Episode 3 Robbed, Raided, Reunited

Burglaries are on the increase.

It's a real trauma for... for all of us.

Usually, only certain people move around in their vehicles at night -

taxi drivers, emergency services and villains.

Thieves are not just targeting the expensive gadgets in our homes.

-They take our cherished heirlooms too.

-Your home is your sanctuary. Nobody should be in your home.

Items impossible to replace.

Why go into someone's house and take the things that are most important - their security and their safety?

-It's hard to take.

-I don't think they've got any scruples.

But these prized possessions are often recovered.

Get in there!

The police are on our side.

-Open the door or we'll put it through!

-Police! Open the door!

-Specialist anti-burglary units across the UK...

-Come out now and make yourself known!

-..working with the latest technology...

-If your prints are at a crime scene, we'll ask why.

-..and the good citizens among us...

-I did say I'd stop and make sure the whole family was all right.

..to track down the burglars

and get us back our stolen goods.

They took so much trouble, especially when he suddenly said,

"Joyce, I've got the ring!" It was fantastic.

It was really lucky, so it was nice to get 'em back.

This is Robbed, Raided, Reunited.

-Thank you so much.

-I feel very good, yeah.

So rewarding, such a happy day.

On today's programme, police are on a mission to help a young mum

after the theft of her most precious possessions.

That stuff is sentimental to me and now it's just gone.

The extraordinary success story of police as they track down Cheshire's most wanted criminal gang.

They were on the crest of a wave and weren't going to stop until they really, really hurt someone.

SHOUTING, GLASS SMASHES

And after a house is burgled, a heart-warming family story is revealed.

I didn't realise he was so secretive.

Grays Police Station, Essex.

Detective Steve Cunningham, five years with Grays CID,

is part of a team of 15 in the Anti-Burglary Unit.

We have what they call "the golden hour"

which is attending the scene properly and trying to gain evidence while it's in its freshest state.

The longer it goes without attendance, the less chance we have of detecting that crime.

It's 6pm, the most common period for reporting burglaries.

This is the time most of us return home from work.

It's an emergency call from a young woman just returned home with her three children.

-What's the incident number?

-PC Nick May joins DC Cunningham

and they head for the family home ten minutes away.

Daytime burglaries, while houses are unattended, account for 40% of home break-ins.

When these jobs come in at this time of night, they've happened during the day when the occupants are at work.

The occupants come home and they realise they've been burgled.

KNOCKS ON DOOR

Hello, I'm Steve, a detective from Essex Police, about your burglary. Hello.

Obviously, we'll take some details. We'll get Scenes of Crime down.

-We'll get some details of what's been taken and see what we can do about this, all right?

-OK.

This is the second time Danielle has been burgled in six weeks.

And last time, they made off with a very unusual haul.

I got broken into on the 4th of October.

My four puppies were stolen.

Now I've been broken into again.

DC Cunningham needs to establish exactly what's been stolen this time.

Forensic evidence, like fingerprints, could be crucial in solving this case.

-If you can be mindful not to touch anything at the moment...

-Yeah.

-Just point out to me without touching...

-It was all inside this black bangle.

All the gold. I put it there every night and it's gone.

-There's a diamond sapphire ring which is a big cluster ring.

-Yeah.

-I've got another diamond sapphire ring.

Jewellery is often broken down immediately to make it less identifiable.

Precious stones are sold separately. The value of gold has more than doubled since 2008.

We'll do everything that we can to try and track it down.

With gold, the melting value is so high, it tends to get turned over very, very quickly.

-But, um...

-Yeah.

-OK.

For Danielle, these items were of huge personal value too.

It's stuff that's been inherited and now it's just gone.

The second time in a month!

This is the method of entry - coming through the window here.

We don't know if it's been forced or if it was left ajar.

Definitely the way they've come in.

When Danielle left in the morning, she thought the house was secure.

A cable looks like it's run through the window that might stop the window shutting properly.

DC Cunningham may have solved the mystery of how this locked window was opened.

Sometimes if you want an outside light, instead of drilling a hole through the wall,

they poke the wire in through the frame in there.

Unfortunately, it actually stops the window from shutting

and you can see the flexibility in the frame there where the window doesn't sit properly

because of the wire stopping it sitting back in its latch.

Because of that, it makes it easy to get something behind it and force it open.

It's an hour since Danielle raised the alarm.

Scene of Crime Officer Sarah Morgan arrives to gather forensic evidence.

As we think the suspect has come through this window,

we start with the point of entry window and work into the house.

A single fingerprint or trace of DNA could lead the police straight to a suspect

and Danielle's stolen jewellery.

Nothing is visible at the top here. Mainly just down the bottom,

what we call "climbing marks", so it could be where they've grabbed hold to pull themselves up from outside.

It's lower outside, so they'd need to pull in quite high up.

As Officer Morgan continues to gather evidence,

DC Cunningham establishes the burglar's escape route.

They've gone out through the rear garden, come through the gap where the fence panel is out

and then it looks like they've made their way out through the next easy access

which is the missing panel on the rear fence

which takes them away into the alley and away from the premises.

Repairing the fence panel would make any burglar's life much more difficult.

Inside, a discovery is made -

what looks like a footprint on the worktop.

I'm just very gently brushing out the powder, so you can get a bit more definition.

A special magnetic strip is used to carefully create an impression of the shoeprint.

And then it lifts off

and you're left with a nice, clear mark.

The police now have an exact copy of the burglar's shoeprint.

This will be sent straight to the police laboratory for analysis.

They work with a system that matches all the footprints up,

so it should tell you what trainer that is, when it was issued, what pattern, what brand.

Footprint evidence can match a suspect to the crime scene in the same way as a fingerprint.

After two break-ins in six weeks,

DC Cunningham wants to make sure this doesn't happen to Danielle again.

The first thing that stands out about that wire that runs through that window frame,

that leaves a little gap for people to get things behind,

so if we get that fixed, that'll solve your problem in the long term.

All right?

-She's saying "bye" now.

-Bye-bye.

-Say "bye".

-Bye-bye.

-Good girl.

-Bye. Say "bye".

With a potentially vital forensic clue uncovered,

DC Cunningham will widen his search for Danielle's jewellery

in the hope of being able to track it down.

Danielle's obviously very upset by this.

She's got young children in the house. She's a single parent.

And the fact that people have been into her house and particularly into her bedroom

is going to have a lasting effect on her.

We'll go back to the station now, record the crime on the system

and then start to look at some of the ongoing inquiries that are open to us.

Most burglaries are not pre-planned. They're committed by opportunist thieves.

While burglary officers deal with these every day,

sometimes they face more dangerous and organised criminals.

Police!

Harvey Newton's home was raided by a gang in May 2009.

These are the bricks that they used.

They obviously broke them away from the wall

and those were the weapons that they used for entry.

Harvey and his family were away on the night of the burglary.

They attempted to get in through this top window, but when that failed,

they obviously kicked the front door in completely.

Once inside, the gang ransacked every room of the Newton family home.

The majority of stuff was jewellery.

It probably amounted to something like £20,000-worth.

The thieves found where the Newtons' most treasured personal items were stored.

The sentimental stuff that, um... that hurt us most of all.

Things were in a parcel. They'd been kept together for a very long time,

which they found unfortunately.

It was hidden way behind.

It was the first place I headed. And you get this sickening feeling when you realise that that's gone.

Harvey's parcel contained items dating back generations.

These things were bundled together along with some medals that had come from as far back as my grandfather.

There's a strong military tradition in Harvey's family.

His father George was a decorated RAF pilot in World War Two.

He baled out of a Lancaster bomber when they were testing it.

George later became Mayor of Daneside.

Oh, he was a gentleman. He was a nice guy.

We miss him. He was a lovely guy.

Harvey's father was also a member of a very exclusive club.

He was awarded the prized Caterpillar Badge,

only given to pilots who have emergency-parachuted out of a plane as it goes down.

The gang stole this extremely rare commemorative badge.

I wanted to pass these on because I never considered myself to be the owner of these,

nothing more than the custodian,

and to pass them down to my children and then on to their children.

It seemed Harvey's unique family legacy was gone for ever.

Cheshire Police were certain this was no isolated incident.

It was part of a crime wave which led to one of the largest operations in their history.

Starting in February 2009, the Anti-Burglary Team, led by DI Kev Bennett,

were faced with a disturbing series of crimes.

We started having serious offences happening on a regular basis.

This set the alarm bells ringing. There's an increase in burglary offences. Why is that happening?

These were no ordinary burglaries.

This was the work of an organised criminal gang.

The robbers targeted expensive homes across Cheshire,

breaking in without caring whether there was anyone inside.

In one such offence, the offenders removed the occupier or the owner of the house from the shower,

frogmarched him round the house, demanding where the location of the safe was.

So what we had was Cheshire experiencing offences

that had an increase or an escalation in violence and confrontation.

The rate and seriousness of the burglaries continued to increase.

Each crime they committed, the next one was a bit more serious.

They were on the crest of a wave, if you like,

and weren't going to stop until perhaps they really, really hurt someone.

In their fightback,

the police launched a special task force to catch the gang responsible,

codenamed Operation Blackbird.

Operation Blackbird commenced as a result of the type and quantity of offences that were being committed.

In six months, the gang committed 25 robberies targeting expensive homes across the north-west.

This is quite an affluent area of Cheshire

and was really the stomping ground of this organised crime group.

The objective is clearly to identify the team that is committing those serious offences.

The investigation quickly began to focus on one particular family,

already well known to the police.

Intelligence was indicating the Bridge family were involved in this.

Not just them. The Bridge family and their associates.

The Bridge brothers, John, Alan and Luke, were notorious in Widnes

for their threatening and anti-social behaviour.

In 2009, two of the sons, the two eldest sons, were released from prison.

Shortly afterwards, we started having serious offences happening in and around Warrington

which wasn't that far away from where the Bridge family lived.

The police were certain they were involved.

Members of the Bridge family and their associates were living the dream. None were employed.

The only way they could afford the bling clothes, the bling cars was by going out and committing crime.

With no recorded income, the family continued to flaunt their flash cars and expensive lifestyle.

To make arrests, the police needed solid evidence connecting them to the crimes.

DI Bennett's team placed the Bridge family home under 24-hour surveillance,

secretly filming 2,000 hours of footage.

What we're doing here is gathering evidence of their general appearance,

what they're wearing, how they're walking, their general behaviour.

A breakthrough came when the police noticed links

between their surveillance footage and CCTV from crime scenes.

Here you can see five individuals at a scene of crime and looking for a way in to burgle.

This house has CCTV which has allowed us

to capture and link the activity at this address

with activity at the home address of the Bridge family.

The suspects' movements to and from their home address tallied with the timings of burglaries taking place.

They come out middle of summer, all dressed in dark clothing, carrying gloves and balaclavas.

If these five people burst into your home in the middle of the night, how will that make you feel? Terrified.

The team suspected this was very much a family business

with the three brothers' father John Bridge Senior in overall charge.

He became known during our investigation as Old Man Bridge.

He was the co-ordinator. He was the one that was responsible for co-ordinating the disposal

of the property that his sons were burgling.

After four months, the team had amassed enough evidence to arrest the Bridges and their associates.

We knew the ins and outs of this family, who was visiting, who was leaving,

what vehicles they were using, what they were wearing,

to the point that we could say they're wearing this type of trainer or coat.

On the 19th of August, 2009, they were ready to take the gang off the streets of Cheshire.

It's 4am.

Over 70 police officers are gearing up

for the final phase of Operation Blackbird.

For months, this job has worked on a need-to-know basis. Today, you need to know.

During this series of crimes, offenders have forced their way into the homes of unsuspecting victims.

This morning, the suspects will appreciate in some small way

how that feels as we pay them a visit. Good luck.

The Bridge family is unaware this major police operation is under way.

Blackbird raid officers are moments away from the Bridge home.

With the gang surrounded, the team is going in.

-GLASS SMASHES

-Police!

-Police!

-Police!

Move back from the door!

The officers cover all routes out of the house.

-DOGS BARKING

-Just stay where you are!

The team was prepared for vicious attack dogs.

They're locked up in any case.

-First name? John?

-INDISTINCT REPLY

What's your name, fella?

John or Luke?

They find the three brothers and their father inside.

There's John, Alan, Luke.

He's being messed around with now.

Mum, be quiet!

John Junior, Alan and Luke Bridge are arrested

and will be charged with burglary.

Their father is not arrested.

The police will continue to build the case against him as they deal with his sons.

In total, seven homes were raided simultaneously

across Widnes and Merseyside

as the police swooped on the Bridges' accomplices.

A thorough search of each property provided strong evidence against the gang.

While weapons and luxury goods were found,

smaller discoveries gave the team the proof they were looking for.

To our surprise, really,

we started finding small items of property, little treasures that they had kept behind.

Research proved that these little treasures had come from burglaries we had under investigation.

The search of the Bridge home provided concrete evidence matching them to several crime scenes.

Police discovered some much-loved items they could reunite with their rightful owner.

In one of the bedrooms we recovered some war medals.

One of those medals was engraved with Mr Newton's name.

And that medal belonged to Harvey Newton's grandfather.

Harvey Newton's home was burgled in May 2009.

The Newton family was left devastated by the loss of several items of huge sentimental value.

These included war medals

and a special Caterpillar Badge awarded to his father, an RAF pilot during World War Two.

Finding the medals at the Bridges' house proved it was their gang who ransacked his home.

Getting the medals back provided some comfort for Harvey.

I understand that one of the officers found my grandfather's name around the outside

and tied it back to us

because in the First World War they put the name around the outside.

So all credit to them. It was lovely to see them back.

But his father's prized Caterpillar Badge wasn't found at the Bridges' home.

Like most of the items stolen in their six-month crime spree, it had vanished without trace.

We have had no co-operation from the Bridge family or their associates

in relation to where that property went.

We understand they were questioned quite heavily,

but unfortunately, they wouldn't reveal the whereabouts of these special items.

The gang was locked up,

but the Operation Blackbird team were still not satisfied.

There's a lot of property from Mr Newton's burglary that we will never recover, like the Caterpillar Badge.

As the official investigation ended, Harvey's missing Caterpillar became a personal matter for the officers.

Mr Newton's dad used to wear that badge with pride.

Part of my team went about researching why Mr Newton's father was awarded this badge.

The officers appealed to the Caterpillar Club which still has an active base in the north-west.

The Club agreed to replace Harvey's father's badge.

A year after the burglary, the officers were able to pass it on to the family.

It's been an emotional roller-coaster ride, really, from all these things being stolen and removed from me,

and then to end with such a wonderful thing as these guys presenting us with a replacement Caterpillar.

I just can't tell you how much I appreciate it. It's just wonderful of them.

Harvey's father George had always been vague when describing his part in the RAF war effort.

Researching his military history, the police made an incredible discovery.

We thought he had baled out of a Lancaster bomber

when they were testing it.

That wasn't entirely true.

His father at the time was on a covert mission.

He was flying gliders and there was a select few that were being trained

to actually be involved in the D-Day invasion.

This glider was top-secret.

The police were able to provide Harvey with a fascinating dossier,

describing what his father really did in the war.

I never realised that my father had been involved in this operation.

They were out on a training flight when the wings folded, whilst they were in a testing dive.

Most of this I didn't know or I've never seen before.

I didn't realise he was so secretive.

Thanks to the team, Harvey finally knew the true story of his father's wartime heroics.

People like my father worked hard for these things.

They went to do this, so we could live a free life.

And to find that these things then get stolen is beyond comprehension.

All they did was go out there to make sure these people had a better life.

Reuniting the Newtons with some of their stolen memories

was a fitting end to a successful operation for Cheshire Police.

That is just one of the nice things.

From an investigation that had a lot of trauma and a lot of distress to people,

this is something quite nice that's come out of it.

The investigation into young mum Danielle's second burglary in six weeks remains open.

The owner of the footprint has not yet been identified.

The police security advice for protecting her property

will help reduce the risk of it happening again.

In April 2010, the Bridge gang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle 25 properties

across the north-west.

Cash, jewellery and luxury cars totalling £1.7 million

were stolen during the gang's crime spree.

A Proceeds of Crime Order was imposed against the gang members

to repay all money earned from their crimes.

John Bridge Junior was jailed for 15 years.

Alan Bridge was sentenced to 12½ years.

Youngest brother Luke Bridge received seven years.

Another five men that took part in the robberies were jailed for a total of 30 years.

In September 2011, the brothers' father and gang mastermind, John Bridge Senior,

was convicted of conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

He was sentenced to four years in prison.

With the entire gang jailed, Operation Blackbird was complete.

Burglaries don't come much worse than what they were doing.

These are really, really bad people.

They have no respect for law and order, no respect for people, no respect for people's property.

And in my opinion, they are where they deserve to be.

Harvey decided to pass the new Caterpillar Badge straight on to his son Paul.

He is now the custodian of this special memento.

I feel that it's something that my family took pride in.

It's something I can be proud of about my family and my granddad.

People often ask what it's for. I say it's to do with my granddad having baled out of an aeroplane.

Because it's quite unusual, even though it's small, it draws quite a lot of comment.

It's just lovely to know that it's carrying on

and that someone knows what it's for and what it means to us as a family.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd