0:00:02 > 0:00:03Come on!
0:00:03 > 0:00:05- On the run... - Get back here!
0:00:05 > 0:00:06..and over here.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Hands out now, hands out!
0:00:08 > 0:00:11When foreign criminals flee their home countries,
0:00:11 > 0:00:13many hide out in the UK.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Give me your hands!
0:00:15 > 0:00:17But 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.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30Across Europe, there are hundreds of British criminals
0:00:30 > 0:00:33also trying to escape justice.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38From the sun-drenched costas, where the villains seek a life of luxury,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40to the busy streets of the Dutch capital,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44where many continue their life of crime.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47We join the crack teams hunting them down.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51When you take the risk to come to Amsterdam as a criminal,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53there's a high chance that we get you.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57When it comes to justice, borders are no barrier.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00You're under arrest under the Extradition Act 2003.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03This is how the police take down the fugitives.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Police officer!
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Both at home and abroad.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11If you're thinking of running, don't.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13We will find you.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15We will bring you back.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23On today's programme:
0:01:23 > 0:01:27The search for an elusive Polish drug dealer.
0:01:27 > 0:01:28He's not at work.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31The staff there have told us he's just left 15 minutes ago.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33He's not at home.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34Karol?
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Will it be third time lucky
0:01:36 > 0:01:39in the never-ending search for this phantom fugitive?
0:01:41 > 0:01:44The Liverpool gangsters ran a campaign of terror,
0:01:44 > 0:01:45from a prison cell.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49These two individuals were really dangerous.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52They had a long history of violence.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54But when they were busted out of a prison van
0:01:54 > 0:01:56and fled to another country,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00they were betrayed by their own phones.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06And, in West Yorkshire, the fugitives are difficult to find.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10But the hunt for one wanted man uncovers a whole different crime.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Police, show yourself!
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Back!
0:02:14 > 0:02:15Get on the floor!
0:02:20 > 0:02:22For a week in November,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26police across the UK run a special operation,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30cracking down on foreign criminals hiding out in Britain.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31A lot of the people that we're after
0:02:31 > 0:02:33with these European arrest warrants,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35they are very transient by their nature.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37The fact that they've come to this country from their own country
0:02:37 > 0:02:40explains that for you there and then.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42And just the nature of the work that a lot of them do,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44a couple of months here, a couple of months there,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48they can be incredibly difficult to try and get hold of and pin down.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50In Redditch, Worcestershire,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54police constables Carl Lacey and Danny Evans are working
0:02:54 > 0:02:56with a team of other officers.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01They have a long list of outstanding European arrest warrants for
0:03:01 > 0:03:05foreigners who have committed crimes back in their native countries.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11We know it's hard work, but you have to put the time in to get results.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Their next case will prove to be a tricky one.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21They're after a Polish man called Karol Michalski.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26A serious criminal sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison
0:03:26 > 0:03:28for drug dealing and multiple thefts.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33So what we know is what the offence is, date, time and location,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37and the fact that they've fled their home country and come to the UK.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39That's why the extradition warrant has been issued,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41so we can get them back to their country
0:03:41 > 0:03:43to serve their prison sentence.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47They're on their way to Karol Michalski's last known address.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57It's a shared house with several tenants,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59so the drug dealer could be behind any door.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Karol?
0:04:07 > 0:04:08Hello, sir, you all right?
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Danny checks upstairs.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12- Are you Polish?- Polish.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14OK.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19Do you, um... Do you know a guy called Karol Michalski?
0:04:20 > 0:04:22- Lives here.- No.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27Neither the man upstairs, nor the one downstairs, is Karol Michalski.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I spoke to the people that were currently living at that flat.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36They said they'd never heard of this guy.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38But then Danny spots evidence
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Michalski has been living here recently.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43There's letters to this premises.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47It's obviously communal flats, four flats in here,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50so there's obviously communal post. But there's...
0:04:50 > 0:04:52letters addressed to this gentleman that we're interested in.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56It looks fairly official stuff, so he has at some point resided here.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00But he's obviously not here at the moment, so we'll move on.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05But the officers aren't giving up.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Danny puts in a call to the landlord
0:05:07 > 0:05:11to see if he knows anything about his former tenant's whereabouts.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12There's good news.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15- The landlord said he's moved in two doors down.- OK.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18The landlord thinks Michalski could be living in one of two houses
0:05:18 > 0:05:20further down the same street.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Karol, come on down.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25The only question is, which one?
0:05:25 > 0:05:27OK, back's secure.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Knocking at house one, there's no answer.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Knocking at house two...
0:05:41 > 0:05:43..the same lack of response.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Local residents are keen to help the police.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Do you know who lives next door?
0:05:50 > 0:05:52These people that we're talking to do want to help the police,
0:05:52 > 0:05:54and when we asked them a question,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56it's almost like they want to give us some information
0:05:56 > 0:05:59because they don't want to get in trouble.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02What they don't realise is that they're really helping us
0:06:02 > 0:06:05by giving us that information, and they're not in any trouble,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08but they're just assisting us with our enquiries.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Usually, it proves quite fruitful.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15The team are lead to believe Michalski lives in the second house.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24If the information that we've got is correct,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27it's probably this is the house this gentleman's living at.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29We're just trying to gain access at the moment.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32That's why he's probably moved down, it's a bigger house, isn't it?
0:06:32 > 0:06:35The light's on upstairs. We just can't get in.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37We need to get access to the building.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44People are living here, because there's lights on at the premises.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Looking through the windows, you can see food in the kitchen.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49If he is in there, he's hiding from us now
0:06:49 > 0:06:51because he knows that we're here now,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54so we're not leaving here until we've got in here.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57This address has a different landlord.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Carl manages to get him on the phone,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03and he confirms Karol Michalski does live here,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06but is likely to be at work at the moment.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08We've got a business address for him.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Let's go to the address first.
0:07:11 > 0:07:17With a new lead to follow, the team are determined to find their man.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21They're convinced they'll intercept Michalski at his place of work.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30Seven years ago,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34two men dominated the world of organised crime on Merseyside.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Kirk Bradley and Tony Downes described themselves
0:07:40 > 0:07:42as "blood brothers".
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Together, they led a gang running a campaign of terror.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52These two individuals were really dangerous.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55They had a long history of violence.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59The pair kept their own hands clean,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03ordering others to carry out shootings, kidnappings,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05and hand grenade attacks,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08mainly against their underworld rivals in Merseyside.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12So on one occasion, there'd been a dispute
0:08:12 > 0:08:16several weeks earlier within the city centre, within Liverpool,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19and that resulted in one of those individuals involved in that dispute
0:08:19 > 0:08:24being kidnapped, placed into a van, driven to a wooded area,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27where he was abandoned, having been shot in the leg.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30That is just an example of the levels that these people go to.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37Incredibly, throughout this reign of terror, Tony Downes was in prison,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41serving a seven-year stretch for a series of raids on cash machines.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47From his cell, he masterminded the gang's criminal activity,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50making thousands of calls using smuggled mobile phones.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56He coordinated all of these attacks through use of his mobile phone,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59so that is people being shot, houses being shot,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02and hand grenades being thrown through people's houses.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05That from the prison cell, where he's sat with a mobile phone.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10But once Downes was arrested, both he and Kirk Bradley
0:09:10 > 0:09:14were eventually sent for trial in May 2011.
0:09:15 > 0:09:1911 weeks into the court case, they staged a daring escape -
0:09:19 > 0:09:22again planned by Downes from his prison cell.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30On the 18th of July, their prison van was making its way
0:09:30 > 0:09:33from Manchester to Liverpool Crown Court.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36A gang of masked men, armed with a sledgehammer and a gun,
0:09:36 > 0:09:37were lying in wait.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41They smashed the windows of the driver's door,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44demanded that the driver open the rear of the vehicle,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46which he did, under duress.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49A firearm was brandished at that driver.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Once inside the vehicle, the inner cells were opened,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56where Bradley and Downes were located,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59and then both males were taken off the vehicle.
0:09:59 > 0:10:05The getaway car was soon found, but Bradley and Downes had vanished.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08The dangerous fugitives were on the run.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15They had shown absolute disregard for the safety of others on the road
0:10:15 > 0:10:16whilst they were being broken out.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18The fact they then went on the run straight away...
0:10:18 > 0:10:20You know, it had been pre-planned,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23they had a huge network of criminals around them,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25and the fact that someone had taken the time, risk
0:10:25 > 0:10:28to put themselves in the situation of breaking them out
0:10:28 > 0:10:31shows that, actually, the criminal fraternity
0:10:31 > 0:10:35were very fearful of them, and held them in very high regard
0:10:35 > 0:10:38that such effort was put to break them out.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39A major manhunt began.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46They were now two of the UK's most wanted.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57In West Yorkshire,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00searching out foreign criminals wanted by their home countries
0:11:00 > 0:11:02is a priority for the police.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06But finding them is a tough job.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08New warrants arrive every day,
0:11:08 > 0:11:12but wanted men and women often know how to stay under the radar.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17I think it's about the lifestyle of the people who are wanted,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19and they stay on the move.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22We go by the most up-to-date information we've got.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25We verify that that information is accurate,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28but in the time that it takes us to verify an address, they'll move on,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30and it's almost a game of cat and mouse,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33and eventually we catch up with them.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38On the late shift are officers Dave Lockwood and Tom Allen.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41They've got a long list of fugitives to search out tonight.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47First up is a prolific criminal who's already been sentenced
0:11:47 > 0:11:51to two years in a Czech prison for a spate of burglaries.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59RADIO CHATTER
0:12:05 > 0:12:10The house is in darkness and there are no signs of anyone living here.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13They've managed to wake the neighbours,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16who confirm that the Czech burglar is long gone.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19This man?
0:12:21 > 0:12:22No.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25No, you've never seen him?
0:12:26 > 0:12:30- They've moved out? - He lived there, yeah.- Thank you.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- Can you jot that down? - Yeah, can do, mate.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Undaunted, they head off
0:12:39 > 0:12:43in search of the fugitive's last known girlfriend.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Right, mate, ready to knock?
0:12:46 > 0:12:49It's 1:30am when they arrive at the property
0:12:49 > 0:12:51in the Beeston area of Leeds.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Even though all the lights are on,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56it looks like the residents are asleep.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01- Hello there.- Hello. - Hello, what's your name?
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Once more, the officers discover
0:13:03 > 0:13:06that the man they're after has been and gone.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10The partner of the wanted male listed this as their home address
0:13:10 > 0:13:15in October last year. The occupants now are saying they do know him,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18they don't actually like him, they're not friends,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20but they did let them stay there for a couple of nights.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22They were just sofa surfing, basically.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26As far as they are aware, they are around Beeston,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30but just crashing at different mates' houses as and when.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32We've left them our details
0:13:32 > 0:13:35so that they can let us know if they do see them,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- or find out where they're living. - More importantly, they told us
0:13:38 > 0:13:40that the guy we're after does know he's wanted
0:13:40 > 0:13:42under a European arrest warrant,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44so that makes our job more difficult.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46Cos he'll know to avoid us.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50I think anyone in that position would move.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54They'd want to be a moving target, rather than static.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57And also, some of the lifestyle that some of them have,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00with the associates they mix with,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03they need to stay agile because of different kinds
0:14:03 > 0:14:06of subversive work they might be involved in,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09but also, some of them cross swords with other criminals,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13and so it's not just us they're trying to evade, but other villains.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17For now, the trail of the Czech burglar has gone cold.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21So far, it's been a disheartening evening for Dave and Tom.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23But they're not hanging around,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26and are straight onto the next case on their list.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28A man wanted in Poland.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31So he's wanted for disqualified driving,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35and he's wanted to go back to prison for ten months and ten days.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37And he's 47 years of age.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40It does seem a bit harsh going round at...
0:14:40 > 0:14:42gone two in the morning for him,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44but it's been agreed that he's wanted,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46the court's authorised it,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49the National Crime Agency's authorised it,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51so it's our job to locate and arrest him.
0:14:54 > 0:14:55Sounds empty.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57And when they arrive at the last known address
0:14:57 > 0:15:01of the man they're after, they find more than they expected.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03It's the police, open the door!
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Duvet on the floor.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07It looks like they were just sleeping on a rough duvet.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10I'm getting a strong smell of cannabis at the front.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13What the officers discover inside this house
0:15:13 > 0:15:17goes to show it's worth pursuing every lead they get.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Back in Redditch, Worcestershire,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28West Mercia Police are attempting to track down
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Polish fugitive Karol Michalski.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35He's been found guilty of a long list of metal theft
0:15:35 > 0:15:38and drug dealing offences in Poland,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41and sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47He's avoiding jail time by hiding out in the UK.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49But finding him was proving difficult.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53The team have already visited several addresses with no success.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57The intelligence that we may receive one week,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00that this fella is working in X place,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02that can take some weeks to come through to us,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06and by the time we get out there to try to substantiate it
0:16:06 > 0:16:08and try to execute any warrants,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11that person can already have moved on.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Continuing the search,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17officers Matt Britton and Jim Alcock are acting on a tip-off
0:16:17 > 0:16:19that he's working at this warehouse.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22The plot sickens.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Yeah, we... He does work there, I think.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28He should have turned up yesterday, but he didn't.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31So Matt and Jim go back to the house
0:16:31 > 0:16:34Michalski's supposed to be living in.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37When they were here previously, there was no answer at the door.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53- Hello.- Hiya.- Police.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Can we come in for a moment? Yeah.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Do you know anyone called Karol?
0:16:59 > 0:17:00- Karol?- Yeah, Karol.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Ah, he's not at home, he's at job now.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04He's at a job now, is he?
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Yeah, but I can show you his room, if you want.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09- Please, yeah. Which room is he?- Upstairs.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16- How long has he been at work for today?- Um...
0:17:17 > 0:17:19THEY KNOCK
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Karol?
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Frustratingly, Karol Michalski isn't here.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29But his stuff is.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31We've confirmed that the gentlemen we're after
0:17:31 > 0:17:33does reside in this room.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38We found other documentation with the gentleman's name on.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Identity card, banker's card.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44So we're more than happy that this is his place of residence.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49Then Jim finds a clue as to where Michalski might be.
0:17:49 > 0:17:50That's interesting.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53A letter with details of a new job.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56We've got an address in Bromsgrove, Matt, so...
0:17:56 > 0:17:59I think we've probably missed him by about half-hour.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00- He's there until ten o'clock.- Yeah.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03So, with the paperwork we've managed to find in the address,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06we've got some telephone numbers on it,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08we've contacted those telephone numbers.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10One of them was a recruitment agency.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12I spoke with the recruitment agency,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15they've confirmed that the gentleman we're looking for
0:18:15 > 0:18:18is now employed by them, and he's at an address in Bromsgrove.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21We're going to make our way there now, see if we can detain him.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26The trail leads to a second packing warehouse.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32It's an induction day for new staff,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34but after a quick search of the group,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37there's still no sign of Michalski.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40We've turned up at his place of work, where he's working today,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44and the staff there have told us that he's just left 15 minutes ago,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47so we've only just missed him.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50He walked out the factory as we were probably driving up the road,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52got onto the bus and headed back to his home address,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55and we had literally missed him by a couple of minutes.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58That was quite frustrating, yes.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01With a long prison sentence for seven separate sentences
0:19:01 > 0:19:03waiting for him back in Poland,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07it's clear why this man is doing everything he can to evade capture.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13But the officers aren't giving up.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17They'll keep going until Karol Michalski is found and arrested.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20So fingers crossed this time. Third time lucky.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33In July 2011, two vicious criminals from Liverpool,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37Kirk Bradley and Anthony Downes, were 11 weeks into their trial
0:19:37 > 0:19:40when they staged an audacious escape from a prison van.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Across Europe, a manhunt began, and the public were asked for help.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Now, police urgently need to trace these two.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54This is Kirk Trevor Bradley, and Anthony Tony Downes.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57They escaped from a prison van in July.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00We started to look at alerting the airports, seaports,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02because we were under the impression
0:20:02 > 0:20:04that they may well look to leave the country.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08When major criminals go on the run,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11it's the National Crime Agency who coordinate the search.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Back in 2011, it was their predecessor,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23They knew that searching for the pair would be difficult.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25We knew that there would be certain pieces of intelligence
0:20:25 > 0:20:28that were overlapping, so a piece of intelligence around Downes
0:20:28 > 0:20:30might also have applied to Bradley,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33so it made it harder in that we had to run the cases together,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36we had to cross-reference everything that we had to make sure
0:20:36 > 0:20:38that there wasn't anything that we missed,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41to make sure that we weren't lead down the wrong path.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Early intelligence suggested that the pair were hiding out in Spain,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49but they were still on the move.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53We had an inkling that they might have moved across from Spain.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55We started to focus our efforts on Amsterdam.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57We had some really good intelligence around associates,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00around people perhaps travelling out to see them.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02We built up a really good pattern,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04which corroborated what we already thought.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05So we had a pretty good idea
0:21:05 > 0:21:08of where they were in the Netherlands by that point.
0:21:10 > 0:21:1326-year-old Bradley was already known to the authorities,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16having previously been arrested for gun crimes.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Police made a public appeal in the Netherlands
0:21:19 > 0:21:22to put pressure on the wanted men.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24We tried to make that a hostile area for them,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27again to increase their notoriety in those areas,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30to prevent movement and to generate intelligence
0:21:30 > 0:21:33to support the investigation.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38Then, in March 2012, almost a year after their escape,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Tony Downes was finally spotted,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45checking into a holiday park in the south of the Netherlands.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46There was a piece of intelligence
0:21:46 > 0:21:49that a male fitting Downes's description
0:21:49 > 0:21:52was in the area of Zeeland,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56and the Dutch police took that intelligence, responded to it,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58and found Downes.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04He was living a very comfortable lifestyle.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07He was moving between holiday properties,
0:22:07 > 0:22:12he was there with his partner, and I think the fact that he's found
0:22:12 > 0:22:15with a loaded firearm in the back of the car,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Dutch authorities said he was reaching towards that firearm
0:22:18 > 0:22:20at the time that they took some action against him.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Armed and dangerous, Downes was now off the streets.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28By this time, he had already been sentenced
0:22:28 > 0:22:31in his absence to life in prison.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33As he was extradited back to the UK,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37police began looking at whether the information they had found on him
0:22:37 > 0:22:40could lead them to Bradley.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42We obviously had Downes back,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46and also mobile phones gave us opportunities
0:22:46 > 0:22:50around identifying numbers for Kirk Bradley also.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55I strongly believe that Kirk Bradley will have been well aware
0:22:55 > 0:22:58very, very quickly of the arrest of Tony Downes.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01I'm surmising, but I would have thought
0:23:01 > 0:23:04that would have caused him some concern.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08The new information gleaned from his partner in crime's phones
0:23:08 > 0:23:10meant that Liverpool gangster Kirk Bradley
0:23:10 > 0:23:13was now much more vulnerable.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15We knew that we'd got one half of the duo,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17but it was really useful as well
0:23:17 > 0:23:20because it meant that Bradley would be far more paranoid,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23he would be sure that we were looking for him.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25It seemed Bradley's options were running out.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29After nine months on the run, the net was closing in.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40When Bradley and Downes headed for the Netherlands, they weren't alone.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42The country and its capital
0:23:42 > 0:23:45are popular destinations for British criminals.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50As Amsterdam's serious crime team knows all too well.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Amsterdam is a safe haven for criminals.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57We need to cooperate with other countries to catch them.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00It's a high priority, because those British criminals
0:24:00 > 0:24:04also work together with our Dutch criminals.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06To tackle the problem,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09the Crimestoppers charity and the National Crime Agency
0:24:09 > 0:24:13have come to the Netherlands to launch Operation Return.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17It's an appeal for information on nine wanted men
0:24:17 > 0:24:19on the run from the UK.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22We're looking for some really dangerous, nasty individuals,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25some significant British criminals who fled from the UK
0:24:25 > 0:24:27into the Netherlands, we believe,
0:24:27 > 0:24:29thinking that they can evade justice.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33At the launch today are some of the key people heading up the hunt
0:24:33 > 0:24:35for the wanted men in the Netherlands.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Dave Allen kicks things off.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41I personally want to bring these individuals back to the UK so that
0:24:41 > 0:24:45they can face justice for the crimes that we believe they've committed.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Oliver Dutilh from the Dutch National Police
0:24:48 > 0:24:51has this message to British fugitives.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54We want to send out a joint message to the British criminals
0:24:54 > 0:24:57hiding in Amsterdam and the Netherlands.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58This message is,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Amsterdam and the Netherlands are no safe haven for you.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03You can run,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06but you can't hide, and in the end, we will hunt you down,
0:25:06 > 0:25:07and we'll find you.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14Tonight, Operation Return will feature on Opsporing Verzocht,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17the Dutch Crimewatch.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18Opsporing Verzocht is one of
0:25:18 > 0:25:21the longest-running TV shows in the Netherlands.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24It's been running for more than 33 years now.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27It's been really successful all these years.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31In more than 45% of the cases we talk about in the programme,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34arrests follow, so it's really effective.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37The programme usually covers Dutch crimes,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40but today they want help catching British offenders.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Well, it doesn't really matter what the origin
0:25:44 > 0:25:47or the country is where criminals come from,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50they live here, I can meet them in the streets,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53and they're murderers, there is a rapist on the list.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57You don't want these people in your vicinity.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01So, whether they're British or Dutch, if we can find them,
0:26:01 > 0:26:02it's good to report it to the police,
0:26:02 > 0:26:04because these are people that...
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Justice needs to be served.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Determined to catch the wanted men,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Dave Allen is pulling out all the stops
0:26:12 > 0:26:16to make sure his message is heard in the homes of the Dutch public
0:26:16 > 0:26:18and expats living in Holland.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24He's going to be interviewed on the programme tonight.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26It's absolutely vital to appear on things like this.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29It puts our campaign, our request
0:26:29 > 0:26:33directly into the living rooms of the Dutch and the British people.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36It's bringing to their attention the fact that they've got
0:26:36 > 0:26:39very dangerous British criminals walking around in the Netherlands,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41and we want to remove them.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43SHE SPEAKS IN DUTCH
0:26:43 > 0:26:46..the FBI, the National Crime Agency.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Mr Allen, good to have you here.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Please explain what makes the Netherlands,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53and particularly Amsterdam, so attractive for your criminals?
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Thank you for inviting us. British criminals come here, they blend in,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00there's lots of British tourists, British expatriates,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and also there's a network of criminality
0:27:03 > 0:27:06that helps facilitate their remaining here.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10This year's campaign has a new twist.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11The faces wanted in the Netherlands
0:27:11 > 0:27:16are also being shown in UK towns and cities - for a very good reason.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20They might be here, in the Netherlands, they might be in Spain,
0:27:20 > 0:27:22they might be in Cyprus, but actually,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24people in the UK know where they are,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27and it triggers the memory and then that's how we get the calls.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31You really hope we can help you find these people real soon.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Absolutely. We look forward to the Dutch people,
0:27:34 > 0:27:35British expats ringing in,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39helping us to put the final piece in the jigsaw, to find these people
0:27:39 > 0:27:41so that we can take them off the streets of the Netherlands,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44bring them back home, make them face justice.
0:27:44 > 0:27:45We'll try our best.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49SHE SPEAKS IN DUTCH
0:27:50 > 0:27:53In the Netherlands, the programme is coming to an end.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56SHE SPEAKS IN DUTCH
0:27:57 > 0:28:00It's time to assess the response.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03We got about 16 calls,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07which sounds maybe not a lot with more than a million viewers,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11but it's quite a lot for such severe cases
0:28:11 > 0:28:13and such dangerous criminals.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17And I understood that the information in the calls
0:28:17 > 0:28:19was really good, objective things, you know -
0:28:19 > 0:28:23addresses, places where people might be hiding, so it's something that,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26you know, the detectives really can act on.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30I think we'll get the message into lots of people's homes,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33and what I hope is that we get some information back
0:28:33 > 0:28:35and it allows us to find these individuals.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43It's after two in the morning,
0:28:43 > 0:28:47and West Yorkshire Police officers Dave Lockwood and Tom Allen
0:28:47 > 0:28:51haven't been having much luck in their search for fugitives.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59Their hunt for a prolific burglar wanted in the Czech Republic
0:28:59 > 0:29:01has left them empty-handed.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Now they're trying to find another.
0:29:06 > 0:29:11This one, a Polish man wanted for driving while disqualified.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15Their search has led them to this street on the other side of Leeds.
0:29:15 > 0:29:16Sounds empty.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18While Dave heads for the front door,
0:29:18 > 0:29:22Tom makes his way round the back to block any exits.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25It's the police, open the door!
0:29:25 > 0:29:27There's a duvet on the floor.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29It looks like they were just sleeping on a rough duvet.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33I'm getting a strong smell of cannabis at the front.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36As he approaches the door, Dave's suspicions are raised.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41Open the door! Or force will be used to gain entry!
0:29:43 > 0:29:44This is your last warning.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51While Dave shouts through the letterbox,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Tom manages to get into the house through the back door.
0:29:54 > 0:29:55Yeah, I thought so.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02Dave runs around the back to find a man hiding in the kitchen.
0:30:03 > 0:30:04What are you doing?
0:30:06 > 0:30:08What are you doing? Put your hands out.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18- What have we got, a cannabis grower, Tom?- Yeah.- Right.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20You're under arrest for cultivating cannabis. OK?
0:30:20 > 0:30:22You don't have to say anything,
0:30:22 > 0:30:24but it may harm your defence if you don't mention when questioned
0:30:24 > 0:30:26something which you later rely on in court.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31They may not have found the man they have a warrant for,
0:30:31 > 0:30:35but they've uncovered some highly illegal activity.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38There's an old adage that you don't know what's behind the door
0:30:38 > 0:30:42until you go through it. So officers went in good faith seeking a person
0:30:42 > 0:30:45who was wanted, and came across a cannabis farm
0:30:45 > 0:30:49being cultivated by people not connected with the wanted person.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51We're expecting a 47-year-old Polish male
0:30:51 > 0:30:54- wanted for disqualified driving. - He's not here.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58And here we are suddenly dealing with something totally different.
0:30:58 > 0:30:59- Is it all clear?- Yeah.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04- I just need to search this lad, if you'll...give us a hand.- Yeah.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07Do you just want to hold his cuffs, and I'll search him?
0:31:07 > 0:31:10I wasn't feeling it, and now we've got two detained,
0:31:10 > 0:31:12and what size cannabis farm are we looking at?
0:31:12 > 0:31:15Two floors, and then the cellar.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17- So, right...- Substantial.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21We may have come for one thing, but we got another.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23The whole house has been converted
0:31:23 > 0:31:26into an illegal cannabis-growing factory.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28I'm holding on to that. That's yours.
0:31:28 > 0:31:33You've got a full room here, set up with maturing plants.
0:31:33 > 0:31:34The bathroom's also sealed off.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37That looks like where they've been storing a lot of the chemicals
0:31:37 > 0:31:40that they use in the production of cannabis.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Left-hand side as you come up the stairs, again, like downstairs,
0:31:45 > 0:31:50it's clearly plants that have been grown and cut for...
0:31:50 > 0:31:54And cultivated into actual product to be sold on the street.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57And then the right-hand side, again,
0:31:57 > 0:32:01a further full set-up of maturing plants.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05Criminals associate with other criminals,
0:32:05 > 0:32:07so just because you don't find the person you're looking for,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09you may well find somebody else
0:32:09 > 0:32:14who's wanted for something totally unconnected. Or, like this...
0:32:14 > 0:32:18it's just someone totally unrelated, no connection.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22Well, on face value, no connection to the male we're looking for.
0:32:22 > 0:32:28And they might consider themselves unlucky that we've come here tonight
0:32:28 > 0:32:31looking for somebody else, and we've stumbled upon this.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33Police officers being police officers,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35they deal with what they find.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Hence there were arrests of those who were cultivating the cannabis,
0:32:38 > 0:32:40and that evidence was secured.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43When that's done, we'll get back to the job in hand,
0:32:43 > 0:32:45searching for the person who's wanted.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50Though these weren't the fugitives the officers were looking for,
0:32:50 > 0:32:55the night has ended with the seizure of 385 cannabis plants
0:32:55 > 0:32:58and the arrest of two illegal immigrants.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09In Redditch, Worcestershire, for the past few hours,
0:33:09 > 0:33:11officers Matt Britton and Jim Alcock
0:33:11 > 0:33:14have been hunting for Polish fugitive Karol Michalski.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18In their search for the man
0:33:18 > 0:33:21who's running from a long prison sentence in Poland,
0:33:21 > 0:33:22officers have already visited
0:33:22 > 0:33:26an old residential address and a factory.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30Now they've been told about another house where he might be,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33and are on the way to intercept him before he has a chance to escape.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37Upon arrival at the location,
0:33:37 > 0:33:39I was in possession of the European Arrest Warrant.
0:33:39 > 0:33:40My colleagues were already there.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43They'd got to the address a few minutes before
0:33:43 > 0:33:44and they'd secured the address for us.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50Karol Michalski is believed to be upstairs.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Matt and Jim go to make the arrest.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Karol?
0:33:54 > 0:33:55Hello, Karol?
0:33:57 > 0:33:59- Right.- Should have a tattoo of a spider on his neck.
0:33:59 > 0:34:00Let's have a look at you a minute.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03'He had a tattoo of a spider, I believe it was,
0:34:03 > 0:34:04'on the right side of his neck.'
0:34:04 > 0:34:06And upon entering his room,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08I could see the right side of his neck straight away,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11and I thought, "Yes, right, got him, this is our man."
0:34:11 > 0:34:13I was immediately sure he was who he was.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15Right, Karol...
0:34:15 > 0:34:19you are under arrest under the Extradition Act of 2003.
0:34:19 > 0:34:20You do not have to say anything.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
0:34:23 > 0:34:24Because you're under arrest, mate,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27we're going to put the handcuffs on you. OK?
0:34:29 > 0:34:31- Not too tight, are they?- Er, no.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35- Right. I'll explain what it's all about in a moment.- Yeah, OK.
0:34:35 > 0:34:36He was over 6ft tall.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38He was quite calm.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42He could have caused trouble, I'm sure he could have,
0:34:42 > 0:34:44hence why the handcuffs went on quite quickly,
0:34:44 > 0:34:47so that at least we've got his hands secure.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50OK, mate? Right, Karol...
0:34:50 > 0:34:52have you got anything on you that you shouldn't have?
0:34:52 > 0:34:55- Sorry?- Do you have anything on you that you shouldn't have?
0:34:55 > 0:34:58Anything sharp? Anything that's going to injure me?
0:34:58 > 0:35:01No... No, no, I don't have nothing.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03- Nothing on you at all? - I don't know, check.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06You're going to be coming to the police station with us.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08OK, do you want to take your phone with you?
0:35:08 > 0:35:12- Is that your phone? - ..my stuff here.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Yes, your stuff will be left here.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Have you got a key to lock your door?
0:35:16 > 0:35:19- Yeah.- OK, we'll lock your door behind.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22I'm sure he probably started to think, "They've forgotten about me."
0:35:22 > 0:35:25But at the same time, he said he had expected a knock on the door
0:35:25 > 0:35:27at some point.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30And I think he seemed to think that he'd probably be going to prison
0:35:30 > 0:35:33for a good three, four years when he got back to Poland.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35Right, Karol, we're just going to walk you downstairs.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37We're going to take you into the police car.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Wanted in Poland...
0:35:39 > 0:35:42for drugs, drugs and theft offences.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46- All right, then, ready?- Yeah.- We're going to walk you out, mate. OK?
0:35:54 > 0:35:56- LADDER BANGS - Oh. Wrecking the place.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01- What you done, kid?- Your car. - Yeah, yeah.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05- This car over here, mate.- In there.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07Stick yourself in there, mate.
0:36:09 > 0:36:10In the middle?
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Actually, it's quite a feeling of job well done,
0:36:13 > 0:36:14quite a bit of satisfaction.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17Inside, you're quietly saying, "Yes, got him!"
0:36:17 > 0:36:21Tonight, Michalski will be taken to London.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24In the morning, Poland's request to extradite the man
0:36:24 > 0:36:25with many crimes to answer for
0:36:25 > 0:36:28will be heard at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42In July 2011, Kirk Bradley and Tony Downes,
0:36:42 > 0:36:47two 26-year-olds who described themselves as "blood brothers",
0:36:47 > 0:36:49were on their way to court.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51In the previous two years,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54the pair were responsible for multiple shootings
0:36:54 > 0:36:56and kidnappings across Merseyside.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00By being broken out of a prison van,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03it showed how willing they were to do anything to escape
0:37:03 > 0:37:07and how willing they were to do anything
0:37:07 > 0:37:09in order to continue their criminal activities.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12So for us, it was a priority to get them back.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16After eight months on the run, Downes was caught by Dutch police
0:37:16 > 0:37:20as he and his girlfriend checked into this holiday park.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24But in Amsterdam, Inspector Remco van Huys
0:37:24 > 0:37:29was still searching for his partner in crime, Kirk Bradley.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Information found on Downes' phone helped him narrow the search.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38Police also knew that several members of Bradley's family
0:37:38 > 0:37:40were living in the city.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Bradley's uncle was already known to the police.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Soon officers picked up on a series of calls he made
0:37:47 > 0:37:51to his nephew's number - using an interesting nickname.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55They called him by his nickname, which was "Little One".
0:37:55 > 0:37:58Which English or British authorities
0:37:58 > 0:38:01said might be the nickname of Mr Kirk Bradley,
0:38:01 > 0:38:03the one we were looking for.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07Remco and his team weren't just looking at the Bradley family,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10but also those who worked for them.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14And sure enough, a woman who cleaned for the Bradleys
0:38:14 > 0:38:17seemed to have a new customer in the south-east of the city.
0:38:17 > 0:38:22She became a point of interest for us into the investigation,
0:38:22 > 0:38:27and after a few observations, we saw she was also going to this area.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29We didn't know exactly which building,
0:38:29 > 0:38:31but we knew she was doing something here.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34A surveillance team began watching the apartment block
0:38:34 > 0:38:37in Bijlmer in south-east Amsterdam.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43We made observations around the house, but we didn't see anything.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45He was not going out at all.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50Officers then identified a driver,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53known to work for Bradley's extended family,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56making deliveries to the apartment block.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01Food was brought to him, so he ordered with this telephone,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04via text message, he ordered for a McDonald's or pizza.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07And we saw that coming in. But we never saw his face.
0:39:09 > 0:39:14Police still needed to be sure that the man hiding out was Kirk Bradley.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Again, it was his phone that provided the evidence,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20and pinpointed his exact location.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23There was a lot of tension on this investigation,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26because the pressure was very high to arrest Kirk Bradley.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30It took a long time to find his house,
0:39:30 > 0:39:34but as soon as we discovered that the phone was in the house,
0:39:34 > 0:39:37it was only a matter of, I think, two days.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42Merseyside Police flew to Amsterdam to assist with the arrest.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45I briefed the Dutch authorities
0:39:45 > 0:39:48regarding the danger that Bradley posed,
0:39:48 > 0:39:50the violence that Bradley may offer up.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53The blinds of that apartment were all closed and shut up,
0:39:53 > 0:39:55which made it a little bit more difficult and intense
0:39:55 > 0:39:58when we were at the final stages before going in through the door.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01It was about ten o'clock in the night
0:40:01 > 0:40:04when our technical department gave us information
0:40:04 > 0:40:08that they exactly new where the telephone was,
0:40:08 > 0:40:11which together with all the extra pieces of the investigation
0:40:11 > 0:40:13was good enough for us to make the arrest.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17You can never be certain until you see him there,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19you have hands on and he's arrested,
0:40:19 > 0:40:21that he's actually going to be there.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25At around midnight, the armed police were ready to strike.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28The raid team started their raid on the house.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32They arrested Mr Bradley, he was sitting on the couch.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34It was a great evening,
0:40:34 > 0:40:37and I remember that we were cheering when we had him, yes.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40And the English colleagues as well, they were very happy.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44Officers handcuffed and blindfolded their fugitive
0:40:44 > 0:40:46whilst they searched his flat.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50When Kirk Bradley was arrested within this apartment in Amsterdam,
0:40:50 > 0:40:53he was in possession of a huge amount
0:40:53 > 0:40:55of mobile phones and Sim cards.
0:40:55 > 0:41:01He had a false passport also, and a significant quantity of money also.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04A month later, police returned to the Netherlands
0:41:04 > 0:41:07to extradite both Bradley and Downes.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Because of what they'd face trial for,
0:41:10 > 0:41:13none of the commercial carriers would take them
0:41:13 > 0:41:14and bring them back into the UK.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17And therefore we had to hire a private plane
0:41:17 > 0:41:19to bring them back into the UK.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22We do not want these individuals escaping for a second time.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27The men who had dominated gang crime in Liverpool
0:41:27 > 0:41:29were taken straight to prison -
0:41:29 > 0:41:32already sentenced to a minimum of 22 years each.
0:41:35 > 0:41:40This was a gang who ruled through fear and through intimidation,
0:41:40 > 0:41:44who exacted extreme levels of violence
0:41:44 > 0:41:47with firearms and hand grenades,
0:41:47 > 0:41:53and therefore to have them put into jail for a period of 22 years
0:41:53 > 0:41:56is a fantastic result.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03The cannabis seized in the house in West Yorkshire was calculated
0:42:03 > 0:42:08by police to have a street value approaching £500,000.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13One of the men was sent to prison for 16 months
0:42:13 > 0:42:16for being concerned in the production of a class B drug.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20But the second man was released without charge.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27The man convicted of multiple thefts and drug supply in Poland,
0:42:27 > 0:42:30Karol Michalski, was awarded bail by a judge
0:42:30 > 0:42:33at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
0:42:33 > 0:42:38He then absconded from his home in Redditch and is again on the run.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43And "blood brothers" Kirk Bradley and Anthony Downes
0:42:43 > 0:42:45were returned to the UK.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Both had already been sentenced in their absence.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51They continue to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure.