Episode 20 Robbed, Raided, Reunited

Burglaries are on the increase. is a real, for all of us. Taxi-

drivers, emergency services and villains are moving around in their

vehicles at night. Thieves are taking our cherish their limbs.

your home is your sanctuary. No one should be in your home. Items

impossible to replace. Why take away things that are important to

people. The it is hard to take. They have no scruples. But these

prized possessions are often recovered. The police are on our

side., out of the door. Police with a warrant. Spare shoelace units

across the UK. They are working with the latest technology. And the

good citizens among stars. stopped to make sure that the whole

family was all right. They will track down the burglars and get us

back our stolen goods. They took so much trouble. When they said they

were coming round with it, it was fantastic. It was really lucky.

This is Robbed, Raided, Reunited. So rewarding, such a happy day.

today's programme, the man caught on CCTV selling a stolen car to a

scrapyard. When we get the recovered vehicles, it is sometimes

awkward to link these people to the broker raised, but as soon as we

get an identification, we will arrest him.

Local residents make a citizen's arrest to stop a neighbour's house

from being broken into. I grabbed one. I put him in a lock.

I quite enjoyed that. And we reunite a couple with a car

stolen while they were on holiday. The car had been parked on the

driveway when we went on holiday, when we came back, the car was no

longer here. A holiday should be a time when you

can relax and forget about the cares of the world, but they are

also a time for burglars to break When Graham and Linda Beams from

Essex came home in December from a holiday in Argentina, they

discovered they had been burgled. We came to the front door and it

was opened by our son, Gregory. He said, we have some bad news, you

had better come in. You have been burgled and the car has been stolen.

The Beams asked their son and daughter to keep an eye on the

house and suggested they use the car to make it look like someone

was coming and going from the house. Our daughter arrived here on Monday

and discovered the car had gone. She rang our son Gregory to see if

he had borrowed it. Greg said he had not borrowed it. She contacted

the police. The thieves helped themselves to

other valuables. I had several jewellery boxes here.

The thing that upset me the most was the loss of my mother's

engagement ring. It would not have had a lot of value, but to me it

was a great loss. When you think, someone has been in here, a

stranger, going through your things, it is upsetting.

When checking through house, the Beams' daughter, Abigail, made a

shocking discovery. A knife in her parents' bed which the burglars had

taken from the kitchen. I think she found it like this, it was lying

there. It is rather sobering to think that had we been in the house,

they had come upstairs with a knife, and they had come through the door

in the middle of the night, brandishing that, it would have

been scary. The car was the most expensive item

stolen. We think that they probably got in through the front door. The

car keys were on a little table there.

The thieves made their getaway in the family car. It is the

inconvenience, having to get another car, how much we might get

for this car, what sort of state would it be any fate was found. If

we got it back, would we actually want to use it again? There is that

element to it. In the first quarter of 2011, over

a third of cars stolen were from the owner's home address or close

by. Nearly 20% of thefts involved breaking into properties to obtain

the keys. Officer Christian Forbes from Southend CID has handled many

cases of stolen cars. Today he receives a call from a scrapyard.

They were sold a car for very little money and have reported it.

Christian inspects the car at the recovery agent. We have the officer

at the scrap dealer's at the moment, making inquiries into who brought

TV:. They were offered to his hundred and �50 for this car. --

they were offered �250 for this car. It is worth �5,000. That is well

below Standard police procedure is that

forensics carry out tests on the car. I am wearing gloves so that I

do not ruined the evidence. I am looking for containers or anything

that we might find DNA on. I am looking at the vehicle for any

paperwork or documents that might lead us to a suspect. Newer cars

are fitted with an immobiliser or an alarm. So they are harder to

steal. They are stilled by in -- they are stolen by criminals

breaking into the victim's address and stealing the car keys. Breaking

into a house to get the keys for a car has become much more common in

the last decade. Police started calling it a Millennium Burglary.

The usual type of vehicle that is subjected to this crime at are the

German vehicles, BMWs, Volkswagens. The plates are changed and their

soul to innocent buyers. But this one was stolen to commit crime, p

use until they got bored with it. The police now have to identify the

owner of the vehicle and return it to them. Vital information has come

through from the scrapyard. CCTV clearly shows the man who sold the

stolen car. He also has the log book of the car, meaning the police

can identify its true owner. A quick check with the DVLA confirms

this to be the Beams' car. PC Forbes rings Graham Beam

straightaway. Hello, it is PC Christian Forbes. I have some good

news for you. Your vehicle that was stolen has been found. Yes, it has.

They tried to sell it to a scrapyard. The vehicle itself,

there is no damage to it. It is a little dirty. It looks like it

needs a good clean, but other than that, it seems like a straight

vehicle. There is no damage to it. It still needs to be tested by the

scenes of crime officers. Just out of curiosity, when the bloke when

Dane to sell your vehicle to the scrap merchant, he had the lot

-- he had the log book as well. Now police must track down who

illegally sold the car. We have got the CCTV footage from the scrapyard.

These are still images. It shows the man going into the scrap

dealer's. He has hit head covered up. He has gloves and a jacket. --

he has his head covered up. Because he is wearing gloves, we may not

find any forensics in the car. But we will try anyway. He has the log

book in his hand. These images will be immediately

circulated to neighbouring police forces and local media. We have got

an invoice. This man has used the victim's name. He has also put the

same address that is on the log book. He has also signed the

document to say that it is his vehicle to sell.

Filling in Mr Beam's name and address immediately makes the

suspect guilty of deception but PC Forbes wants to connect him

directly to the burglary at the Beams' house. When we get be

recovered vehicles, it is sometimes awkward to link these people to the

burglaries. This man has sold the vehicle for �250, which is not a

lot of money. As soon as we get an identification, we will arrest him

and take fingerprints because he may be linked to the burglary

itself. $$NEWLINE. Later on Robbed, Raided, Reunited, PC Forbes finds

the suspect from the scrapyard. have been identified on CCTV as

stealing a car from this address. And the Beams are reunited with

their car. This is great, we are very lucky.

The popular Essex resort of Southend on Sea has a population of

almost 200,000. But like many towns in the UK, there are always some

who want to spoil it. However, in one neighbourhood, the residents

have decided enough is enough. is that saying? An Englishman's

home is his castle. And you have scumbags like that.

Early evening in the residential streets of Southend, a 999 call has

Because the area has recently been hit with a number of break-ins,

local residents have been keeping a watchful eye on their homes and

spotted two suspicious men. As police units converge on the scene,

including an undercover officer, a uniformed PC brings them up to date

with what has happened. These gentlemen here, various different

neighbours, they have watched these lads, pure and knock-on various

different doors. They came to this one and knocked on the door several

times and sat there. They quickly knocked on that neighbour's aura,

and said, could you phone the police quickly? In the meantime, as

he went to the end of the garden, and covered the back.

Worried that the two men might make their getaway before the police

arrived, local residents Stephen Gymer and Lee Robinson decided to

lie in wait for them. -- Sean Gymer. We were at this side of the gate,

and he came men from the gate. wanted to see what they would do.

They did split up, one of them went that way and the other one went for

the gate. I grabbed one, and Lee Grad the other one. We piled them

to the ground. He does a bit of judo, this one does. They were not

going anywhere. I enjoyed that. The two suspects were held by Lee

and Steve until they could be put into a police patrol car. -- Lee

and Sean. This was a successful citizen's arrest, as outlined by PC

Mark Sawyer of the Essex Robbery Squad. As members of the public,

you have the ability to make a citizen's arrest. Everyone can

arrest somebody, but there are certain criteria for making that

arrest. Members of the public have to see a crime being committed for

them to make an arrest, whereas the police can arrest somebody on

suspicion. With the two suspects safely held

in the car, the police can now investigate how they got into the

house, and what, if anything, they might have stolen. There are gloves

in the side alleyway. They have been discarded. One of the charts

has a holdall and his back with a screwdriver and what not. -- one of

the chaps. The SOCO or Scene of Crime Officer,

who has since gone undercover, now starts a thorough search for any

evidence that the suspects might have left. We suspect they have

dropped some gloves. I'm going to record where they are so there is

no ambiguity. You can look at a photograph and see where they have

been found. The gloves are an important piece

of evidence and have to be checked with the householder, Malvert May,

if they belong to him or his family. They have left gloves at the side.

They are not yours? I will double- I am pretty sure they are not ours.

Anything that helps the case. It's time consuming, taking photos.

What I'll do is seize the gloves. We have the potential of getting

DNA. Cigarette butts. Anything like that really. House owner Malvert

May is no stranger to break-ins. He has been a victim before. But that

has not diminished his respect for the police.

People moan about the police. They've caught the people every

time. The suspects were taken back to

Leigh on Sea police station, to be interviewed. Amazingly, they were

only 13 and 14 years old. But, without the quick intervention of

Steve and Lee, they might have never been caught at all.

Members of the public are very key to policing, because they are our

eyes and ears. It is not that common for it to happen. People are

very nervous or quite concerned to get involved. But, when they do, we

some excellent results. What's that saying: "An Englishman's home is

his castle." Earlier, we were in Essex, for the case of a family car

stolen, and illegally sold to a scrap dealer.

They were referred to hundred and �50, it is a �5,000 car. Obviously

it is well below the price. The car belongs to Graham and Linda

Beams, who came home from holiday to discover that it had been stolen.

The car had been parked on the driveway. We came back to discover

the car was no longer there. Officer Christian Forbes is on the

trail of the man caught on CCTV selling the car to the scrap dealer.

As soon as I get an identification, we will arrest him for burglary and

take it from there. Nearly two months since the initial burglary,

the police haven't caught the thieves who broke into the Beams'

house and stole their car. In the past few days, there has

been a breakthrough. They now know who the man is from the CCTV at the

scrap yard. It's 8am, and PC Christian Forbes is briefing his

team. A burglary happened. On the 5th December, 2011. The suspect

took the car keys and the car. A week later, the vehicle is sold to

a scrap dealer. �250. It is worth �5,000. We got CCTV from the scrap

dealer and the vehicle was recovered. Receipts went to local

police officers. From the newspaper adverts, somebody has phoned in

saying they know that person. I can confirm it is hymns from CCTV.

A member of the public has identified the suspect from the

picture in the paper. The police plan to raid his house. Officer

Forbes has a list of items which he is looking for, which may connect

the suspect with the burglary at the Beams'.

When we search the address, we are after a distinctive dark-coloured

check jacket with a hood. A bean knee hat and grey trousers. The

outstanding property from the burglary, which is a kindle, a baby

seat, david green London jewellery box. Full stab vest to be worn. Any

Questions? A knife was found at the scene of the crime, so the police

don't know how violent the suspect may be. Stab vests are worn, as a

precaution. The suspect has lived at several

addresses in recent months, so the police have to visit each one,

until they find him. There is obviously someone in there. Any

movement? No one answers, so they ask next door if they recognise the

man. Never seen him before? Never. Thanks for your time. No luck at

this address. They move on to the next one.

No? Another blank, but Officer Forbes is undeterred. It is like

hunting, we will keep on trying until we get them. We have a third

address to try, you never know, somebody might say he is that in

other address. Berkeley it is not too far away. It seems he likes to

live in the local area, within less than a mile. Hopefully we will find

him at this address. The This is the final address which the police

have for the suspect. Could you The suspect opens the door.

Burglary happened on 5th December, 1920 11, you were identified from

CCTV, I am arresting you on suspicion of burglary. The suspect

isn't offering any form of resistance and allows the police in,

to search the property. So what's this all about? Suspicion of a

burglary. We have to find out the details. That takes place by way of

an interview. I have nothing to hide. The police discover the

clothing which the suspect was wearing in the CCTV pictures. So

they know that this is definitely their man. We have the jacket. We

have issues and trousers as well. I am happy to say we have got the

staff. I'll arrest him on suspicion of burglary. Even though he was the

one who sold the car, I am happy with the close he wore, but we do

not know if he went into the house. We will interview him over the

selling of the vehicle. A It's 10am, and the suspect is taken to the

station for interview. Whether this man is a potentially violent

burglar is yet to be proven. This was publicised in the paper.

If he saw the newspaper, any clued up criminal would have dumped the

clothing. That is how we link them. This man isn't one of our well

known people. I think he was under the impression he would never be

caught. Luckily the information received led us to him and we

recovered all the clothing he was wearing. Also confiscated was the

suspect's mobile phone. We have seized his mobile phone, we can

look at the knowledge, he might have sent texts to the other person.

At the station, the suspect is booked in, and his fingerprints

taken. While the officers catalogue the

evidence, the suspect is interviewed, and gives Officer

Forbes an explanation. He has given the story, he was

given the car, with the keys and a log book, by one of his friends.

His friend told him the bottom end of the engine had gone, and the car

was no good. He was instructed to take it to scrap dealer, get �250,

and he would be paid �10. He admitted the CCTV footage is of him.

The police have the suspect's mobile phone. And a number they

think is the man who was at the scrap yard with him. We've got his

number off his mobile. Now, the phone is not recognised. We have

done checks, but it only lead us to the mobile phone number which is

not recognised. They have thrown away the card after the job. At 7pm,

Officer Forbes rings the family with the news that they've caught

the man who took their car to the scrap yard.

He was arrested early this morning. He is still with us now. I have

seized his mobile phones to see if there is anything incriminating on

his bones. I think he is more of a hand lower than a burglar. We need

to establish that. Thank you for keeping us informed. Goodbye.

Southend Police will continue the search for exactly who burgled the

Beams' home. The good news for the Beams is that,

after forensic tests had been completed, they were reunited with

their car. It was our first new car. A rather

run of the male average family saloon. We did miss it. Whenever we

saw another one like that, if it made you feel quite fond of it.

Once I was driving it, it seemed like its old self-, it was fine. We

got our car back in one piece, it is mechanically sound, not making

any strange noises. Yes, a thought, we are very lucky. No one has been

charged with breaking in, and the jewellery has not been recovered.

The man caught on CDTV and arrested was not charged with burglary but

was later found guilty of handling stolen goods. The men who took the

car had all the paperwork needed to pass the Karpov as their own.

Police advice is to keep vehicle documents in a safe place but not

in the vehicle itself. The teenagers caught by local

residents were charged with attempted burglary and given

rehabilitation and curfew orders. Where members of the public had

that gut feeling of something going on and they followed that through,