0:00:02 > 0:00:05Thieves will steal our cash, our cars, our valuables.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Just about anything they can get their hands on.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12But now the police are using cutting-edge technology
0:00:12 > 0:00:13to catch the 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 > 0:00:30..and the public are using secret cameras to make sure
0:00:30 > 0:00:32crooks get their comeuppance.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35It 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's up to no good had better think twice.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46They might just get Caught Red Handed.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56Today, when teenager Charlotte gets home in the small hours
0:00:56 > 0:00:59of the morning, it's not her mother waiting at the door.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02It's another woman and she's a burglar.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I was about to go, "Oh, Mum, are you all right?"
0:01:05 > 0:01:07This lady turned round and it wasn't my mum.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10At that moment I was like, "So where's my mum?"
0:01:10 > 0:01:13The burglar does a runner but Charlotte is determined
0:01:13 > 0:01:15not to let her escape.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Also today, Georgina has a new job running a travel agent's.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24But it suddenly comes crashing down around her.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26CAR CRASHES
0:01:26 > 0:01:29I had been manager one day and we got ram raided.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34It turns out the short-sighted raiders really meant to ram into
0:01:34 > 0:01:37John's fashion store next door.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40You go and steal a car, drive it into the wrong shop.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42How can you be so stupid?
0:01:46 > 0:01:50But first, Neil and Andrew's family shop has survived
0:01:50 > 0:01:53more than a century and two world wars.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57But now it's under attack from thieves.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00It's just so frustrating.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02It's so, so frustrating.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07Neil comes up with a cunning plan that flushes out one of the culprits.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11But the crook comes up with a cunning answer.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15He was protesting that his human rights were being contravened.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26The city of Cambridge is famous for being a place of ancient learning
0:02:26 > 0:02:30and amongst the many historic buildings in the city centre there's
0:02:30 > 0:02:34a hardware store which, as managing director Neil Mackay will tell you,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36has a long history of its own.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Mackay's has been here since 1912.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42We've been through two wars,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46loads of recessions and my forebears set it up on the basis
0:02:46 > 0:02:51of - let's make ourselves useful and do things for the community.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55And it's kept us going for the last 104 years.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Neil's son, Andrew, is next in line to take over.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02It was never something I was pressured into.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04I absolutely love it.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09We have successfully passed the third generational curse which
0:03:09 > 0:03:12they talk about a lot in family businesses.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16I am now the fifth generation into the business and hopefully that's
0:03:16 > 0:03:18going to continue a long way into the future.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22But the family's business has recently come under threat from
0:03:22 > 0:03:26persistent thieves. Neil estimates that in the past year alone,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29£35,000 worth of goods have been stolen.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32It has a huge effect.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37It takes 10 to 12 sales to replace one that's stolen.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42And the actions of this thief prove to be the last straw for Neil.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49It's a Monday afternoon in February.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53A man in a grey beanie hat walks in.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55The store has around 30 cameras.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59He is captured as he wanders round.
0:04:00 > 0:04:06We invested in and installed our own CCTV systems and gradually expanded
0:04:06 > 0:04:11it to try and catch every nook and cranny we've got in the shop.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12It's not easy.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17The man in the hat starts off in one of the few camera blind spots,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20where he stops by a shelf and loiters for a bit,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24but walks away when these other customers come near.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28He crouches down where the camera can't see exactly what he's doing.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32But shop supervisor Nigel has spotted him acting suspiciously.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35He was looking down.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38He was on his hands and knees, looking at the magnets.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42I was just behind this stand watching him.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47And at this point, he squeezed the packet where the magnets were,
0:04:47 > 0:04:52dropped into his hand and proceeded straight out the back of the shop.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55The man's not aware that he's been seen pocketing this specialised
0:04:55 > 0:04:59and quite expensive magnet and that Nigel now suspects him.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04The man leaves the store and following close behind him is Nigel,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08who calls to a colleague to come with him in case things turn nasty.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15They confront the man in the car park.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18He says, "What item?" or "What magnet?"
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Then I mention the magnet that he had taken out the packet.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26He told me that he'd left it in the store, on the shelf.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Nigel asks the man to show him where he left it.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33At this point he took the magnet out of his left pocket
0:05:33 > 0:05:35and handed it to me.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39The man pauses for a second and then runs.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Nigel chases him.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46I wasn't too worried about my safety because the adrenaline's there.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49I did it because I don't think they should get away with it.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54But the thief's too fast for Nigel and does get away.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58After losing so much money through shoplifting recently,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02this latest attempt to steal from his store leaves the owner
0:06:02 > 0:06:05near at the end of his tether and determined to track the man down.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10I got so frustrated that I decided enough was enough.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13What I was going to do was make a poster.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16I put lines across his face so you couldn't actually identify him.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20I was well aware people had been prosecuted for doing things like this.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22My dad is a bit of a character.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26When he gets the bit between his teeth he really goes after it.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28He has a cracking imagination.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Neil puts up a wanted poster for Mr Magnet Man in the shop,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34appealing for information.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Then he contacts the local paper.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43They printed it complete with the lines across his face so you couldn't actually identify him.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46What happens next takes everyone by surprise.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50The police were on the phone saying that the gentleman by the name
0:06:50 > 0:06:56of Mr Magnet Man had pitched up to complain his human rights were being contravened.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Apparently he was protesting that his boss had spotted it
0:07:00 > 0:07:03and no longer trusted him and sacked him.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07So he was looking for compensation from us.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Would you believe? It's beyond belief.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13- You couldn't write it. - Officers can't believe it either.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17The police then said, well, would you like us to prosecute?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19I said, yes, please.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21The police arrested him for theft.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23He's not the brightest tool in the tool box.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27I think if he hadn't gone in to complain, he probably would have got away with it!
0:07:31 > 0:07:34In court, the man was found guilty of stealing the magnet.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38He was ordered to pay a victim's surcharge of £40,
0:07:38 > 0:07:43£620 costs and fined £400 for his trouble.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48That's a grand total of £1,060.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Encouraged by the success of his wanted poster for Mr Magnet Man,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Neil now does posters for all the thieves who've been caught stealing
0:07:58 > 0:08:00from his store on CCTV.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Named after their crimes,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05they are displayed on a wall of shame in the store.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08The amazing thing is, every single one of the people in my
0:08:08 > 0:08:13rogues' gallery has been taken seriously by the police and has been
0:08:13 > 0:08:16either arrested, fined or is in prison
0:08:16 > 0:08:18as a result.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21And with theft now down in the store,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Neil and his family can look to the future.
0:08:23 > 0:08:30We've been here on the same site for 104 years and we hope to keep going
0:08:30 > 0:08:31for many more generations.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47We're looking at the view from a security camera showing a suburban
0:08:47 > 0:08:52back garden. The house owners are having a conservatory built by a double glazing company.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56It's not exactly what you'd think of as a crime scene, so far.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01The angry man on the phone is a builder,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05A contractor hired by the double glazing company to build the brick
0:09:05 > 0:09:07wall that supports their conservatory.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10He's arrived on site, complaining he hasn't been paid for the work.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Failing to resolve his dispute with the double glazing company on
0:09:15 > 0:09:22the phone, the builder and his men begin to act in an extraordinary and
0:09:22 > 0:09:26horrifying way, smashing down the wall with sledgehammers.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29It's terrifying for the homeowner and his wife,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33who are watching from their living room when these builders suddenly,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36literally put their home under the hammer.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Their conservatory is left teetering on a precipice.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48But this angry builder does get his comeuppance.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53He is prosecuted, summoned to court and convicted of malicious damage.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58His rampage results in him being ordered to complete 270 hours
0:09:58 > 0:10:00of unpaid work in the community.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03He was also put under a supervision order for a year.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07The other good news is the homeowners end up getting
0:10:07 > 0:10:11an even better conservatory. The glazing company rebuild it,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15this time enlisting a slightly more chilled out builder.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27On average, there's a burglary in Britain every 40 seconds.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Burglars are on the lookout for opportunities 24 hours a day.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36These pictures come from a taxi's dashboard camera,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38normally used for evidence in road accidents,
0:10:38 > 0:10:43but this one picks up evidence of a burglar escaping the scene of a crime.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Unusually, the burglar's a woman and so is her young victim,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50- who gives chase.- You don't know what she's got on her.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52Could she have a knife? Could she have anything?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55You don't know what kind of lady she is.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04The village of Birchington-on-Sea
0:11:04 > 0:11:07is home to Lynn and her 18-year-old daughter Charlotte.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11They settled here after leaving London 14 years ago.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15I moved down when Charlotte was four and the reason I came down here was
0:11:15 > 0:11:16because my dad retired down here.
0:11:16 > 0:11:22Dad was always around to make sure that Charlotte was fed and watered,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24so to speak, as I was a busy mum, always working.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28He was always there. We were like The Three Musketeers, you know?
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Charlotte loved having her grandad live next door because they
0:11:32 > 0:11:35shared a passion for dancing and as she grew up,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38together they formed a plan that Charlotte would one day start
0:11:38 > 0:11:42- a dance school.- He'd have all his '50s and '60s music on.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45She'd be often dancing in the front room.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Every weekend I'd go out to like little social club with him and go
0:11:48 > 0:11:50rock and roll dancing with him.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54But Charlotte's much-loved grandfather died five years ago.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Just before he passed away we went on a holiday to Norwich and we were
0:11:58 > 0:12:02walking on the beach and there was an arcade called Silver Slipper.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05We all kind of looked and went, "That's the name for a dance school."
0:12:05 > 0:12:07From that day, we said Silver Slipper would be...
0:12:07 > 0:12:10I'm getting emotional.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15We both miss him desperately, yeah.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Charlotte has been through another sad time this year.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21She gained a place at a dance college,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25but due to illness her dreams of becoming a professional dancer were
0:12:25 > 0:12:29ruined and a series of operations left her at a low ebb.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31It was meant to be the year.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Everyone says, it's going to be the year, but it hasn't been the year.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37I said, "What do I want to do with my life?"
0:12:37 > 0:12:40I said, "I'm going to open my own performing arts school."
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Determined to make the best of things,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Charlotte started to try to set up her own dance school.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50But they say bad things come in threes and she received a third blow
0:12:50 > 0:12:52when her home was burgled.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59It's 5am on a mid-week summer morning.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Charlotte's been out very late on a big night out.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05I was out with loads of my friends.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I rang a taxi to obviously take me home.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Once I got into the taxi, it was a lady.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13And I've never actually seen a lady taxi driver at that time in the
0:13:13 > 0:13:17morning. I was like, "All right?" Just chatting away.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21The taxi has a dashboard camera constantly recording and it shows
0:13:21 > 0:13:24what happens when they reach Charlotte's road.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26She's a lovely lady, so, obviously she said,
0:13:26 > 0:13:31"I'll wait for you to go in." I was like, "Thank you so much."
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Charlotte walks back to her house,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36checking her car is locked on the way.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40As she nears home, out of the camera's view,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43she spots someone by her front door.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46I saw a lady leaving our house and I thought it was my mum,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49so I was about to go, "Oh, Mum, you all right?
0:13:49 > 0:13:53"Sorry I'm in late." This lady turned around and it weren't my mum.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Charlotte can't believe her eyes.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Just looked at her. I was like, "Who are you?"
0:13:58 > 0:14:01And she was like, just looked at me stunned.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03The woman's carrying some bags.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05I could see they were filled with my stuff.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07They weren't closed. She hadn't closed the bags.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I went, "What you doing with them?" She went, "Someone sold them to me.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13"Someone sold them to me." She was panicking herself.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15So I kind of took the bags off her.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Then Charlotte notices the woman
0:14:17 > 0:14:20is holding the front door key of their house.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Mum used to leave a door key out for me.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24At that moment I kind of looked towards my mum's car
0:14:24 > 0:14:29and was kind of like, OK, she's actually home, so where's my mum?
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Frightened what may have happened to her mum,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Charlotte leaves the woman and rushes inside.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38The thief runs away, carrying a stolen bottle of wine.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42She runs past the taxi with its camera recording.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47Back at the house, Charlotte's relieved to find her mum safe and sound in bed.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50I tried waking her up and she was fine.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52She was like, "What, what are you doing?"
0:14:52 > 0:14:55I went, "Mum, we're getting burgled." She went, "What, what?"
0:14:55 > 0:15:00I just sort of woke up, startled, didn't really know what was going on.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Outside, the taxi driver moves forward
0:15:03 > 0:15:05after she hears Charlotte shouting.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09I just saw the taxi and I was, like, help is there.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16The driver says she saw the woman run by and Charlotte asks if she can
0:15:16 > 0:15:19follow her. Charlotte gives chase on foot,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22despite losing a shoe in the process.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24While sprinting, I was calling the police,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27because obviously I didn't know if she was harmful.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30You don't know what she's got on her, could she have a knife,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33could she have anything? You don't know what kind of lady she is.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35The taxi driver searches the local street,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38but there's no sign of the thief.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42She'd gone, by that time, but she went to me, "I've got it on camera".
0:15:42 > 0:15:44I went, "What?" She went, "I've got her on camera". I went, "Really?"
0:15:44 > 0:15:47She went, "Yeah, we've got a dash cam."
0:15:47 > 0:15:50So, instantly I thought, "OK, we might have her."
0:15:50 > 0:15:52The police soon arrived.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56They asked Charlotte if anything's been stolen.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59At first I was, like, "Well, I've taken everything off her,"
0:15:59 > 0:16:01because I had all the bags that she had in her hands.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03The police go, "Look round the house,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05"make sure you've got everything."
0:16:05 > 0:16:10They do a thorough search and find that jewellery and Lynn's expensive watch are missing.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12And that's not all.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14She'd got my keys and gone into my car,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17and taken all my money out of my car.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20We have a cupboard in the kitchen that has emergency money in it for me.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22The money had all gone from there as well.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25She must have been in the house for quite a long time,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27to go through everything.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29And all while Lynn was asleep.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Scary, very scary.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33I try not to think about it, really.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Just put it to the back of my head.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38The thief had got in using Lynn's front door key,
0:16:38 > 0:16:39which had been hidden outside.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41We got the locks changed that day.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44I'd never leave the key out again, ever.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49Because the thief didn't break in, they can't claim anything on insurance.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52But the police call a couple of days later with some better news -
0:16:52 > 0:16:55all thanks to the taxi camera's footage.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59They said, "We've caught a lady and we think it's her."
0:16:59 > 0:17:02They've gone to me, "Can you do a video parade?"
0:17:02 > 0:17:04I was, like, "Oh, no.
0:17:04 > 0:17:05"What if I get it wrong?"
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Charlotte overcomes her nerves and goes to the station to look at video
0:17:09 > 0:17:12images of people the police have compiled.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14I just kept looking at this one.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18I was like, "That's her". They were like, "Are you sure?"
0:17:18 > 0:17:22It was the eyes. You know, you just don't forget eyes.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Charlotte's identification of the thief,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27together with the taxi cam recording,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29helps the police press charges.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32The woman also admits to other crimes.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41In court, for two burglaries and one theft, plus other offences,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44she was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
0:17:47 > 0:17:52Charlotte played a key role in helping bring the thief to justice.
0:17:52 > 0:17:53It's really scary, isn't it?
0:17:53 > 0:17:58To think we had a burglar in the house and you went after them.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00And I lost my shoe.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04And Charlotte didn't allow the setbacks to prevent her
0:18:04 > 0:18:05from doing what she loves.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Step and a kick, good.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09At just 18 years old,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12she's achieved what her grandfather had wanted her to do.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15With money left by him, and funds from her mum,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18she's opened a performing arts school.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21My grandad, hopefully, would be really proud of me.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24I want to nurture little children from the age of walking and make
0:18:24 > 0:18:29sure they're on stage and have the opportunities that I had as a child as well.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Charlotte's a very strong character.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34She's had a real tough year, but she's very determined.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37If she wants something, she normally gets it.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40I think she'll make Silver Slipper a very big success.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43We've got so many exciting things coming up.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44We're trying to look for the future,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47and that's all you've really got to do with life.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Leaving a front door key where burglars can easily find it is just
0:18:56 > 0:19:00one of the common mistakes people make which thieves pounce on.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03There's a couple of other things that people do,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05people leave mobile phones out their back pocket,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07their wallets in their back pocket.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10The best advice is anything of value, you need to put in your front pockets.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14I've often seen members of the public out with handbags and purses.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17They leave their handbag and purse on the bonnet of the car whilst they
0:19:17 > 0:19:19are loading a child into a car.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Again, leaving themselves vulnerable.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Don't leave your keys in your car, particularly when defrosting it.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28If someone steals your car in that way, your insurance may be invalid.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31And when you fill up at a petrol station, lock your vehicle,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34take the keys with you when you go and pay for your fuel or any goods
0:19:34 > 0:19:36you're buying, then come back to it.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40That also ensures that any handbags or any other belongings
0:19:40 > 0:19:42in your car are safe whilst you're not actually with it.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Don't announce the fact that you're going on holiday on social media.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49It's simply an invitation to wannabe thieves and burglars
0:19:49 > 0:19:51to come and attack your home.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53We think we're just talking to friends when we post information
0:19:53 > 0:19:57about this, but it's amazing how far that information can travel.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09It's 3am and, in Gloucester,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12where they claim the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty comes from,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16this youth climbs onto an egg-shaped fibreglass sculpture nicknamed
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Scrumpty Dumpty by local rugby fans.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21He enjoys the view for a while,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24then one of his mates starts kicking poor Scrumpty.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29Maybe this numpty on top is heading for a great fall.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34But no, the lad scrambles off the egg and it seems like Scrumpty
0:20:34 > 0:20:36may survive sunny side up.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41That is, until the lad in blue snaps off the spoon handle from his head.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44It's his silly idea of a joke.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46But the yolk is on them,
0:20:46 > 0:20:51because they've done the damage in full view of a CCTV camera.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53And when the footage is released,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56all the king's horses and all the king's men,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59in the form of a group of angry locals,
0:20:59 > 0:21:03take a hard-boiled view of their behaviour and come after the vandals.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07The vandals are left with egg on their faces.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12They own up and soon have to help put poor Scrumpty together again.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Ram raiders smash in to a travel agent's.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27But they've got the wrong shop. So, take two.
0:21:29 > 0:21:35This time, they hit their intended target - the fashion store next door.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38It's laughable, but no-one's laughing.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41This store's owners lose clothing worth thousands,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and the travel agent's has been half demolished.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48There was just glass absolutely everywhere.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53It was very upsetting to see my store in that kind of state.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06The largest city in the south-west of England, Bristol,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08has a thriving retail centre.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12After spending most of his working life in the fashion industry,
0:22:12 > 0:22:17John became co-founder of a new high street clothes shop here in 2010.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19We found a niche.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23I think it's customers that like to dress up, like to go out,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25just like a bit of fun.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29It's what fashion's meant to be, really, just a bit of fun.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32They sell high-value fashion brands.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36But as the store is not part of a chain, John and his colleagues,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40like co-founder Michael, have had to put their life savings into it.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43We've all given up everything to start this.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47It's not like we have millions and millions of pounds behind us
0:22:47 > 0:22:50like a big fashion brand would have.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54Next door to John and Michael's store, there's a travel agent's,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58where Georgina has just been promoted to manager.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02It was a massive achievement, really, really pleased.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06So, yeah, really proud that I got to this stage.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10What I love about my job is the excitement on clients' faces
0:23:10 > 0:23:12when they book their dream holiday.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16That's really, really rewarding, to see people so happy.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20But, unlike their customers, Georgina,
0:23:20 > 0:23:25John and Michael are about to be far from happy when their neighbouring
0:23:25 > 0:23:29businesses are both attacked by ram raiders on the same night.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35It's a Wednesday night in June.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Coming up to 2am,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39a white car drives into the street
0:23:39 > 0:23:42outside the travel agent's and fashion store.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49A local CCTV camera is filming when the car suddenly reverses...
0:23:50 > 0:23:54..and smashes through the window of Georgina's travel agent's.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56It's a ram raid.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58LOUD CRASH
0:23:58 > 0:24:01The sound shocks a man sitting at the bus stop nearby.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03He turns to see what's going on.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06But then the car pulls out of the travel agent's.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10The burglars have realised they've smashed into the wrong shop front.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14It turns out their real target is John and Michael's
0:24:14 > 0:24:17fashion store next door. So, moments later,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21the car repositions and ploughs into their window, too.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Two raiders get out of the passenger doors
0:24:26 > 0:24:28and grab as many clothes as they can.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34A minute later, they jump back in the car and the driver races away.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39At home, nearby,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Georgina is woken by the security firm telling her what's happened.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46She rushes straight there.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Both the shop fronts were just completely open,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51so anyone could have walked in.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56There was just glass absolutely everywhere, all over the pavement,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58all over the road, in the shop.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02I think especially because I'd just been promoted,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06it was very upsetting to see my store in that kind of state.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11By now, Michael is also on his way after being alerted about what's
0:25:11 > 0:25:13happened to his fashion store.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Obviously initial shock, you don't really know what you're going
0:25:17 > 0:25:21to head into. That kind of gut-wrenching feeling.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25When he arrives, he's stunned to find a scene of devastation.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Glass here, on the floor, all the product underneath, damaged.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31All these rails were empty.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Then obviously that went through to next door as well.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37We couldn't see what was next door, but from what we could,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39it looked like it had been ransacked.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Michael realises that thousands of pounds' worth of items have been stolen.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46That was the worst feeling, how is this going to affect not only
0:25:46 > 0:25:49our futures, but the people that work here?
0:25:49 > 0:25:51We've all given up everything to start this.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55All this effort, all this sacrifice that you've done,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58and it's just been taken away like that.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02As well as the £20,000 worth of stock that's been taken,
0:26:02 > 0:26:07Michael and John also face a hefty bill to repair the shattered storefronts.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10We don't have the large reserves of a bigger company behind
0:26:10 > 0:26:13us and we don't have deep pockets where we can just throw money
0:26:13 > 0:26:16at the situation to make it better.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20But John and Michael find a way to make the best of a bad situation.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22The raiders' comedy of errors,
0:26:22 > 0:26:27and their bungling behaviour is so extraordinary it's easy to publicise.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28This is ridiculous.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32They've gone into the wrong shop, they reversed out again.
0:26:32 > 0:26:33How can you be so stupid?
0:26:33 > 0:26:35You know, there's got to be a story here.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39John came up with the line, should have gone to Specsavers.
0:26:39 > 0:26:45The press picked up on the headline and I think with that comical value,
0:26:45 > 0:26:46that's what made the story run.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49The story appears across the national media,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52with everyone amused by the confused ram raiders.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55And it leads to the police receiving some information.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00They raid an address which turns out to be full of items that were stolen
0:27:00 > 0:27:02from the fashion store.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06They arrest two men and a woman for handling stolen goods.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09The police were amazing.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12I mean, obviously you have a sense of justice being done.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16Someone has been caught, someone has been held accountable for it.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23In court, the woman was given a 12-month community order,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27while the two men were given 12 and 14-month prison sentences,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29suspended for two years.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31All three had to pay costs.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39John's brainwave to release that comedy angle of a gang of short-sighted
0:27:39 > 0:27:43shop raiders to the media has paid dividends for both his fashion store
0:27:43 > 0:27:45and the travel agent's.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48You create awareness, you know, good or bad.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50People now know about Garment Quarter
0:27:50 > 0:27:53that might not have known about it before.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57It drew attention and then people started coming in and actually
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- shopping with us more.- What kind of dates were you looking for?
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I do think it has put us on the map,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06because more people do know about us and people do still comment,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09saying you're the store that was ram raided.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12You can hit us once, but you won't knock us down.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14It's as simple as that.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25That's all for today. Join us next time to see some more villains
0:28:25 > 0:28:28getting their just deserts when they're Caught Red Handed.