0:00:02 > 0:00:05We're on the case of a crime that affects 1.5 million of us every year - burglary.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07Coming up...
0:00:08 > 0:00:14Just gutted. Come home and found it like this. I'm still shaking now.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16..we're with police as they hunt down criminals.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21Police!
0:00:21 > 0:00:23And we'll show you how much it means
0:00:23 > 0:00:27when stolen goods are reunited with their rightful owner.
0:00:27 > 0:00:33I had that tingling up the spine, and I thought, "Crikey, this is unreal."
0:00:33 > 0:00:35It's absolutely unreal.
0:00:43 > 0:00:48It's six in the morning in Hatfield in Hertfordshire, and DS Kerry Bull
0:00:48 > 0:00:50is briefing his team ahead of a raid.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Morning, everyone. Welcome to Operation Scorpion.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57This is part of an investigation into a conspiracy to commit burglary.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Their target is a prolific and convicted burglar
0:01:01 > 0:01:04suspected of being involved in up to 100 break-ins.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Although he's already on probation, he's believed to be
0:01:07 > 0:01:13part of a three-strong gang of thieves who use hire cars to go out and commit burglaries.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18He's thought to be responsible for £56,000 worth of stolen goods.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23We believe that he is breaking into houses in Hitchin,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26the metropolitan area, and north Herts.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29We will look to arrest him on suspicion of a conspiracy to burgle,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32and do some methodical searching of all of the premises
0:01:32 > 0:01:34that we know that he occupies or controls.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36We believe that the suspect is staying with his mother,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38so that will be the address that we try first.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40That is in the Letchworth area.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44We've managed to secure some evidence on this guy's mobile phone,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48and it's vitally important that we recover that mobile phone today.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51The police are increasingly making use of evidence gained from mobile
0:01:51 > 0:01:55phones and in this particular case, the suspect's phone could be
0:01:55 > 0:01:59the key to placing him at the scene of the burglaries.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Every time you make or receive a call or text message,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07what will happen is your phone will look for the nearest mast
0:02:07 > 0:02:09in order that it can transmit that signal.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13By doing that, obviously it locates your handset, your phone,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17to a particular geographical area of the country, and the great thing is that we can put
0:02:17 > 0:02:20somebody in an area of the country, or in the same street where an
0:02:20 > 0:02:25offence has taken place, hopefully at the time of that particular offence.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Kerry's colleague, DC Simon Reed-Purvis is on the raid team.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32He's been an officer for 20 years and feels a great
0:02:32 > 0:02:35sense of duty to bring burglars to justice.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39These people don't realise the impact they have on people's lives.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42The sentimental value of the jewellery that's stolen,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44there's all sorts of things that go through their minds,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46and the victim is very important in this.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51Years ago when I was at school, they burgled our house in Durham and nicked the car.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56You know, you come down in the morning and you find your school shoes have been stolen.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59So, it's...
0:02:59 > 0:03:03It's not a faceless crime. It's one that people want to put a face to,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05and that's what we try and do.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10It's 6.50am, and Simon's about to lead the officers to their suspect's door.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13They will just give the door a tap.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18If they answer the door and we get in, fine,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20if not, they'll use force to enter.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25This experienced team know that
0:03:25 > 0:03:30catching the suspect unawares early in the morning is often the key to success.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33They believe he's staying at his mother's flat.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36KNOCK AT DOOR
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Police with a warrant, open the door.
0:03:44 > 0:03:45WOMAN YELPS Police!
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- WOMAN YELLS - Bloody hell!
0:03:56 > 0:03:59We're here to execute a warrant.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02As I explained, this is your address, this is what we want to search, OK?
0:04:02 > 0:04:07We want to search the property in connection with a criminal offence like theft.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11The suspect is calm and compliant, and promptly arrested.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15You're nicked for burglary, that's the bottom line, yeah?
0:04:15 > 0:04:18You are nicked on suspicion of being concerned in some burglaries.
0:04:18 > 0:04:24Ain't done nothing wrong. I don't need to call anyone.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27You know how it works. We'll ask you a couple of questions.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Whether you answer the questions or not is your decision, yeah?
0:04:30 > 0:04:32And then we'll move on.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37- Go on, mate.- Ta-ra.- Love you.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Although the suspect doesn't want to leave, Simon needs him out of the way.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44He's taken back to the police station whilst the remaining officers
0:04:44 > 0:04:47do a thorough search of his mother's flat.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51We are not only looking for stolen items,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54but also what they have been wearing, as well,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57because quite often that's the only evidence
0:04:57 > 0:05:05we can go on at a crime scene is fibres left behind or from CCTV.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07It's not only clothing that the team are interested in.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11When people go out burgling, they leave shoe prints
0:05:11 > 0:05:14in gardens where they walk through the mud to get to windows.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16They also transfer prints onto windowsills
0:05:16 > 0:05:18and also leave them inside the property,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21so it can potentially be good evidence for us
0:05:21 > 0:05:24to link a burglar to a scene.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27But the officers then find something really worrying.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35It's normal to have an axe in your lounge under the sofa, isn't it(?)
0:05:36 > 0:05:39I normally find, like, Jelly Babies and old sweets.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Doesn't look like a lumberjack to me.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45He wanted to stay because he wanted to see what we'd seized.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49It's human nature. You want to know what you're going to be spoken to about.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51You don't know what you might have found.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54There might be something he's been a little worried about,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57and if we found that in his presence, he may well be able to come up
0:05:57 > 0:06:01with a story as to how it got there.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03And the suspect would definitely need to come up with
0:06:03 > 0:06:07a credible story to explain what the officers find next.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Just found a bag. Looks like his burglar kit, I would suggest.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19- So we've got the hat there. - The gloves.- Crowbar.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- Like I say, we've got the crowbar. - Hammer.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26He's got this with some discs on, so he's obviously been cutting into some padlocks or metal.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- Potentially cut in from the... - Yeah, exactly.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31That's handy. Well done. Good find.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Why would you have a crowbar and gloves, woolly hat,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39angle grinder all in one bag? It's your burglar's kit, isn't it?
0:06:39 > 0:06:42It's not against the law to have that in your house,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44it just points towards them being used for illegal purposes.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49The team's found some useful evidence here to
0:06:49 > 0:06:52establish that the suspect is indeed a burglar.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54But apart from getting forensic evidence,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58their main priority is to find the suspect's mobile phone,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01because the data could hold the best evidence to put him
0:07:01 > 0:07:03in the right place at the right time for the burglaries.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11There's a number of mobile phones
0:07:11 > 0:07:14that we've found that may link back to victims.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Although the officers have found some phones at the flat which
0:07:17 > 0:07:20could be stolen, they really need to find
0:07:20 > 0:07:22the suspect's personal mobile.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30Finally, the breakthrough they've been hoping for.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34We think we've found the mobile phone. It's there next to his bed.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39If I were a betting man, I would say that's... That's the bad boy.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43You know, we're only eight o'clock, so it's an hour and a half
0:07:43 > 0:07:48into the investigation. Quite a long way to go yet.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50It's a great result.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Simon can take the phone back to the police station for data analysis.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59We got the phone back from the raid this morning. Fantastic.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01It is the handset we were expecting.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04What we can say is that that phone has been
0:08:04 > 0:08:06present at a number of burglary scenes.
0:08:06 > 0:08:12We know that the calls he made prior to and after being at those scenes
0:08:12 > 0:08:16are to his known associates, so we can say with a degree of certainty
0:08:16 > 0:08:20that we can put him at those crime scenes, which is fantastic for us.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23And as a bonus, the police can also see that the suspect has been
0:08:23 > 0:08:28texting a member of the gang at the precise time of one of the burglaries.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31There is an incoming text from his associate,
0:08:31 > 0:08:32and it's sent at a time
0:08:32 > 0:08:35when we know they were in the act of committing a burglary,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39and the text you read there is, "Is the back gate locked?"
0:08:39 > 0:08:43What that does, it indicates that they are actually there together.
0:08:43 > 0:08:44One is actually acting as lookout
0:08:44 > 0:08:48and the second one has gone round the rear of the premises.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52The mobile phone has also uncovered some unexpected evidence -
0:08:52 > 0:08:54photographs the suspect and his gang have
0:08:54 > 0:08:57taken of each other, boasting about their crimes.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02This particular offender is clearly living a champagne lifestyle.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Pictures of him and his friends in hotels,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08large amounts of money, a number of expensive watches.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12And we are looking to see whether we can identify any of the items
0:09:12 > 0:09:18that are on his pictures as to whether they are from different crime scenes around the south-east.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22There's still some police work to do but at this stage, it does
0:09:22 > 0:09:26appear that this suspect's bravado has been his final downfall.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31We are experts in what we do in terms of building conspiracies, and of course it's about layering.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34And one layer of information the police have found is
0:09:34 > 0:09:38CCTV of the burglary gang together at a petrol station
0:09:38 > 0:09:40near the scene of one of the crimes.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44They think they are being clever in that they hired a car
0:09:44 > 0:09:47so that there is no direct trace back to them,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49but what it does do, it gives us
0:09:49 > 0:09:53an evidential opportunity to show that they associate together,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57and when you look at the images from inside the filling station
0:09:57 > 0:09:59you can see all three of them together.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Any investigation is like a jigsaw puzzle.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06The more pieces of that jigsaw we get, the clearer the picture we can
0:10:06 > 0:10:10present to the Crown Prosecution Service and/or ultimately to a jury.
0:10:12 > 0:10:1887% of people who've been burgled say they've been emotionally affected by what happened.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21It's common to feel angry and shocked,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24and to be left feeling vulnerable in your own home.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30In Basildon in Essex, DC Alex Gartshore is on his way to an emergency call-out.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33He's been an officer for over 29 years
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and has seen the aftermath of many burglaries.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37Yeah, we got the call.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42Gentleman came home and seen the lounge had been turned upside-down.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Upstairs the bedrooms are all ransacked.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49There would appear to be jewellery missing, possibly some cash as well.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Pensioner Brian had just returned home
0:10:52 > 0:10:55when he spotted something was very wrong.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59I seen my front door latch was skewwhiff, it wasn't straight.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02And then when I come in, the first bit I see was all down here.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04They've tipped all the drawers and that out,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08and then my bedroom upstairs, it's in a right state.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10They've pulled everything out.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12I had a few thousand pounds in envelopes
0:11:12 > 0:11:16and they pulled everything out. I had it in between jumpers.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Brian's son Terry has come around to comfort his dad.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23He's shocked at the state of his parents' home.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28You can see...what they've done in here.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31He had a fair bit of gold, and the gold has gone.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33As you can see with the mess, we still haven't gone right through
0:11:33 > 0:11:37to find out what the last nitty-gritty has gone.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45Terry's devastated that the thieves have chosen to strike at this time.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48His mother Joan is in hospital having a hip replacement,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and the worry is taking its toll on Brian.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54I'm just gutted.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Gutted it's happened, and I just want him to hurry up
0:11:57 > 0:12:01and get back on track. My mum don't know nothing about it.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04We've got to try and keep it from her for a little while because she is so ill.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07It's upsetting. It's upsetting.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09There's got to be some stuff here gone
0:12:09 > 0:12:15that's gone way back from my mum's mum, her aunts, her mum...
0:12:15 > 0:12:18You get certain things through the family, through the years, passed down,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and it means more than what it's worth.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26And that... There's certain stuff here, it's not going to be replaced, ever.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Brian and Terry are still trying to work out what's missing.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Alex starts to take down a statement.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Your wife's jewellery box, you said there were sovereigns in there?
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Yeah, there was gold chains, sovereigns. Mounted sovereigns.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- How many sovereigns, do we think? - Three.- Three sovereigns?
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Although the burglars have taken quite a valuable
0:12:49 > 0:12:53collection of jewellery, it's the emotional impact of losing
0:12:53 > 0:12:56family treasures that has hurt Brian the most.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Things that can never be replaced.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02My mum's jewellery that I had, my dad's rings that I had,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04they're all gone.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07My mum had two sovereigns, my wife had her sovereign.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Me and my dad bought them down the gold market.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13We went down there and bought them the same day.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17So there is a lot of sentimental stuff there. I'm just gutted.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22Come home from seeing my wife in hospital, and found it like this.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25I'm still shaking now.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32Alex needs to work with the father and son
0:13:32 > 0:13:35to establish what forensic evidence there might be.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- So this window was actually open? - Yeah.
0:13:40 > 0:13:46I imagine he's climbed up on the bin with a view to sort of jemmy the window.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Amazingly, the burglars have left quite a clear footmark
0:13:49 > 0:13:54on the windowsill, and it's Alex's priority to preserve it.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58We've got a nice footprint there, so what I've done is put the wood over there.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02If you can make sure when the scenes of crime officer arrives you point that out to him.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06What I don't want to happen is, obviously if it rains or anything like that, for that to wash away.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09The scenes of crime officer is busy dealing with other
0:14:09 > 0:14:13incidents in the area, and can't come immediately,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16so Alex has to make sure that the evidence remains untouched.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19That would be collected by the scenes of crime officer when he arrives.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21He'll cover that over and lift that,
0:14:21 > 0:14:25and that'll be taken away as a complete lifting off the windowsill.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27And then if we get a suspect in custody, as you are aware,
0:14:27 > 0:14:32we always do the shoe prints for known burglars.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35That can be compared against those shoes.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41Alex leaves Brian and Terry in peace to try and come to terms with what's happened.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48The next morning, scenes of crime officer Leo Thompson arrives
0:14:48 > 0:14:51to discover what clues the thieves may have left behind.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54He heads straight to the footprint left on the windowsill.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01These are the gel lifters that we use for picking up footprints.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03It brings up all of the detail.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Combined with the photography,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09gives us a way of taking all this information away from the scene.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13The hope is that the footprint will match a known burglar
0:15:13 > 0:15:15already on the police database.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20You do get to know a lot of trainer prints.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24This one, unfortunately, isn't a whole trainer print,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28and it's a little bit smudged, but the people in the laboratory back
0:15:28 > 0:15:34at headquarters, they would be able to hopefully match it up accurately.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Although the footprint may be a great clue to discovering
0:15:36 > 0:15:40the identity of the burglar, Leo won't stop there.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45He spotted tool marks on the patio door and takes a cast of each one.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49You won't see much from that, but the slight damage that you can see
0:15:49 > 0:15:52here and here has all been recorded.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58That can be matched in a laboratory to a tool at a later date
0:15:58 > 0:16:01if we get a suspect or the tool that we think did it.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04With Leo's investigations outside finished,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08he comes into the house to check for clues in the bedroom,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11where the burglars have ransacked the normally tidy space.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Where I had my money was here.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18I had about ten or 12 Pringle jumpers there,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20and it was in amongst the jumpers.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22And they've just pull them out like that and...
0:16:25 > 0:16:30- Here's one of the envelopes. - The cash was in there, was it?
0:16:30 > 0:16:35There was one and a half in that one, some in my wife's book,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39that's gone, and I had a £3,000 envelope
0:16:39 > 0:16:44where I'd sort of added to it. I'd sort of build it up to that.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Once it got 3,000, it was a bit thick so I started another envelope.
0:16:48 > 0:16:54It's a risky business to store this amount of cash at home, and even if the crime is solved,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57it's unlikely that Brian will ever see his money again.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00But losing his wife's precious jewellery
0:17:00 > 0:17:02is what's really upsetting him.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07I mean, my wife's engagement ring, it would have still been on her finger,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10but because she has had two operations in the hospital,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and they won't allow jewellery on the person...
0:17:13 > 0:17:17The wedding ring she's got, because they tape that up and allow you to keep that,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20but her engagement ring was on the little cabinet upstairs.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22That's gone.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25But she's had that on her finger for 50-odd years.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31Although there's no way Leo can solve the crime immediately,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34he is happy with the evidence he's gathered.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38This crime scene has got potential, basically.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41It's not always possible to say at the time where things
0:17:41 > 0:17:49are going to go, but the tool marks are very good, they are good quality.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51The shoe print has got some potential.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54It really is a case of typing everything up,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57going back to the station, logging all the exhibits
0:17:57 > 0:18:01and then speaking to the burglary squad officers.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Leo may be hopeful about finding matches for the footprint
0:18:04 > 0:18:07and tool marks, but in the meantime, Brian has to deal with
0:18:07 > 0:18:12the heartache that the burglars have left behind.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Well, I would describe them as scum, aren't they?
0:18:15 > 0:18:20Come into a place and ransack the person's home.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24That's got to be with me for days, all this that I've got to clear up.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29I still feel a bit shaky, but not as bad as what I was last night.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36The victims of burglary often report that the worst part of the crime
0:18:36 > 0:18:40is the distress felt when they lose an item of huge sentimental value.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44And that's something one resident of Wimborne on the south coast
0:18:44 > 0:18:46wanted to shout from the rooftops about.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52HE CRIES: There is a town in Dorset, which you ought to know.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57The people are so friendly, as on their way they go.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01They might be friendly, but Chris Brown has reason to believe
0:19:01 > 0:19:04there's a bad apple determined to upset his town crying cart.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11In June 2012, he had his beloved bell stolen at the local folk festival.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16I was devastated.
0:19:16 > 0:19:22When I ring the bell, it's that point in time when my persona changes.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24It's like walking on stage.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28I did feel like, you know, I'd been kicked below the belt, really.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33And what's a town crier without his bell?
0:19:33 > 0:19:39- BELL RINGS - O yea! O yea!
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Fellow crier Owen Collier from Wootton Bassett knows better
0:19:42 > 0:19:45than most that without this essential piece of kit,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Chris had effectively lost his voice.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53To actually take the town crier's bell, I think it's a
0:19:53 > 0:19:58pretty mean trick, because it's the main tool of the trade.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01It's your badge of office, otherwise people don't know
0:20:01 > 0:20:04whether you are a mayor, a mace bearer, a sword bearer.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06It's like being a dentist without having a drill.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14Family man and former social worker Chris is a well-loved character about town.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Since moving to Wimborne with his family 15 years ago, he's thrown
0:20:18 > 0:20:23himself into community life, playing a vital role in the Mayor's office.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26I do believe it's an honour to represent the town
0:20:26 > 0:20:29and to hold a position like this.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33It's something I'm very, very proud of doing.
0:20:33 > 0:20:34There are some formal duties,
0:20:34 > 0:20:39so to protect and uphold the name of the town and the council,
0:20:39 > 0:20:44and as town sergeant as well, I hold the commission to raise
0:20:44 > 0:20:46a militia in the town.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49The town criers belong to a tight-knit community,
0:20:49 > 0:20:53and Chris's old friend Owen is one of his biggest fans.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56We appeared roughly on the town crier scene at the same time,
0:20:56 > 0:21:04about 2003. And we've both served our towns for 11 years.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09Chris is a great crier, he's got quite a distinctive voice.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Fiercely competitive on the competition circuit,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17but we can still go and enjoy a beer afterwards.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21And Chris is a popular DJ at Wimborne Folk Festival.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Every year he turns up in full town crier regalia,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26and, of course, brings his bell.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30It was the Friday evening that we'd got everything set up
0:21:30 > 0:21:32and ready to roll, and the gig had started.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35We had lots of really good musicians playing.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38But sadly, amongst the happy revellers, a party goer with
0:21:38 > 0:21:43an altogether different agenda was watching Chris's every move.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45I always carry my bell in a little satchel,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49and I always keep it with me. It's part of the act, as well.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54I took the bag off and just put it down underneath the table
0:21:54 > 0:21:57right next to the edge of the marquee.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02And as Chris went about his DJing, the sneaky thief seized their moment.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11By about 12.30 I was ready to go home and went for my bag
0:22:11 > 0:22:13and the bell, and it wasn't there.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19It just wasn't there. I was devastated, to be honest.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22This bell means a lot me, so it was really upsetting.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27But in a tent full of people who knew Chris and his bell,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30how did the cheeky culprit make their escape?
0:22:30 > 0:22:34I've got a suspicion whoever did it jumped up on the wall here
0:22:34 > 0:22:36and went over that fence,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40because that following morning, that fence was broken.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44I'm so well-known here and everybody is my friend, really,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46I didn't expect anything like this to happen.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54But this wasn't just the loss of something that meant a lot to Chris.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58The bell had an important historical value, too.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01It was from the First World War and it was a trench bell that was
0:23:01 > 0:23:06used for warning of gas attacks, and so it's particularly loud.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09It would have to be loud to overcome all the gunfire.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12And there aren't very many of them known to have survived.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16And Chris wasn't the only one to miss his special bell.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19It's been with me now for over ten years,
0:23:19 > 0:23:24and I've been all around Europe with it, and my children have helped me
0:23:24 > 0:23:28ring the bell on many occasions, and so it's really part of the family.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Determined to get his beloved bell back,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Chris started shouting as loudly as he could about his loss.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40I phoned the police and they said, "Go around and see
0:23:40 > 0:23:44"if you can put the word out, but make it as obvious and public as you can.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47"You know, the harder it is to sell it on,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49"the more likely you are to get it back."
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Chris tried battle re-enactment groups, auction houses, and antique dealers.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57And, as a part-time DJ with his own radio show,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00he used the airwaves to make the local community aware, too.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Some of you may have heard already, but I had my bell stolen at the Wimborne Folk Festival
0:24:04 > 0:24:11and I'd like you all to keep your eyes and ears open for it. It very distinctive.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13The folk of Wimborne all rallied round,
0:24:13 > 0:24:17and Chris's town sergeant powers of raising a militia actually came into being.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21With the invention of social network media,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25I started using those sites and putting up photographs,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29and a lot of people were reposting it, so there was a lot
0:24:29 > 0:24:33of public support and a lot of newspapers and the radio helped me.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36It was brilliant the way everybody supported me
0:24:36 > 0:24:39and worked hard to try and get it back.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41But the bell was still missing,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45and Chris began to wonder if what he thought of initially as a prank
0:24:45 > 0:24:49was actually a more serious bid to earn the thief some money.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Some of the people that are stealing stuff at the moment, they don't
0:24:52 > 0:24:56know the true value of things, and they'll melt down anything.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59The value of it is what it is and the history with it.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03But without any information coming forward from local scrap
0:25:03 > 0:25:06metal dealers, Chris's search was no further on.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09After ten days I had given up, you know.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13If it was going to come back, I think it would have come back fairly quickly.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17But just as Chris was about to throw in his town crying towel,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20his old friend Owen came to the rescue.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23I parked my car outside the house.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26As I walked past Chris's car that was parked on the drive,
0:25:26 > 0:25:30my wife said to me, "There is Chris's bell and bag."
0:25:32 > 0:25:38So I picked up the leather bag and the bell and brought it in.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41And I said, "This is what I've just found under your car."
0:25:42 > 0:25:45I was shaking, I was physically shaking.
0:25:45 > 0:25:51I had that tingling up my spine, and I thought, "Crikey, this is unreal."
0:25:51 > 0:25:52It's absolutely unreal.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57I don't think he thought in a million years that he would ever recover it.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Obviously somebody had a conscience and returned it.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04And it might have been thanks to some business cards
0:26:04 > 0:26:07left inside his bag, that Chris's bell was delivered
0:26:07 > 0:26:12to his home for a reunion - a full 16 days after it'd gone missing.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18O yea!
0:26:18 > 0:26:23There used to be a railway, sadly it is no longer there,
0:26:23 > 0:26:30but there is a town crier who stands proudly in the square.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33It was amazing, an absolutely incredible feeling.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35I really, really never thought I'd see it again.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Ding a ling, Chris! What a result.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45There's just time for an update on today's stories.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48In Hertfordshire, DS Kerry Bull and his team
0:26:48 > 0:26:53secured a two-year prison sentence for the burglar they arrested.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55The prolific thief was convicted of three burglaries
0:26:55 > 0:26:59and his two accomplices received prison sentences, too.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03One got two and a half years, and the other got three.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07The main suspect has agreed to take part in Hertfordshire's
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Choices And Consequences programme - the first of its kind in the country.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14It offers career criminals the chance to break free
0:27:14 > 0:27:17from a life of crime by admitting all past offences
0:27:17 > 0:27:20and undertaking an extensive rehabilitation regime.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23The court then decides if their sentence should be deferred.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27If you understand why they have got into crime,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30and you understand what triggers make them commit crime,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33then you can come up with a plan to try and turn them
0:27:33 > 0:27:36away from crime and break that offending cycle.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40In Basildon, Essex, the burglar's footprint sadly hasn't led to
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Brian being reunited with his stolen family jewellery or his money.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48But he has taken the opportunity to upgrade the security at his home
0:27:48 > 0:27:51and no longer keeps cash at his house.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53And in the case of the Wimborne town crier,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57the culprit was never found, but Chris Brown has a few
0:27:57 > 0:28:00words of warning for whoever stole his beloved bell.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03You were a bit of a naughty scallywag, weren't you?
0:28:03 > 0:28:07And I hope you don't do that sort of thing to anybody else again.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09That's all from us today. We'll see you next time.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd