0:00:02 > 0:00:06We're on the case of a crime that's committed once every 44 seconds - burglary.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Coming up...
0:00:08 > 0:00:11They've obviously smashed an hole through here and put
0:00:11 > 0:00:15their hands through and turned the key because I'd left the key in. Very stupid, really,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18but you never think these things are going to happen to you, do you?
0:00:18 > 0:00:21..we're with the police as they hunt down criminals.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25- Police officers! Stay where you are. - What's going on?
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Right, come on then. We've got a warrant to search your house, yeah?
0:00:28 > 0:00:29- For what?- Stolen property.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33And we see how powerful it is
0:00:33 > 0:00:36when stolen goods get returned to their rightful owners.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40I cannot believe I've got them back. I can't believe...can't believe it.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43I can't tell you how I feel. Thank you so much.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55First, to the seaside town of Bridlington.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59The East Riding of Yorkshire is the third safest area
0:00:59 > 0:01:01in England and Wales, but that's of little consolation
0:01:01 > 0:01:07to one family whose sense of security was about to be shattered.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37The alarm had woken Anne-Marie Hughes and her husband Duncan at one o'clock in the morning.
0:01:37 > 0:01:38CAR ALARM
0:01:38 > 0:01:42There was somebody at the car door and he shouted out of the window,
0:01:42 > 0:01:47"Get away from my car," at which the lad shot off down the street.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52My husband went out to the car and checked it and locked it back up
0:01:52 > 0:01:53and then came back in.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58But we were a bit confused as to how they'd got the keys to get to the car.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01There was no evidence of a break-in and I was sort of saying to him,
0:02:01 > 0:02:06"You must have left the keys in the ignition or the car door."
0:02:06 > 0:02:11We went through every room - nothing appeared to be untoward.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Um, so, made a cup of tea, came back upstairs,
0:02:15 > 0:02:20and thought it was a lucky escape, really. Went back to bed.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23And I had it in my mind that I would phone the police in the morning.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28But by the time the morning came, Anne-Marie and Duncan realised
0:02:28 > 0:02:34the would-be car thieves had been a lot busier than they first realised.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38It was after I'd done a tour of the house, basically,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and seen that things weren't where they were meant to be that
0:02:42 > 0:02:45I realised we must have been burgled.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50There was my husband's phone, my daughter's mobile phone,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52my husband's works camera had gone
0:02:52 > 0:02:57and there was another personal camera on top of the computer desk
0:02:57 > 0:03:01the night before downloading some photos and that had gone.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06All in all, the burglars had taken four mobile phones, two cameras,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10a laptop and a sat nav whilst the family had been asleep upstairs.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16It was really, really devastating.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20It was just horrible, that they'd had the audacity
0:03:20 > 0:03:24and the gall to just come into somebody else's house,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28you know, that's not their own and take MY stuff.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30That made me really, really angry.
0:03:30 > 0:03:3557% of burglaries happen when the victims are at home
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and although Anne-Marie was deeply troubled by the thieves
0:03:38 > 0:03:39getting into her house,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43the mum of seven had more than herself to worry about.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47The two little ones weren't really aware fully of what had happened
0:03:47 > 0:03:51but my daughter, she heard us talking,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54she was quite disturbed by it and she was very upset that her phone
0:03:54 > 0:03:57had gone and obviously, a lot of tears.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00I think that's when it sort of hit home to her, really,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03that somebody had taken something of hers.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07And to a child, that's...it's very, very upsetting.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11An hour after phoning the police in the morning,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14the scenes-of-crime officer arrived to search for evidence
0:04:14 > 0:04:16on how the thieves had broken in.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21He discovered that there was fingerprints
0:04:21 > 0:04:25on the conservatory window and a train of prints underneath it.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30It was just probably a little bit of mud but not to the naked eye.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34It was only when he put the special printing stuff over
0:04:34 > 0:04:38the top of it that it came to life.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40He said, "This is it. This is where they've come in."
0:04:40 > 0:04:44The burglars had broken in through a small conservatory window,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47which had mistakenly been left unlocked.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51And in this area, Humberside police know that 42% of break-ins
0:04:51 > 0:04:54happen because of this type of oversight.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58We always check the windows
0:04:58 > 0:05:02and it just happened to be the one time that we didn't.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05So, cross and annoyed at ourselves that this is what we'd done.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Because that's all it takes, just one time.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10And they weren't the only ones.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13The police had had reports of two more burglaries
0:05:13 > 0:05:17and two other attempted break-ins in the same area overnight.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20It had been a busy morning for the scenes-of-crime officer.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25I said to him, "What's the chances of us getting our property back?"
0:05:25 > 0:05:28And he said, "Well, they'll sell it straightaway."
0:05:28 > 0:05:32I put my trainers on, got my car keys, jumped into the car,
0:05:32 > 0:05:37and sped off down the road, and I just thought, "Right, let's see."
0:05:37 > 0:05:42I just felt that I was protecting my home, my family, and my property.
0:05:44 > 0:05:45We'll be back with Anne-Marie later,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49when the hunt for her stolen possessions takes a dramatic twist.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58But now it's 7.15 in the morning in St Albans in Hertfordshire.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01PC Jill Brown and the Operation Scorpion team are about to
0:06:01 > 0:06:04carry out a raid in neighbouring Bedfordshire.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07We're going to do a search in an address in Luton.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Potential burglars live there.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13We might try and find some bits and pieces, so...
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Yeah, we've never been here before so it'll be interesting to see
0:06:15 > 0:06:18what's in there, or WHO'S in there.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Electrical goods and jewellery were the main items
0:06:21 > 0:06:23taken in this series of burglaries.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26And Jill - who's been with the Operation Scorpion
0:06:26 > 0:06:32unit for two years - really enjoys piecing the evidence together, to be able to arrest burglars.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Generally, jewellery just goes.
0:06:35 > 0:06:41If they steal jewellery, it'll just be sold to get cash for it quickly.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Jill's been friends with her colleague
0:06:43 > 0:06:46PC Pippa Mason for five years and they've been working together
0:06:46 > 0:06:48for the past six months.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50This is one of my favourite bits of the job.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54We go to lots of the first bits where people report the burglary,
0:06:54 > 0:06:59we see them looking really upset, obviously distraught about what's happened,
0:06:59 > 0:07:03so it's really satisfying to be able to do something about it.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06But raids of this kind are never without risk.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09You never know how the people inside the address are going to
0:07:09 > 0:07:12react to you, so you have to feel quite on it.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14There's likely to be four people in there
0:07:14 > 0:07:18so we've got enough of us to deal with it if any of them do kick off.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22We'll have some people round the back of the property. That's the most likely thing that's going to
0:07:22 > 0:07:24happen is that people are going to run out the back.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26It's now just after eight in the morning
0:07:26 > 0:07:29and the team are ready to move in.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34We're ready. Do you want to come up?
0:07:50 > 0:07:53As Pippa and Jill take the front door,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55other officers go to the back of the house.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Police! Come to the door now!
0:08:04 > 0:08:05Come to the door.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Hello! Police. Police.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Police officers. Stay where you are.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19All right, lads. You need to move yourselves up out of your bed.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Have you got something on?
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Right, sit up for me.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- What's happening here? - What's going on?
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Right. We've got a warrant to search the house.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- For what?- You sit down in the corner if you want.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36- You've got nothing to worry about. - Are these your jeans?- Yeah.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39There's only just two in instead of four, which is a shame.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44We'll get them secured downstairs, then we can do a thorough search.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46We'll let them get some boxers on.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52The suspects are taken out of the way as the officers
0:08:52 > 0:08:54begin their search.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58DS Sophia Pidgeon is responsible for leading the raid.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00She enjoys the challenge of trying to find every last
0:09:00 > 0:09:02piece of evidence.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07There's been an increase in burglary in Harpenden in the last few weeks.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11And there's been a lot of jewellery that's been stolen.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15And some electrical items, like small stuff, but we're mostly looking for jewellery.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18This is the stuff that's worth the money, so...
0:09:18 > 0:09:20We'll turn the place upside down. Boom!
0:09:33 > 0:09:36This is really dusty. This is not from a burglary.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38We've just been searching the wardrobe here.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41There's quite a lot of paperwork in their names,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44so we're just having a nose, see whether we can find anything from that.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47There's very little in this room so there isn't a lot to search, to be honest.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51It's quite sparse. The whole house is sparse, to be fair.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56It's not long before the officers find evidence of drug-taking.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58There's coke in here though, isn't there?
0:09:58 > 0:10:02- Yeah.- Well, just a trace.- Careful.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07We've got to make a judgement call about whether we bring them in. We've found traces of drugs.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11It's a bit strange that they've got screwdrivers and stuff next to their bed.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Our burglaries, people have been going in via the back
0:10:13 > 0:10:18and they've been forcing the windows and the doors using a sort of flat-bladed tool.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22And it stinks of a screwdriver. These lads are quite well-known.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27The screwdrivers could be a vital piece of evidence in deciding
0:10:27 > 0:10:30if the men are connected to the series of burglaries.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Roger zero...
0:10:41 > 0:10:44- Do you want me to bring these? - That's not there. That's not it.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47It's got like a circle there.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50At a couple of our burglaries,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52we've had some shoe marks lifted from the trainers,
0:10:52 > 0:10:57so we're just checking all the trainers that are in the house to see if they match any of the marks.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00There's only one pair of trainers in the whole house and apparently four people live here.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05So we're just trying to find the other trainers but that doesn't match, we don't think,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07which is a bit disappointing.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13The team's search is coming to an end but before they leave,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17the police check if there's any other offences linked to the suspects.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20One of the lads that we've got next door, his details have been run through...
0:11:20 > 0:11:24- Obviously because the warrant's held up...- ..showing he's wanted for another offence,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27so Mark's just on the phone to our control room to find out what the
0:11:27 > 0:11:30details of that offence are and he is likely to be coming in with us.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Although at least one of the suspects may be in trouble,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36the police have a responsibility to both men.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Their front door seemed very insecure when the team arrived.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- You need to sort your door out. - What's wrong with it?
0:11:42 > 0:11:46- It isn't very secure. Have you got a key for it?- Yes.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48- Do you normally use a key to get in? - Yes.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Don't need one, though, do you?
0:11:50 > 0:11:54- Yeah, you do. No. - Give it a push or a nudge.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57We definitely wouldn't want them to get burgled, so...
0:11:57 > 0:12:01We've got to secure it so it locks. We cannae leave it insecure.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03The officers have discovered one of the men is wanted
0:12:03 > 0:12:06for the theft of a mobile phone.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09You don't have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not
0:12:09 > 0:12:14mention when questioned something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Understand? Yeah? Understand?
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Yeah, I understand, but oh, my God...
0:12:19 > 0:12:22All in all, the officers are frustrated not to be able to
0:12:22 > 0:12:25link the men to the burglaries but the raid
0:12:25 > 0:12:28just may make them think twice about a life of crime.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33These guys are people that are known to Op Scorpion.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35We've stopped them regularly in Harpenden.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38The fact that we haven't found anything, it's disappointing,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41but it's really good for us, because we've disrupted them
0:12:41 > 0:12:46whatever they ARE up to, we've disrupted them and hopefully they'll stay out of our area.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51During a burglary, thieves often target small,
0:12:51 > 0:12:52valuable property such as jewellery
0:12:52 > 0:12:56or electrical items that are easy to carry and sell on.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01I put my trainers on, got my car keys, jumped into the car,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05and sped off down the road and I just thought, "Right. Let's see."
0:13:06 > 0:13:09In Bridlington, Humberside, Anne-Marie Hughes has taken
0:13:09 > 0:13:13matters into her own hands after she was burgled.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Realising that the thieves would try to sell the stolen goods
0:13:15 > 0:13:20as soon as possible, she decided to try all the pawn brokers in the area.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32I think the lads were waiting around for us outside, waiting for us to open up at 9.30.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34They were youngish lads, around 18.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37I think one was a little bit younger, maybe 16, 17.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40They just came to the back counter.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41"How much will I get for this?"
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Put the laptop and the camera on the counter and I just started looking
0:13:45 > 0:13:47into what they'd brought me.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51In the back of my mind, I'm thinking, "What happens if they're in there?"
0:13:51 > 0:13:54But something was telling me they were in there.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58First questions we really ask are - how much are you looking for?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Have you sold to us before? And, do you have any ID?
0:14:01 > 0:14:03So straightaway he'd given me
0:14:03 > 0:14:06two forms of ID his driving licence and a bank card.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09I asked them how much they were looking for, and then they were
0:14:09 > 0:14:13just like, "We just want what you're going to give us," kind of thing. They wouldn't give me a price.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16So I started looking into how much they were actually worth.
0:14:18 > 0:14:25I ran into the shop and there was two lads stood at the cash desk.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31One was tall, both of them wore baseball caps, both of them
0:14:31 > 0:14:36in hoodies, and I couldn't actually see at first what they were selling.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39I was checking the prices for the lads, hadn't given them a price yet,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42and I noticed she'd come into the shop
0:14:42 > 0:14:46and she'd come quite close to where the lads were,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50and she was looking over their shoulders and at first I thought
0:14:50 > 0:14:54she's maybe being a bit impatient or she was in a rush, or something.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56I was like moving about, bobbing up and down,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59trying to see what he'd got,
0:14:59 > 0:15:06and he had his foot up, just resting his foot up at the back
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and I looked at the bottom of his trainer,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13and it WAS the trainer print that only 15 minutes ago
0:15:13 > 0:15:16the police officer had been showing me.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22I leaned forward, and I saw my laptop case and my camera.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24And I just knew it.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27That's when she shouted, "That's my property. You've stolen it from me."
0:15:27 > 0:15:30"You've got my stuff. You were in my house last night.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35"You burgled me. They're trying to sell you my stuff. Call the police."
0:15:35 > 0:15:37So I was straight on the phone to them.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40The way the lads reacted, they were just shocked themselves.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43They'd been caught red-handed with her stuff.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45They left the items on the counter
0:15:45 > 0:15:48and slowly started to walk away out of the shop.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53So I ran to the front door and tried to stop them from getting out.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56I didn't care whether they were big, small.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00I never gave any thought to whether they might have had a knife,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02it's just not in your mind at all.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04I was just focused,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07and I was just going to get them if they'd got my stuff.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09At this point, the older one,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13the one that was actually selling the goods, that had given me his ID,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17he grabbed her and he pushed her onto our bike display in the front of the shop.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19I was shaking. A bit in shock, really, I think,
0:16:19 > 0:16:21about the enormity of what had just happened.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25This is not an everyday occurrence in my life, accosting burglars.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30There was somebody in the street that shouted and said where they went.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32He said, "He went that way, he ran off down the street."
0:16:32 > 0:16:36And I sort of picked myself up and went back into the shop.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37That's when the police arrived.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40They'd only missed them by about two or three minutes.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44The police sprang into action. Although the boys had run off,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47officers were still able to track them.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Their every move was being caught on CCTV across the town centre.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55The police checked the CCTV.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Luckily I'd got all his details, got a phone number, address,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01where he lived, date of birth, everything.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07It could have only been about half an hour, an hour or so,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10before the police returned to say that
0:17:10 > 0:17:13they'd got him in custody, and to take the items away.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16And then I think it was two hours later that they caught
0:17:16 > 0:17:21the other one, and they'd got all our property on them.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Anne-Marie's timing was spot on.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Her swift action had stopped the burglars in their tracks
0:17:27 > 0:17:30before they'd managed to sell a single thing.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32It was genius in a way, really.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35She'd thought to come straight to the pawnbroker's
0:17:35 > 0:17:37and the exchange shops straightaway.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40It was just pure luck that she'd caught them
0:17:40 > 0:17:42at the right place at the right time.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Elsewhere, in Rotherham,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49PC Chris Wright is on his way to investigate a burglary.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Homeowner Sean has come back from work in the middle
0:17:54 > 0:17:57of the afternoon to discover that thieves have broken into his flat
0:17:57 > 0:18:00by smashing a glass pane in the back door.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Have you identified anything that's been used?
0:18:04 > 0:18:08- There was a little mini lump hammer outside.- Right, OK.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12I think they've probably used that. I think I left that here.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14I've just finished decorating.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17I left it here. They've obviously smashed a hole through here,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20put their hand through and turned the key. I left the key in.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Pretty stupid, really.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25But you never think these things are going to happen to you.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Well, you learn by your mistakes, don't you?
0:18:28 > 0:18:31And it's a lesson well learned for Sean.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35He'll never leave tools by the back door again or keys in the lock.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Show us what they've been in on your property.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41I had two air rifles and a gas bottle to fill them up.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46They've took a tub of pellets, so they were ready for that.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49And they've took my telly, my Xbox,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53obviously the pads for my Xbox and stuff. They've left the laptop.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57They've gone through my bedroom, through my clothes.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Sean estimates that the burglars have taken
0:18:59 > 0:19:03between £2,500 and £3,000 worth of his possessions.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05We are going to get Scenes Of Crime down.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08They'll be down within an hour. I'll organise that now.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11I'll take a statement from yourself. Have they been in every room?
0:19:11 > 0:19:15I assume so, because my air rifles were in there, so they've took that.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18- A little storage room there. - For the air rifles, yeah.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Sean works hard all week as a car parts salesman,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24and has lost all the possessions he saved up for,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27that he uses in his precious free time with friends.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30And, to make matters worse, he isn't insured.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35All three major things that I actually do during the week,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39telly, Xbox, go shooting with the lads and that. So...
0:19:41 > 0:19:44There's still valuable items here what they've left.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Obviously their hands were full.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50The telly were 50 inch, like, so that's took some carrying out.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52I've got to replace it all, haven't I?
0:19:52 > 0:19:57And then obviously worry about if the people are going to come back.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59Obviously they've seen what else I've got now, haven't they?
0:19:59 > 0:20:01So they could come back and try again.
0:20:02 > 0:20:03Just gutted.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08PC Wright needs to try to help ensure that the burglars
0:20:08 > 0:20:11don't come back again and work out why Sean's home in particular
0:20:11 > 0:20:14was targeted in the first place.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19Obviously you've got fields here at this side, which gives easy access.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22It's quite well secluded, to be perfectly honest.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Nobody here at the back. Prime target.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28The Scenes of Crime officer has arrived,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and will dust the flat down for fingerprints and search
0:20:31 > 0:20:35for any other forensic clues to help track down the thieves.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39For Sean, this burglary couldn't have come at a worse time.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42His beloved dog Scruffy was recently killed.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44I did have a dog till Saturday,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47which got run over and killed, unfortunately.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51It were right fussy, and it got out at work, and nobody realised.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53And it saw two dogs across a busy road,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56and just ran straight across and a car hit it.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59And we went out and found it and buried it.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00Last week.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05The whole episode has left Sean stunned.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09It's not in my nature. I couldn't thieve off anybody.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Well, I don't know why people do it, to feed their drug habits
0:21:12 > 0:21:18and stuff like that, or times are hard. But what can you do,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20apart from get insurance?
0:21:20 > 0:21:21Without any insurance,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Sean simply hasn't got the money to replace his stolen possessions.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28He'll have to save up all over again.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31But just as he's about to hit rock bottom, there's a welcome visit
0:21:31 > 0:21:35from his friend Dean, who hasn't come empty-handed.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39I just fetched him my telly round, and an Xbox, like.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Bit disgusting, what's happened, isn't it? It's the world we live in.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Something to pass my time.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47I was going to buy a new pup because I were bored,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50because obviously I live on my own, so it gets a bit boring.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53He can't even buy his dog now.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Somebody's put a right spanner in the works.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01The Scenes of Crime officer has finished collecting evidence,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05and PC Wright is hopeful they'll be able to track down the burglars.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08We'll try as best to try and find the offenders.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14And we only need one little clue, and it might lead to something.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16We will do as best for you.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Back in Bridlington, quick-thinking Anne-Marie
0:22:24 > 0:22:27stopped burglars in their tracks in a pawnbroker's
0:22:27 > 0:22:31as they tried to sell goods they'd stolen from her just hours before.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Shortly afterwards, Humberside police were in the fortunate
0:22:39 > 0:22:43position of being able to reunite Anne-Marie with her stolen items.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46DS Gavin Osborne has been an officer for 30 years,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50and never tires of delivering good news.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52I'm DS Osborne. I think I might have
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- some items that belong to you. - Come in.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58One of the most satisfying parts of this job is returning items,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01personal items that people that have had them stolen
0:23:01 > 0:23:03in these sorts of circumstances.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07See if you recognise any of them as being your property that you have had stolen.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08That's definitely mine.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Quite often the items contain information that is sentimental,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15that can never be replaced,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18or maybe items in their own right that are of high sentimental value,
0:23:18 > 0:23:22and that enhances, really, the satisfaction that I receive
0:23:22 > 0:23:24from being able to return items.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27The officers that came in the afternoon,
0:23:27 > 0:23:32really, really nice people. Absolutely brilliant. Very efficient.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Very understanding, as well.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Can't fault them at all.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Although it was not a nice situation that we were in,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43and we weren't talking about something nice that had happened,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46they made me feel quite relaxed.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50And we even ended up having a bit of a laugh about what had gone on.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52That is my daughter's phone.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55She was absolutely devastated when she lost it.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58I can't believe we've got it back. Thank you so much.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01And my daughter, when she got her little flowered phone back,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04she was absolutely over the moon.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08As well as being reunited with all the mobile phones, cameras,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11her sat nav and laptop, Anne-Marie was also given some possessions
0:24:11 > 0:24:14she hadn't even realised were missing.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16I knew we'd lost one watch,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20but I didn't even know that we'd actually had the other one taken.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23So that is brilliant. Yeah, that's my husband's best watch.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26It's a very strange feeling to get something back that you didn't
0:24:26 > 0:24:29know you lost, like the watch.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34One of them was a very sentimental, expensive watch.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36I cannot believe I got them back.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40I thought we were going to have to go through all the process of going
0:24:40 > 0:24:43through insurance companies, and it's not just about the items themselves.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46They are replaceable. It's the fact that what's on them -
0:24:46 > 0:24:51my photos, the stuff on the laptop, photos that were still on the camera.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54So it is... I can't believe it. I can't tell you how I feel.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55Thank you so much.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Although Anne-Marie got her treasured items back,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Gavin felt that the effect of the crime would still take its toll.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06From experience,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09he knows how vital it is to reassure the victims of burglary.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13I can say, hand on heart, that individuals
0:25:13 > 0:25:16are very, very rarely targeted because of who they are.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20They are targeted because their house offers an opportunity,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23and inside that property, there is likely to be
0:25:23 > 0:25:26items that individuals want to turn into money.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Individuals who would take these sort of items have
0:25:29 > 0:25:32no consideration whatsoever to the sentimental value.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35They won't consider the fact that there's photos on there,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38there's data and photographs on there,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42or those watches might belong to people that are no longer with us.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44And that's why, on this occasion,
0:25:44 > 0:25:48the outcome of your actions have enabled us to get
0:25:48 > 0:25:52a lot of satisfaction from being able to return these things to you.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Anne-Marie's brilliant swift action combined with some good fortune
0:25:55 > 0:25:58meant that all her items found their way back home.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02The timing is unreal.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Everything fell into place. It was just perfect.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07I was meant to get them.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Now for an update on today's stories.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17In Hertfordshire, the Operation Scorpion team
0:26:17 > 0:26:21found no evidence linking the two men whose house they raided
0:26:21 > 0:26:23to the local burglaries.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26But they did caution them both for possession of cannabis.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28And one man was sentenced to a month in prison
0:26:28 > 0:26:30for the theft of a mobile phone.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35He was also ordered to pay £320 in compensation to the phone's owner.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41In Rotherham, the burglary victim who lost all his valuable
0:26:41 > 0:26:44possessions is still waiting to see if anything will be returned.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47But he has put in new security measures,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49and now never leaves his keys in the door.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54And in the Bridlington burglary case, two men were convicted.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57One got sent to prison for two years
0:26:57 > 0:27:00and the other got a 12-month youth rehabilitation order
0:27:00 > 0:27:02and six-month curfew.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05As part of a Restorative Justice programme,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Anne-Marie took up the offer to meet one of the men who burgled her home.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12It wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea, but I had no hesitation.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14I needed something more.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18I told him exactly how he'd made us feel,
0:27:18 > 0:27:22how traumatised my daughter was, and how it hasn't left us.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26How we have to live with it on a daily basis.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28And I thought, "These people need to know this."
0:27:30 > 0:27:34He was genuinely remorseful about the fact that he had caused
0:27:34 > 0:27:37such hurt to my daughter.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40He said it wasn't the fact that it was our house.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43It was the fact that the window was open.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48When I'd spoken to him, it took all the mystery out of it.
0:27:48 > 0:27:49I've seen him.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53I know the circumstances leading up to him coming into my house,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55and I did feel a lot better.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58That's all from us today. We'll see you next time.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd