:48 > 0:26:51Our fly-tipping team went back and pulled the cameras back in and we

0:26:51 > 0:26:55actually had caught the whole incident from him pulling into the area.

0:26:55 > 0:26:59It makes for interesting viewing.

0:26:59 > 0:27:01At the time, it was the man that was fly-tipping.

0:27:01 > 0:27:04Of course, what a surprise when the footage was reviewed,

0:27:04 > 0:27:06actually they were both involved.

0:27:07 > 0:27:10The female, she'd also been helping take the rubbish

0:27:10 > 0:27:11out of the boot of the car.

0:27:11 > 0:27:14When she heard Kendra's vehicle arriving,

0:27:14 > 0:27:17the woman had quickly got into the front seat of the car.

0:27:17 > 0:27:20The man then returned his bag of rubbish to the boot.

0:27:20 > 0:27:23They were both fully aware they'd been rumbled

0:27:23 > 0:27:25and were trying to hide it.

0:27:25 > 0:27:28So myself and my colleague went to the property of where the young

0:27:28 > 0:27:32couple lived and her reaction was, basically, hands up,

0:27:32 > 0:27:33"I've been caught also."

0:27:37 > 0:27:41In court, the fly-tippers were ordered to pay £408 each

0:27:41 > 0:27:43in fines and costs.

0:27:46 > 0:27:49The couple now also have criminal records.

0:27:49 > 0:27:54It's a tough lesson, but the countryside needs protecting and publicity

0:27:54 > 0:27:58from the case sends out a message that fly-tipping won't be tolerated.

0:27:58 > 0:28:02It's the environment, it's part of our life.

0:28:02 > 0:28:05We don't want to cause any damage to it and we don't want to lose it.

0:28:05 > 0:28:07It's a beautiful, beautiful place.

0:28:07 > 0:28:09We really do need to take care of it.

0:28:15 > 0:28:16That's all for today.

0:28:16 > 0:28:18Join us next time to see some other villains

0:28:18 > 0:28:20who've been caught red-handed.