0:00:02 > 0:00:04- Come on!- On the run.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06- Get back here!- And over here.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Hands out now. Hands out!
0:00:08 > 0:00:14When foreign criminals flee their home countries, many hide out in the UK.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17- Give me your hands.- But if they think they're safe, they're wrong.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19They know they're wanted.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22A lot of these people are waiting for that knock on the door.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26But the traffic in fugitives isn't all one way.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32Across Europe, there are hundreds of British criminals also trying to escape justice.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37From the sun-drenched Costas, to the busy streets of the Dutch capital...
0:00:38 > 0:00:42..this is how the police take down the fugitives...
0:00:42 > 0:00:44You're under arrest under the Extradition Act 2003.
0:00:44 > 0:00:45Police officer.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48..both at home and abroad.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Coming up on today's programme...
0:00:57 > 0:01:01It's an early start for the Metropolitan Police's extradition team,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04searching for a vicious man hiding from the law.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08He is wanted for an assault back home in Lithuania.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13There's a big knife there. You just never know what's going to happen,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15so you've just got to be aware of what's around you.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18In Leeds, the family man guilty of petty theft...
0:01:18 > 0:01:19Three offences of shoplifting.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22..having to face the fact that crime doesn't pay.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27Quite a tragedy for that family, but he brought it upon himself.
0:01:33 > 0:01:39Over 12,000 fugitives from other European countries are thought to be hiding out in the UK.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44Many choose to live amongst London's population of almost nine million.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Catching them is the work of the Metropolitan Police's extradition unit,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53a dedicated team of almost 30 detectives.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56We don't want criminals thinking
0:01:56 > 0:02:00that the UK is a safe haven for them to come to.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02And, of course, if you've got somebody who's committing burglary
0:02:02 > 0:02:06or robbery or a serious sex offender, the likelihood is
0:02:06 > 0:02:09they're going to be committing that crime here in the UK.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Today, like every day, detectives from the extradition unit
0:02:14 > 0:02:17have a long list of European arrest warrants to serve.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23On the early shift, DCs Jamie Darby and Dave Salmon
0:02:23 > 0:02:26are on their way to Newham in East London.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30The first fugitive they're after, Jose Trigo Raul,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33has already been found guilty of a violent crime.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I think he's from Angola originally.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40He's wanted by Portugal for a European arrest warrant.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Armed robbery and assault with a knife.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49And he's got a six-year sentence to serve.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56The wanted man has been found guilty of 11 offences,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58many of them violent.
0:02:58 > 0:02:59The officers need to be careful.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06When they arrive, Jamie deploys his team to cover all the exits.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Tom, this is the address just here on the corner.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Number 2. If you don't mind, would you stand on the corner?
0:03:13 > 0:03:15- Yeah.- If you hear anyone come out the back,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Officer Willis is just going to be just here.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19- Just give us a quick shout. - Yeah, sure.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22We're going to knock on the door, me, Dave and Ed,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and we'll see who comes to the door and take it from there, OK?
0:03:25 > 0:03:27- Okey doke.- OK.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31A lot of foreign national offenders,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34they are up and out very early in the morning.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39So we have found that doing a very early morning call
0:03:39 > 0:03:41enables us to often get people in.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Whereas if we go later during the day, they're not going to be there.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49In this case, the early start pays off.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53It is 5.50am in the morning and there's obviously someone at home.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Morning. Police officers.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04- Oh, hi.- Who lives here, my friend?
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- Me and my son.- The man who answers isn't their target.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08He's only recently moved in...
0:04:10 > 0:04:13..but Jamie spots some letters addressed to the fugitive.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Who are the letters for? Can I have a look? Do you mind?
0:04:15 > 0:04:18- Yeah.- Has anyone ever come round to pick any letters up or anything?
0:04:18 > 0:04:20- No, no.- The officers seize the letters,
0:04:20 > 0:04:25hoping they'll provide vital information about Raul's location.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29He obviously lived there at some time because he's got lots of post
0:04:29 > 0:04:31in his name, so it's obviously an old address.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33The officers that I have in the extradition unit
0:04:33 > 0:04:37are very, very experienced and I think over the years
0:04:37 > 0:04:40they have learnt that if you go in
0:04:40 > 0:04:45and treat people with respect in the way that they should be,
0:04:45 > 0:04:50you get a much better response from the occupants of the building.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53And it means that they will cooperate with you as well,
0:04:53 > 0:04:54more often than not.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Often you'll get some information that will give you new leads,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02so that we're able to progress that investigation.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Although this fugitive remains on the run for now,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08the team already have another criminal in their sights.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Next on the list is a wanted man who has fled from Lithuania.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18It's a gentleman wanted for theft and actual bodily harm.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22We have some intel from the Department for Work and Pensions that he's...
0:05:22 > 0:05:24So we're going to give it a knock.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Lithuania have sent over an image.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33The fugitive, Lithuanian Eligijus Petrikonis,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36has been found guilty of fraud and assault back home.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42So he's got a remaining sentence of two years and three months to serve...
0:05:43 > 0:05:46..and it looks like he was sentenced in his absence.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50So he's fled Lithuania...
0:05:52 > 0:05:54..and he's popped up over here.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59From the information on the warrant,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02it looks like another potentially dangerous job.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07You just think about who's going to be in the flat.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11You can knock on a door and there can be one person in there,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14or you can have about six or seven people come out of different rooms.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Especially when we knock on the doors,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19there's normally only two or three of us,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21so you've got to be aware of who is going to be at the address.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24You go and knock on the door of someone who's wanted for GBH
0:06:24 > 0:06:27or a robbery where a knife's been used,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29you think a bit more about it.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Later, the team face a race across town during rush hour
0:06:35 > 0:06:39to get to Petrikonis's last-known address before he leaves for the day.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44He's got to know that he's got this prison sentence to serve back in Lithuania,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47so he's going to be anxious to not be caught.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00Amsterdam. The Dutch capital, with its bars, cafes and canals
0:07:00 > 0:07:03has long been popular with tourists.
0:07:03 > 0:07:09It's also a magnet for criminals and fugitives from British justice.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12But Dutch police are fighting back.
0:07:12 > 0:07:19The serious and organised crime team in the capital is headed by this man - Jeroen Poelert.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24Amsterdam is a very nice place to live and to visit,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26and we are proud of that.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29And Amsterdam for criminals,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32it's also a capital for the organised crime.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Sometimes they have guns, sometimes they have problems between each other,
0:07:36 > 0:07:43so our main thing is that we worry about kidnapping and murders.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46That's why we have a strong focus to catch them.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56Amsterdam is a favoured bolthole for criminals on the run from the Liverpool area.
0:07:57 > 0:08:03One dangerous fugitive who took that route was notorious Merseyside gangster James Taylor.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Taylor was known to the police. He had some convictions.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11He had minor convictions for theft.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15He had convictions for possessing an imitation firearm,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19public order, and threatening behaviour.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24His nickname amongst Liverpool's criminal fraternity was Pancake,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27due to his habit of flipping out.
0:08:27 > 0:08:33He is known across Merseyside and because of the nickname,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36there is this myth around him in terms of...
0:08:37 > 0:08:39..who he was and what he was about.
0:08:41 > 0:08:47In October 2010, Pancake Taylor lived up to his nickname.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49With the help of two others,
0:08:49 > 0:08:53he carried out a vicious revenge attack on a rival he'd fought
0:08:53 > 0:08:55while in prison.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Taylor and his gang stormed a Liverpool kebab shop,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02armed to the teeth and ready to cause carnage.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06The victim tried to hold the gang off,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09but they forced their way in and chased him upstairs.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13James Taylor is the second male up the stairs.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18And they are going after one individual.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21It's a cowardly attack, three against one.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25They clearly know who he is and what they want to do to him.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27He received laceration wounds.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30He was lucky that he didn't get more serious injuries.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37During the frenzied attack, Taylor's hood fell down, revealing his face.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44This myth around how good these people are as being organised criminals,
0:09:44 > 0:09:49well, actually, it's that arrogance that ultimately led to us identifying him.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Merseyside Police launched a manhunt for the gang.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Although they captured one of his accomplices,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58there was no sign of Pancake.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00A number of search warrants were executed.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01He wasn't at his home address.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04He wasn't at his family addresses.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07There was no information, no sightings of him,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10nothing to suggest that he was still in the Merseyside area.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14So all that points towards the fact that he'd gone, he'd left, he'd fled.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Pancake had seemingly disappeared.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23Merseyside Police made a number of public appeals to try and locate him,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26but it was a chance encounter 1,000 miles away,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29which would provide a vital lead.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41We had a number of Merseyside Police officers who were away on holiday in Spain
0:10:41 > 0:10:45and they thought that they'd possibly sighted him.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49That obviously then prompts me and the investigative team
0:10:49 > 0:10:52to do a number of enquiries with that country.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Now the hunt for Taylor spanned borders,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59his case became a priority for the National Crime Agency.
0:11:00 > 0:11:06Rob Bennett is the operations manager at the agency's International Crime Bureau.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08In the case of Taylor,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11he was spotted by two Merseyside Police officers in Spain.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13So for them and for law enforcement as a whole,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17it was a valuable spot of Taylor because A, we knew he was abroad,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19but B, we also knew that he was in Spain.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22So it was useful for both Merseyside and obviously us,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25because we then knew where we could target our searches in the first instance.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31But Taylor wasn't hanging around to be found.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35NCA officers began to suspect the fugitive had moved on
0:11:35 > 0:11:39and was now hiding out in Amsterdam.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42There was various pieces of intelligence that suggested that,
0:11:42 > 0:11:46but real corroboration was given to that when we looked at the travel of his girlfriend, of his partner,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50who was travelling over to Amsterdam quite regularly.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52There was some indication he was in other countries,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55so we did look into those links as well,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57but it was the Netherlands that kept on coming through
0:11:57 > 0:11:59as the likely contender as to where he was.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05By now, Pancake Taylor had been at large for three years.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10With all signs showing he was somewhere in Europe's fugitive capital, Amsterdam -
0:12:10 > 0:12:13it was time for the Dutch police to join the hunt.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18But would they be able to track him down after so long on the run?
0:12:23 > 0:12:28In West Yorkshire, large towns and cities like Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield
0:12:28 > 0:12:32attract their fair share of foreign offenders on the run.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Finding them is a priority for the police.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41The people who try to evade justice in Europe
0:12:41 > 0:12:44by hiding in the communities of West Yorkshire
0:12:44 > 0:12:47are a risk to the people in West Yorkshire.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Those offenders do not come to West Yorkshire
0:12:50 > 0:12:53to resettle and rehabilitate.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58They come firstly to escape justice in the country where they are wanted
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and then they come to West Yorkshire as an unknown commodity,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03but proficient in committing crime.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11Tonight, police officers Dave Lockwood and Tom Allen are looking for a man
0:13:11 > 0:13:13wanted for relatively minor crimes.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17His name is Tomas Dzurko.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21He was caught stealing several packs of batteries and other goods
0:13:21 > 0:13:25from shops in the Czech Republic on three separate occasions.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but went on the run instead.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35So this lad we're looking for, he's from the Czech Republic.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Wanted for three offences of shoplifting.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42The intelligence that links him to this address was from...
0:13:43 > 0:13:46..15th of January 2016.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53They head off to Leeds to see if the man they are after is at home.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01This one with the light, I think.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Lass looking at us out of the window.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10When they arrive at the property,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14they're met at the door by a woman who is clearly heavily pregnant
0:14:14 > 0:14:17and a man who looks very much like their fugitive.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19- Hello.- Hello, are you OK?
0:14:19 > 0:14:22- What's your name, pal?- Tomas.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25- What's your date of birth, please? - 14.03.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Yep. What year?
0:14:27 > 0:14:301980.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33OK, Tomas. I can see you've got your missus and child here with you,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35but I've got some bad news for you, I'm afraid.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38There's a warrant been issued for your arrest from the Czech Republic.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41OK? Do you know about this?
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Do you understand what I'm saying to you?
0:14:44 > 0:14:47- Why?- Why?
0:14:47 > 0:14:51The Czech Republic are saying you've committed three offences
0:14:51 > 0:14:53in 2012, OK? And they'd like to see you extradited
0:14:53 > 0:14:54back to the Czech Republic for them.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Chill out, all right?
0:14:57 > 0:14:59We're not going to rush you straight out of here.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02We'll let you take care of things that you need to take care of.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03Talk to your missus, OK?
0:15:03 > 0:15:07But you're now under arrest for a European arrest warrant for three offences of shoplifting.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09So you do not have to say anything...
0:15:09 > 0:15:13The arrest is clearly a shock for Tomas Dzurko.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15He thought he'd made a new life for himself,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17his pregnant wife and young son,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21but now the crimes he committed back home in the Czech Republic
0:15:21 > 0:15:22have caught up with him.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28- I know it's...- I go from prison here?- I don't know yet.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31You're going to be coming with me tonight to the police station, OK?
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- You're going to be going to London tomorrow.- London tomorrow?
0:15:34 > 0:15:37To court. And I don't know what is going to happen after that.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38- Hello.- You, you, you...
0:15:38 > 0:15:43Neither the wanted man, nor his pregnant wife, speak much English,
0:15:43 > 0:15:45so a friend is called to translate.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- Have you got some ID, please?- But Dave needs to check who he is, too.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50- My ID?- Yeah. If I'm going to start talking to you
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and explaining what's happening, I want to know who I'm talking to.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- What happened?- I'll tell you in a minute, once I've got your ID, OK?
0:15:57 > 0:16:00With her second child due imminently,
0:16:00 > 0:16:04the shoplifter's wife now faces an uncertain future.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07The time you give me for my wife and my son?
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Five, ten minutes is reasonable, yeah?
0:16:10 > 0:16:13What's happened is Czech have issued a warrant for your arrest, OK?
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- Explain this to him.- Can I... Speak slowly, yeah?
0:16:16 > 0:16:20The Czech Republic have issued a warrant for his arrest.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25As his friend explains,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28the wanted man starts to realise that he's in real trouble.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33- PAT CASSERLY:- People are responsible for their actions and there are consequences,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37and the consequence of Tomas's criminality
0:16:37 > 0:16:40and absconding and failing to present himself
0:16:40 > 0:16:47answerable to justice means that at some stage, he gets caught.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50There's never a good time, and on this occasion, yeah,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52quite a tragedy for that family,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56but he brought it upon himself and that's a consequence for Tomas.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Telephone number 101.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02If tomorrow night you're worried he hasn't come home, OK,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04we'll be able to tell you what's happened.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Right, we're going to go to the police station now.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- Are you happy we've got everything? - Yeah.- Right, come on then.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10Say your goodbyes, OK?
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Dzurko's taken to the police station in handcuffs,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27leaving his wife at home.
0:17:28 > 0:17:29Just take a seat here, Tomas.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37What started as a petty crime has become a very big problem
0:17:37 > 0:17:41as he faces being sent away from the UK and from his family.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53A dangerous criminal with a history of violence,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Pancake Taylor, topped the list of Merseyside Police's most wanted
0:17:57 > 0:18:00after a vicious attack in a Liverpool kebab shop,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03which left his victim severely injured.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08But after more than three years on the run,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11police tracked him via Spain to the Netherlands.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17We don't like people who are here with bad intentions.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18And...
0:18:18 > 0:18:23that's why we are very focused on especially the British criminals,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26who like Amsterdam for a safe haven.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29And we catch a lot of people.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34British intelligence sources sent their colleagues in Amsterdam
0:18:34 > 0:18:37an image of Taylor.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40In response, Dutch police deployed officers around the city
0:18:40 > 0:18:43who specialise in facial recognition.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47One of those officers spoke to us.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50We can't reveal his identity because he is still undercover
0:18:50 > 0:18:52and active in the city.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Once he'd seen a picture of Taylor, the hunt was on.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35This officer spent the next two years scanning every face he came across
0:19:35 > 0:19:37before he finally spotted the British criminal
0:19:37 > 0:19:39he'd committed to memory.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59After more than three years on the run,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02they finally had a confirmed sighting of Pancake Taylor.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07The next problem for the Dutch police was how to safely arrest
0:20:07 > 0:20:10this dangerous and vicious gangster.
0:20:15 > 0:20:206am in East London and detectives Dave Salmon and Jamie Derby
0:20:20 > 0:20:23are on their way to arrest a Lithuanian man.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Eligijus Petrikonis was convicted in his home country
0:20:30 > 0:20:32for a serious assault.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36He's also used his mother's financial details to commit a fraud.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41He's been sentenced to two years and three months back in Lithuania.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48He's got to know he's got this prison sentence to serve back in Lithuania,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51so he's going to be anxious to not be caught.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Although it's still early in the morning,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00London's traffic is starting to build.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05The detectives have a 30-minute drive across the capital
0:21:05 > 0:21:08to get to the wanted man's last-known address
0:21:08 > 0:21:10before he goes out for the day.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12The clock is ticking.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Finally, they arrive at the property.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24The house they are looking for is in darkness.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26No-one seems to be home.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34But when Jamie rings the doorbell, it's answered quickly.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- Oh, good morning. Sorry to bother you. Police officers.- Good morning.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39We've got to speak to the people in there.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Can I come in and knock on the door?
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- Just going to have to speak to the people who live here.- All right.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Where do we start - upstairs? Is there anyone in here?
0:21:49 > 0:21:51He's at work, I think, now.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52What's his name?
0:21:53 > 0:21:56The house is shared by several people,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59and whoever lives downstairs has already left for work.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Time to search upstairs.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03Hello?
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- Hello, sir.- Good morning.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Good morning. What's your name?
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Have you any ID? Passport, anything like that?
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Your date of birth?
0:22:18 > 0:22:21They've found the man they're looking for.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23We've got a warrant here from Lithuania.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25It's to do with theft and an assault.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29I'm arresting you in relation to this European arrest warrant.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31But Jamie spots potential danger.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Anything you do say may be given in evidence...
0:22:33 > 0:22:36..cos there's a big knife there.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38I'm not going in there. Yeah, go on.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39All right.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Petrikonis, with his history of violence,
0:22:42 > 0:22:48is kept well away from the serrated blade and other knives and tools spotted in the wardrobe.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50He's handcuffed, just to make sure.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57You go first.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00'When you go into like a small bedsit like that,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02'you've got to be aware of what's around you.'
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Because obviously you don't know who they are,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07they've never come to notice before.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Obviously, he's wanted for an assault back home in Lithuania,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13so you just never know what's going to happen to you,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15so you've just got to be aware of what's around you.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17It's been a good morning's work.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21A fugitive with a violent past has been safely arrested.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Petrikonis is now on his way to custody,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28facing an appearance in court and a journey back to prison in Lithuania.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Back in the Netherlands,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42officers from Amsterdam's serious crime unit
0:23:42 > 0:23:44launched a major surveillance operation
0:23:44 > 0:23:49after a dangerous British criminal was spotted by one of their super-recognisers.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57This undercover officer, who we've agreed to film anonymously,
0:23:57 > 0:24:01identified notorious Liverpool gangster Pancake Taylor
0:24:01 > 0:24:03coming out of a local gym.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Known as Pancake for his history of flipping,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22this thug was wanted for a long list of violent crimes,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24including this frenzied attack,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27which left his victim with nasty injuries.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33As Taylor was known to be dangerous and possibly armed,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Dutch police had to patiently plan how they'd carry out the arrest.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43First, they secretly followed him and the people he associated with.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47You want to do other things than just arresting people
0:24:47 > 0:24:51because we know that those people are not only hiding here,
0:24:51 > 0:24:52they're also in business,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56and that's the main problem of those people -
0:24:56 > 0:24:59they're still dealing in drugs, for example.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Detectives tracked Taylor to an expensive apartment
0:25:04 > 0:25:06in an upmarket area of Amsterdam.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11They also discovered where his closest associates lived
0:25:11 > 0:25:15and planned coordinated strikes with the elite Dutch SWAT team.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Police patiently watched the house for three days
0:25:28 > 0:25:33until the SWAT team observed Taylor cycling home from the gym
0:25:33 > 0:25:36and decided it was the perfect strike opportunity.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41A dramatic moment the police managed to catch on camera.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59The most sensible place to arrest him was on his bike,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02in broad daylight, where he would have no access to firearms,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05no access to other individuals who could assist him,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07so for them it made perfect sense, really,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09to take him out in such a public way.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13With Taylor under arrest,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16the Amsterdam police called their colleagues in Merseyside
0:26:16 > 0:26:19to let them know the operation had been a success.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24To get that call to say, "Yes, we've identified him, we've got him,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28"he's in custody in Holland", was fantastic, fantastic news.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32As a cop, as a policeman, that's the type of news that you want to hear.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38A search of Taylor's apartment
0:26:38 > 0:26:40and of the homes of three of his associates
0:26:40 > 0:26:44revealed more evidence of their criminal lifestyle.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50We did a house search and we found weapons, two weapons,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53and also drugs - cocaine -
0:26:53 > 0:26:58and a lot of money, and that is typical for those people.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01And when you look to the whole picture, those friends,
0:27:01 > 0:27:05they all had apartments and in total the four of them paid
0:27:05 > 0:27:11about 10,000 euros a month to rent a house,
0:27:11 > 0:27:16and in total we seized about nine firearms.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20With the mountain of evidence against him,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Taylor was extradited back to the UK to finally face justice.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Do you know what? Law enforcement across the world,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32we are really, really good at actually finding these people
0:27:32 > 0:27:34and bringing them to justice.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38So there was that real sense of pride of a job well done
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and doing something that the community in Merseyside
0:27:41 > 0:27:43expect us to do.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47And for most of us, that's why we come to work.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50It might take a few months, it might take a few years,
0:27:50 > 0:27:52but eventually we will catch up with you
0:27:52 > 0:27:54and we will bring you back to justice.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04In court, the judge took a dim view of James "Pancake" Taylor's attempts
0:28:04 > 0:28:05to evade justice.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09He was finally sent to prison for nine and a half years.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14At his hearing, shoplifter Tomas Dzurko
0:28:14 > 0:28:17was granted bail by the extradition court.
0:28:17 > 0:28:22He absconded but was then arrested for assaulting a child on a train.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26After pleading guilty, he fled home to the Czech Republic
0:28:26 > 0:28:28before he could be sentenced in the UK.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33He was arrested by Czech police in February 2017.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38And just three weeks after his arrest in East London,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41violent fraudster Eligijus Petrikonis
0:28:41 > 0:28:43was sent back to Lithuania,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45where he'll serve the rest of his jail sentence.