0:00:02 > 0:00:05Thieves will steal our cash, our cars, our valuables,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09just 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 > 0:00:15We want to make sure we've got a concrete case.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Enough evidence to convict at court.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Local councils, shops and businesses
0:00:20 > 0:00:23are fighting crime with their own tricks and traps...
0:00:23 > 0:00:27It's just unbelievable that she thinks she can get away with this.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29..and the public are using secret cameras...
0:00:29 > 0:00:32..to make sure the crooks get their comeuppance.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Fair means or foul, I was going to get rid of him.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37I thought, we've got her!
0:00:37 > 0:00:39And I was so happy. Thank God!
0:00:40 > 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.
0:00:50 > 0:00:56Today, since Nigel started a hairdressing salon 42 years ago,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59he's been broken into 32 times...
0:01:00 > 0:01:01It's a horrible feeling.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Your heart sinks to the floor.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09..but when burglars set off his alarm yet again,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11this time, Nigel races to the shop,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14determined to catch the thieves before they escape.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16The blood's rushing because anything could happen.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20I mean, you could get jumped on, couldn't you?
0:01:20 > 0:01:25Also today, mother of two Trudy thinks her house is safe and secure,
0:01:25 > 0:01:26but it isn't.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31There's an intruder climbing into her bathroom,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33and he's been spotted by an eagle-eyed neighbour.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36This guy, he's gone through the window,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38so now I'm panicking to get down there.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Trudy's about to get home with the burglar still upstairs...
0:01:44 > 0:01:49..and comedy troupe Deb, Sue and Jacky, also known as the Fizzogs,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52are one of the star attractions on their local radio station -
0:01:52 > 0:01:54but then one night...
0:01:55 > 0:01:58..a thief sneaks in and steals their equipment.
0:01:58 > 0:01:59It was a complete shock when I got in
0:01:59 > 0:02:02and where these mixing desks should have been,
0:02:02 > 0:02:03there was just a table with two holes.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Unlike lightning, sometimes burglars do strike twice -
0:02:13 > 0:02:17and there's one business that's been struck so many times by thieves,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19it's become a regular event.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Hi, Emma, what a long time!
0:02:27 > 0:02:30I'm going to do something magnificent with your hair today.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Nigel Womack runs a hairdressing salon in the middle of Blackburn.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Madam, your hair grows downwards, you know -
0:02:36 > 0:02:39we could do with a bit of upwards.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41He comes from a long line of hairdressers.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45My grandma was the first lady's hairdresser
0:02:45 > 0:02:49to own a salon in Blackburn. It's in the blood.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Going to look good in a storm, and you do!
0:02:51 > 0:02:53In fact, you look like you've been in a storm.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56- Where have you been today?- Stop it!
0:02:56 > 0:02:59But before deciding to follow in the family tradition,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03when he was a teenager, Nigel wanted to be a detective.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05I used to watch Starsky and Hutch in them days
0:03:05 > 0:03:07and I wanted to throw myself over a red sports car
0:03:07 > 0:03:09and catch the baddies -
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and then I picked up a pair of scissors and it happened,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and that creativity with the scissors...
0:03:15 > 0:03:17I was the master.
0:03:17 > 0:03:23Nigel opened his first salon in 1974, just before his 21st birthday.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26He moved to this prime location in Blackburn town centre
0:03:26 > 0:03:27ten years later.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32That's when everything really took off.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34It was like a vortex!
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Nearly 100 staff have worked for Nigel
0:03:36 > 0:03:39in the 42 years he's been going.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40I was just shocked by the way he is,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43cos he lives life to the full, doesn't he?
0:03:43 > 0:03:46He told me one time that he's learning how to not breathe
0:03:46 > 0:03:47when he speaks
0:03:47 > 0:03:50so that he can actually get more words into a sentence.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Nigel and his staff can cope with anything,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57from split ends to frizzy fringes,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00but there's one problem they can't get their heads around -
0:04:00 > 0:04:03the salon keeps being burgled.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Probably 32 break-ins in 42 years, easily.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Burglars! I mean, in a hairdressing shop.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12It's a horrible feeling.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14And it's about to happen again.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17When two more burglars raid his salon,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Nigel decides he will become a detective after all.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29It's just after 1am and Nigel is woken by a hair-raising phone call
0:04:29 > 0:04:32from the security company that monitors his salon overnight.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35The phone ringing in the early hours of the morning,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37I always think it's a break-in.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Your heart sinks to the floor.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43The security company calls the police,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46but Nigel decides to drive to the salon himself.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50In the past, burglars have smashed their way in through the glass door
0:04:50 > 0:04:52or one of the large shop windows.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55I'm praying that it's my door window
0:04:55 > 0:05:00and not the other two expensive windows. Please, be a door!
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Nigel arrives before the police -
0:05:04 > 0:05:06and it is the front door that's been smashed.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10I can see it's shattering and the hole,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13and it's big enough for somebody to get in.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15I mean, they could still be there.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17The blood's rushing because anything can happen.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19I mean, you could get jumped on, couldn't you?
0:05:19 > 0:05:21With little regard for his own safety,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Nigel turns detective and goes inside to investigate.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28I'm looking around for the guy.
0:05:28 > 0:05:29Maybe they're in the toilets.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Maybe they're hiding upstairs.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34And you can see the brick that they've used - big, massive brick.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Nigel picks up the brick for protection
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and continues to comb the salon for evidence.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Go in the toilets, they could be hiding in there.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Go in the back room.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Behind the counter!
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Well, thank goodness, there was nobody there,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51and then I'm inspecting what they've done.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55He discovers the petty cash drawer from the till is missing.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01Some bottles of expensive caviar shampoo have also been taken
0:06:01 > 0:06:05and there's been over £1,000 worth of damage to the salon.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Apart from all the devastation, cleaning up,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and having your window boarded up and causing all that for a...
0:06:11 > 0:06:15I mean, you'd have given them the shampoo, wouldn't you?
0:06:15 > 0:06:19The police arrive and check the security camera recording.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21The CCTV coverage is brilliant.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24You could spot faces in the dark.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30At 1:10am, two men arrive at the front of the salon.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32They look like they've had more than a few drinks.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37You see how they're moving, wobbly on their feet, staggering.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Pulling his pants up.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44One of them dislodges a brick from a wall.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47He goes to check the street to see if anyone is coming
0:06:47 > 0:06:51while his accomplice gets ready to use the brick to break in.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55This guy picking this brick up doesn't look capable, does he?
0:06:55 > 0:06:59But he is capable of using it to strike Nigel's door with force,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01again and again.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08The other man then kicks the door with all his might.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10How vicious is that?
0:07:10 > 0:07:13When they're physically punching that window in,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16they're kicking me in the stomach. I feel that sick.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20I'm so pleased that I didn't find them there.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23One man climbs through the hole
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and start grabbing the bottles of expensive shampoo
0:07:26 > 0:07:28while the other man keeps a lookout,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30shouting directions from outside.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Then the lookout gets impatient.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Maybe he's a little more sober,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37so he goes through the hole himself
0:07:37 > 0:07:40and runs around the counter to the till.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43He snatches the notes and the tray of loose change.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Both men then run away.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Watching the recording has been upsetting for Nigel,
0:07:51 > 0:07:52but the police have some good news.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57We know that guy, straightaway, we know that guy, straightaway -
0:07:57 > 0:08:01and they take a copy of it and then go out and these guys,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05they recognise them, and all they have to do is go and pick some up.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Nigel is delighted, and sets about clearing up his salon
0:08:08 > 0:08:11so his customers aren't disappointed when they turn up
0:08:11 > 0:08:13for their appointments the next day.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14People need their hair doing.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Nobody's going to stop me.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20They open for business as usual, but Nigel doesn't hear from the police
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and starts to worry they might never catch the burglars.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25The day after the break-in
0:08:25 > 0:08:29it was horrible to see Nigel upset as he was.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31This is his baby, so, I think,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34for anyone to try and destroy what he's built,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36it's going to hurt.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37But two days later...
0:08:37 > 0:08:38Hello, Nigel's?
0:08:38 > 0:08:41..Nigel's colour and condition is restored
0:08:41 > 0:08:43when he gets a call from the police.
0:08:43 > 0:08:44"We've caught them."
0:08:44 > 0:08:45Oh, yes!
0:08:45 > 0:08:48You're suddenly dragged from the pits.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50How did you catch them?
0:08:50 > 0:08:51Did you catch them red-handed
0:08:51 > 0:08:53washing their hair with my caviar shampoo?
0:08:53 > 0:08:54"No," he says.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57"They were easily identifiable
0:08:57 > 0:08:59"because they were wearing the same clothes."
0:08:59 > 0:09:01And I'm dancing around the shop,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03telling everybody, "Yes, but they caught them!"
0:09:03 > 0:09:05And it's really good. I love it.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08It wasn't quite Starsky and Hutch, but thanks to his cameras,
0:09:08 > 0:09:13Nigel has helped to catch not one but two bad guys.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15You're actually feeling like, yeah,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19I've made the streets a bit safer for somebody else, not just me,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21like you've cleansed Blackburn.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28In court, one man was sent to prison for four and a half months
0:09:28 > 0:09:29for this offence,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and the other was given a four-week suspended sentence.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Nigel no longer leaves petty cash in the till overnight,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and he has set about reinforcing his salon's defences...
0:09:44 > 0:09:50We're going to get some shutters, so I'll never get broken into again.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53..and Nigel isn't going to let his brush with crime
0:09:53 > 0:09:55trim his growing ambition
0:09:55 > 0:09:59to become the oldest hairdresser in the known universe.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04I might have done 42 years, but I want to do another 42, really.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Can you imagine cutting somebody's hair at 99 years old?
0:10:08 > 0:10:12It might be a shaky fringe, but I'd like to do it.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Look at that. Perfect.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29This well-dressed young man in a suit
0:10:29 > 0:10:32looks like a businessman on his way into the office -
0:10:32 > 0:10:34but, actually, he's got all suited and booted
0:10:34 > 0:10:36to commit armed robbery.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Finishing off his outfit with a balaclava,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42he storms into a post office,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46brings out a gun covered in a plastic bag and demands money...
0:10:48 > 0:10:50..but everyone thinks it's some kind of joke,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54so he points the gun straight at the unimpressed postmaster,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57who bravely sends him a special delivery...
0:10:58 > 0:11:00..a swipe to the face.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03This doesn't suit the would-be robber.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06He runs straight out of the shop and escapes...
0:11:07 > 0:11:11..but not for long. Before he put on his balaclava,
0:11:11 > 0:11:13this not-so-smart criminal
0:11:13 > 0:11:16allowed his face to be caught on the shop's CCTV.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Police track down the dapper man-about-town
0:11:19 > 0:11:22and he gets a dressing down in the courts.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Convicted of attempted robbery
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and possession of an imitation firearm,
0:11:27 > 0:11:28for the next four years,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32he'll be swapping his natty suit for a prison uniform.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44This burglar has no idea there are so many eyes watching him.
0:11:44 > 0:11:45He's caught on this camera...
0:11:45 > 0:11:47..and this camera...
0:11:47 > 0:11:49..and this camera,
0:11:49 > 0:11:53and a neighbour spotted him, too - so, surely he can't escape.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Plymouth, Devon.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Paul and his wife Trudy live on a housing estate in the city's suburbs
0:12:07 > 0:12:12with their daughters Libby and Charlie and Buddy the family dog.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15One of the reasons they opted to buy a house in the area
0:12:15 > 0:12:19was because they thought it was safe and crime-free.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20It's a quiet neighbourhood.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Paul grew up just around the corner, so we knew it.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Nothing ever happens here.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27We decided it was a lovely, calm place and quiet for the kids
0:12:27 > 0:12:28to be brought up.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Another resident on the estate is former bricklayer Mike.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36He lives behind Paul and Trudy's back garden with his wife Esme.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Mike helped build the estate.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41This land came up just as I was working opposite,
0:12:41 > 0:12:42so that was handy for me.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45I came across and put my name down for this block.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Mike's seen a lot of houses change hands
0:12:47 > 0:12:50since he first came here in the 1980s.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Most of the neighbours around here now are strangers.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Everyone kind of keeps themselves to themselves,
0:12:57 > 0:12:59but look out for everybody at the same time.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Trudy's husband Paul works in the security trade,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07so he's made sure the family home is well equipped with CCTV cameras.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12I spent over 20 years of my life installing security systems.
0:13:12 > 0:13:13I now have my own business,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and we decided to put some more state-of-the-art cameras in
0:13:16 > 0:13:18and use it almost as kind of demo site.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19Sometimes you think,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22nothing ever happens here, so why do I need these cameras?
0:13:23 > 0:13:26But one day, something does happen,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and Paul and Trudy's security cameras come to the fore.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35It's a midweek morning in autumn.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Paul's gone to work and is over an hour away,
0:13:38 > 0:13:39and the girls are both at school.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I went to take the dog for a walk,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46as I would do normally every morning.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Trudy's neighbour Mike and his wife Esme are at home.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53We were going out in the afternoon so I went up, had a quick shower.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56In every way a normal morning.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57Well, not exactly...
0:13:58 > 0:14:00..because there's a burglar on the prowl.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Paul's cameras pick him up walking along the pavement.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06He takes a close look at their house.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10He appears to move on, but he comes back.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15The man's noticed the drive leading to the back of the property,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18but he hasn't spotted the security cameras.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22The intruder reappears in the back garden
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and looks into Paul and Trudy's kitchen window...
0:14:26 > 0:14:28..and then the dining room doors.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Trudy is still out walking her dog, so no-one is home.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35The man then notices a set of ladders propped up
0:14:35 > 0:14:37by the side of the building...
0:14:38 > 0:14:42..and looks up and spots a small upstairs window is slightly ajar...
0:14:44 > 0:14:45..but he's been seen -
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and not just by the electronic eyes of the cameras.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51After finishing his shower,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Mike looks out of his bedroom window
0:14:53 > 0:14:56and notices the suspicious-looking man with the ladder.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00I shouted down to the missus, is the window cleaner due today?
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Cos there's a guy going up a ladder down below.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07She said, "The window cleaner doesn't use a ladder.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09"He's got a pole with a brush."
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Mike opens a window and shouts across to the man
0:15:12 > 0:15:14as he starts climbing the ladder.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17This guy turned his head around and looked at me,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19I'm stood there with no clothes on, looking out the window.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21It was just surreal.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25The man can't have realised that Mike is looking at him,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27because he carries on up the ladder, opens the window
0:15:27 > 0:15:30and gets ready to squeeze himself through the small gap.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34It didn't look big enough for anybody to get through -
0:15:34 > 0:15:35but he went in through the window,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38so now I'm panicking to get down there.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42As Mike races to get his clothes on, Trudy has just got home.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45She has no idea there's an intruder inside.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Walked back with the dog, come in, let him off his lead.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Meanwhile, good neighbour Mike has thrown on some clothes
0:15:52 > 0:15:54and rushed round to Trudy's house.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56He stops and looks up...
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Something caught my eye, the top bedroom window, a guy looking at me.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02..but Mike isn't put off.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05With Esme watching, he goes to the front door.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Trudy is just the other side.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10I hear a knock at the door and there's a gentleman stood there
0:16:10 > 0:16:13who basically said, "Hello, my love,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16"I've just seen someone climb in through your bathroom window."
0:16:16 > 0:16:19And I think my words were, "Pardon? You what?"
0:16:19 > 0:16:23She just looked at me, not believing - well, nobody would.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27If a stranger came to your door and told you that someone had broken in
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and they were upstairs, you'd think, "Who is this guy?"
0:16:30 > 0:16:32I think I actually said, "What do I do?"
0:16:32 > 0:16:36And he was like, "Well, I'd call the police if I were you."
0:16:36 > 0:16:39So I said, "Hang on, let me just ring my husband."
0:16:39 > 0:16:40It occurs to Trudy
0:16:40 > 0:16:43that her husband might have organised for work to be done
0:16:43 > 0:16:47on the guttering without telling her, so she gives him a ring.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49When she asked that and obviously I knew the answer was no,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51my heart did miss a few beats.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55I then actually looked through my porch-way window, which is glass,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59and saw ladders, so at that point I'm thinking, "Oh, my God,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01"there is somebody in the house."
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Then, when she hung up, I don't know what's going on now
0:17:03 > 0:17:06but I can check the cameras to at least see what's going on.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Paul connects to the cameras at home via his phone
0:17:09 > 0:17:13and receives live pictures while Trudy calls the police.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18On the phone you get even more scared when they're telling you
0:17:18 > 0:17:21things like, "If someone comes running past you,
0:17:21 > 0:17:22"don't approach them -
0:17:22 > 0:17:25"they could have a needle, they could have a weapon."
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Officers arrive within minutes.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30They rush in and search the house,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33but they can't find the intruder anywhere.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37I'm saying silly things like, "You have checked under the beds,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39"haven't you? And you've checked in the cupboards?"
0:17:39 > 0:17:40And they're like, "Yeah,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42"we've checked everywhere that we would check."
0:17:42 > 0:17:43Trudy phones Paul again.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46As well as watching his cameras' live pictures,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48he can look back on what they recorded.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51I then started to watch the playback video footage
0:17:51 > 0:17:53from when he first arrived to see if he'd left.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56And this is what Paul sees.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Perhaps rattled by Trudy and Mike turning up,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04the burglar decides to make a hasty exit through a bedroom window.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07He then goes round the side,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11over the wall and escapes through a neighbour's garden.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12It was instant relief
0:18:12 > 0:18:16because, A, I realised Trudy and the house were all safe,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and secondly, I knew he was only in the house for a matter of moments.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23You still feel violated, really, that someone's been in your home,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26but really relieved that he didn't take anything.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29But the burglar has got away.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Searched the area, nothing.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35But he was there on CCTV.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39Paul realises he's able to show the intruder's face to the police.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41I'd managed to take screenshots from my phone
0:18:41 > 0:18:43and text it straight to Trudy.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Which I showed to the policeman stood at the front of the house.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49He thought they were absolutely fantastic.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Over the next few days,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54the police continue to search for the intruder
0:18:54 > 0:18:58to put a name to the face, and Paul goes to thank Mike for his help.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02He gave me a bottle of wine, I think two bottles of wine.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04He came in and said, "My wife would have been in my property
0:19:04 > 0:19:06"with a stranger, that is frightening."
0:19:08 > 0:19:13A week goes by, and as there's no news that the burglar's been caught,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Paul and Trudy have an idea.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17We released the pictures and video onto Facebook,
0:19:17 > 0:19:18trying to find this guy.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21It was shared hundreds of times.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23What happened was unbelievable.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25The police had many phone calls
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and they all pointed to the same name of the same fella.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31A week later, the police track down the intruder
0:19:31 > 0:19:33and give Paul and Trudy the good news.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38We felt very happy. It was almost like a victory in our own way.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Relief more than anything, once we knew that he was captured,
0:19:41 > 0:19:42they got him in the end.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49In court, the man was sentenced to two years in prison,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51suspended for two years.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57He was also ordered to do 230 hours of unpaid work,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59six months' drug rehabilitation,
0:19:59 > 0:20:04and had to pay costs and fines totalling £1,175.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Paul and Trudy didn't really know Mike before the break-in,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14but now he's more than welcome to come round for a cuppa
0:20:14 > 0:20:16any time he wants.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19If it wasn't for him being vigilant and giving me that warning,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22I could have walked in and come face-to-face with the intruder,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25so it could've been a completely different outcome.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Burglars are generally opportunists.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38They're always looking for things to make houses easier to get into,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42so how can we avoid our home becoming attractive to thieves?
0:20:42 > 0:20:44We do talk to burglars.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46When we interview them, they tell us what they look for.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49What they look for are ladders, wheelie bins,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52garden furniture that they can use to get into the property.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54It's getting into the mind-set of the burglar,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57they don't want to be caught on the way to or from a job
0:20:57 > 0:20:59so they won't carry tools to break in,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01but if you've left a shovel, for example,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03in your back garden, then that's perfect for them.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Quite often when we buy nice new items for the home,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08whether it's a new television
0:21:08 > 0:21:11or just something really important or expensive,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14we leave the packaging on the driveway next to the bin
0:21:14 > 0:21:17and it's just really good advertising to a thief
0:21:17 > 0:21:19that you've got expensive property in the home.
0:21:19 > 0:21:20If you're at work or on holiday,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23you do everything you can to make your property appear like
0:21:23 > 0:21:24you're actually in there.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Leave a light on.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28If you're not going to be in, leave a timer with a light on.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Leave a radio on with a timer on.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Cars on the drive,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34neighbours bringing in the milk and papers and suchlike.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37One of the things they don't want is a dog.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Even the hint of a dog, they will move next door,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42so even the sign for beware of the dog is a good deterrent.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52A burglar breaks into a community radio station in the dead of night.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55He's after valuable sound equipment.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57The station is actually on air,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59but he doesn't care if he pulls the plug,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02leaving listeners high and dry.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05The thief thinks he's being clever,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08pointing the security camera towards the wall,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11but he's made not one, but two schoolboy errors.
0:22:15 > 0:22:21OK, you're listening to Wake Up With The Fizzogs on Black Country Radio.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Stourbridge in the West Midlands is the home of Black Country Radio,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28a community station based in a local church
0:22:28 > 0:22:32which was set up by Alex Totney and other volunteers in 2008.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39I've always had an interest in radio from when I was a child
0:22:39 > 0:22:43so it was a very natural step for me when Ofcom said,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45"You can now set up your own radio station."
0:22:45 > 0:22:49I found a bunch of like-minded individuals and the rest is history.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Alex scoured the area for top talent to present shows
0:22:54 > 0:22:57and was delighted when local comedy legends
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Deb, Sue and Jacky - known as the Fizzogs -
0:23:00 > 0:23:02took him up on the offer.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05We come in on a Friday morning and we do three hours
0:23:05 > 0:23:07and we talk about everything and anything.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10- Come on, then, hurry up, then. - Excuse me, I'm thinking about it.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14People just enjoy it. It's just fun.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15- We do have to do the travel...- Oh...
0:23:15 > 0:23:17..but we only have to do it on the hour every hour.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21As well as having to learn how to fill three hours of airtime,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25these radio rookies had to master the broadcasting equipment.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27It's almost like the mother ship, this desk is.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30You've got sliders, buttons, lights.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33But the trio took to radio presenting like ducks to water
0:23:33 > 0:23:36and thousands started to tune into their show...
0:23:38 > 0:23:41..until the time a thief in the night
0:23:41 > 0:23:43takes the whole station offline
0:23:43 > 0:23:45and the Fizzogs are left floundering.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54It's 6:30am and the clock is counting down
0:23:54 > 0:23:57to this week's Fizzog show.
0:23:57 > 0:23:58Jacky arrives at the station early.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02She's feeling on edge because Sue's away on holiday,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06so today it's just going to be herself and Deb presenting.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10We were really pumped up, waiting for the show,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13so I've got all this going through my head, thinking, don't mess it up.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16But it soon becomes apparent that a missing sidekick
0:24:16 > 0:24:18is the least of Jacky's problems.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20It was a complete shock when I got in
0:24:20 > 0:24:22and where these mixing desks should have been,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24there was just a table with two holes.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27The broadcasting equipment has vanished into thin air.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31I just thought the station's moved and they haven't told us.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32All these things go through your head.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35What if another radio station's got in and we've been sabotaged
0:24:35 > 0:24:37or something like that?
0:24:37 > 0:24:40The station is supposed to run every minute of every day,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44and at the moment, its devoted listeners can't hear a thing.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47We panic. If there's one or two seconds of dead air,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49people are going to be thinking,
0:24:49 > 0:24:50"We know they get it wrong
0:24:50 > 0:24:52"but they don't normally get it quite this wrong."
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Alex is summoned to solve the crisis.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57I jumped in the car,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00and it was a very, very, very worrying car journey.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05When he arrives, he realises they've been burgled.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Most of the broadcasting equipment is missing,
0:25:08 > 0:25:10but the thief has made a big mistake -
0:25:10 > 0:25:13he hasn't taken the special power supplies
0:25:13 > 0:25:15needed to run the kit.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19A lot of what he'd actually stolen were absolutely useless to him.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22How futile is that, then? You know, you've wasted your effort.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25At the same time you've ruined everybody's day. Thanks for that.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28To realise that we were going to lose
0:25:28 > 0:25:31most of the day's programming, as well, because of it,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33was, of course, extremely frustrating.
0:25:33 > 0:25:34The police are called
0:25:34 > 0:25:38and everyone hopes that the station security video
0:25:38 > 0:25:40can come to the rescue of the radio show.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Our technical team can look at the cameras from their phones.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48The team had set up an infrared camera pointing at the equipment
0:25:48 > 0:25:50but when they view that recording...
0:25:51 > 0:25:53..there's just a shot of a wall...
0:25:53 > 0:25:55..but soon, all becomes clear.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59When they rewind to earlier,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01it shows the camera's view as it should be,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03focused on the equipment.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It also shows someone entering the dark studio.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11He flashes a cigarette lighter so he can see, and spots the camera.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15At this point, some burglars might abort their mission -
0:26:15 > 0:26:16but not this guy.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19As soon as we showed that to the police,
0:26:19 > 0:26:24they couldn't believe that they'd got such a clear view of him.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26You've got a full facial.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Clearly not realising his image has already been recorded,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33the burglar pushes the camera around to face the wall
0:26:33 > 0:26:37and sets about stealing the equipment - and from that moment,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Black Country Radio stops broadcasting.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45It was really sad that this station had been off for seven hours
0:26:45 > 0:26:47and people hadn't had that service.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50The police officers take away a copy of the recording
0:26:50 > 0:26:54to see if any of their colleagues can recognise the burglar.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Meanwhile, Alex and his team
0:26:56 > 0:26:59work feverishly to cobble some equipment together
0:26:59 > 0:27:00so the show can go on.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03By 2pm, Black Country Radio is back in action.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07It was just a fantastic moment, really,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11when all the hard work of that day had really paid off
0:27:11 > 0:27:13and everybody went out to their cars
0:27:13 > 0:27:17just to check to make sure that the audio was coming through OK.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19It was a good end to what was a very dark day.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Then there's more good news.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25The police have been successful tuning into the burglar's features.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Fortunately, one officer positively identified the individual
0:27:29 > 0:27:31and he was caught very, very swiftly.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39In court, the 38-year-old man pleaded guilty to burglary
0:27:39 > 0:27:41and was sentenced to two years in prison.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I was having a lazy day yesterday and I thought, "Right,
0:27:47 > 0:27:49- "I'm just going to watch..." - A lazy day?- Yeah, I did nothing.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53I thought you said, "I was having a LADY day yesterday!"
0:27:53 > 0:27:56The Fizzogs and their Black Country Radio colleagues
0:27:56 > 0:27:58have now moved to new state-of-the-art premises
0:27:58 > 0:28:01and publicity from their missing kit crisis
0:28:01 > 0:28:06seems to have helped Alex and his team gain even more listeners.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10The outpouring of support that we got was just amazing.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Despite that day, we've just gone from strength to strength,
0:28:13 > 0:28:14which is brilliant.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21That's it for today,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23and that's it for a few more criminals
0:28:23 > 0:28:24who've been caught red-handed.