Episode 10 Oxford Street Revealed

It's the most famous shopping street in the world,

in the heart of Britain's capital city.

A mile and a half long, with 30 million visitors each year.

With some of the world's most famous shops, biggest stars...

-Kate Moss!

-Whoo!

..and busiest stations.

Sorry, guys, stand back for me.

What does it take to keep it running 24 hours a day...

Busiest street in the world so it needs constant attention.

..seven days a week?

Right, clear off!

You're going to be arrested on suspicion of attempted theft.

Are you ready, London?

A street that never sleeps.

This sort of thing wouldn't happen anywhere else.

Coming up - fare dodgers on Oxford Street.

What you've done there's an offence.

Disputes break out...

BLEEP!

..as ticket inspectors crack down.

Is there any reason why you didn't buy your own ticket?

It's jingle bells for a new Christmas musical.

SIRENS BLARE

And opening night's a riot.

Well, I'm concerned. That sleigh could become a target.

How a high street chain helps the homeless...

You're just giving them what you're going to throw in the dustbin.

..and we saddle up with the mounted police.

Quick as you can, across the road, thank you.

Oxford Street sees some 250 buses pass down it an hour.

And its four Tube stations are some of the busiest on the network.

Most of the millions of shoppers and commuters who come to the street

on public transport pay their way...

Lovely, thank you.

..but there are some that don't.

Fare evasion is estimated to cost Transport For London

more than £70 million a year.

Catching and stopping evaders has become a priority.

And TfL now employs 500 inspectors across London's Tube and bus network.

It's a difficult job, with staff regularly facing surliness,

antagonism, or even worse.

Working Bond Street and Oxford Circus Tube stations today,

Scott Waring and Dan Middleherst are in plain clothes

and keeping a close eye out for evaders.

There's no set, erm, description of a fare evader.

It could be anyone, it could be everyone.

They're here to spot people doubling through the barriers.

But they've also set them to flash and identify people

going through using discounted fares.

Passes with discounts are the most commonly misused.

This man has a valid armed services veterans card,

entitling him to free travel.

He matches the photo on the card

but, just a few moments later, Dan has stopped another man,

with a disabled pass, who doesn't.

Have you got any proof of ID with you?

Just cos your photograph's really erm...

-It's your brother's?

-Yeah.

-Why are you using your brother's?

OK, just come back through, I'll ask you some questions, yeah,

we won't be long.

The man admits he's using a disabled Freedom Pass

that belongs to someone else.

On the buses, anyone without a ticket is at fault.

On the Tube, inspectors have to prove intent to evade a fare,

and so they like to ask some questions.

You're being reported for the offence of fare evasion.

You're not under arrest. You're not obliged to remain with me,

-you're free to leave if you wish to go.

-OK, yeah.

-OK, do you understand the caution?

-Yeah, fine.

You can, yeah.

OK. We may need to call you in for another interview further.

So you understand the facts will be reported, yeah?

-You may be prosecuted for this.

-OK, fine.

Inspectors aren't police, and can't detain people to question them,

but the man has already admitted the offence.

He's using a disabled Freedom Pass. It's pretty worn,

looks like it's been through the washing machine a few times.

It's not an ideal situation

because I'd rather continue interviewing him,

about where he got the pass,

how long he's been using it. Erm...

But, unfortunately, it's his right to leave.

So he's exercised that right to leave.

Soon after, Dan spots someone trying to double their way

through the ticket gates, behind someone else,

to avoid paying.

See what you've done there is an offence.

The man seems to see the funny side of things.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

If you would've had a valid ticket, you wouldn't be in this trouble now, would you?

-I know.

-And you'd still be getting her number.

-Yeah.

This man's brief encounter has ended up costing him at least £40.

With an annual Tube travel card costing up to £3,336 a year,

the temptation to take advantage of free or discounted rates is strong.

Scott has stopped another man using someone else's student pass.

Why are you using your sister's ticket?

But the ticket's not transferable,

it's solely for your sister to use, because it's a discounted ticket.

You're not entitled to discounted travel, are you?

-No.

-So do you agree

that you've avoided the full fare for your journey this morning?

Dan and Scott have caught three people evading already this morning,

but all three have taken it on the chin.

However, above ground, on the buses,

things are not so straightforward for Lincoln Stuart and Beata Wall.

You haven't got a valid ticket for your journey,

so what I need to do is take some details.

This couple have only one validated Oyster card between them,

but the woman claims the driver told them to board anyway.

Beata wants to check at the next stop,

but before she gets the chance...

Unfortunately... Hello, sir? I need to, erm...

..they get off.

Yeah, I'm not supposed to follow people off the bus.

It's illegal to refuse to provide your details to a bus inspector,

but they have no powers to detain you.

All I'm going to do is submit a report to TfL, and this card.

And, hopefully, they'll be able to obtain details at a later date.

They might have got off, but if the Oyster card is registered,

TfL may soon be in touch.

Later, for the revenue inspectors,

it's disgruntled customers...

She stormed off the bus, stomping her feet.

..aggression...

BLEEP!

..and even worse.

Pushed his way through the gates so there's bite marks.

Christmas comes early to Oxford Street.

And, at the Dominion Theatre, this year, it's even earlier than usual.

October, to be exact.

In ten days' time, the theatre's biggest show of the year opens -

a musical version of the hit Hollywood movie Elf,

starring Girls Aloud's Kimberley Walsh.

Rehearsals are entering their final phases,

and the show will open with a gala press performance.

Everything needs to be perfect.

HE GIVES INSTRUCTIONS

David Pearson is the theatre's general manager.

On opening night, it's tradition, it's the press night.

Erm, so this is the night all the press come and they review the show.

So everybody, from our front of house staff,

through to our box office staff, everybody is focused

on making sure the experience is great for the audience.

The man with the most at stake, is the show's producer Michael Rose.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-Good to see you, good to see you.

So we need to do a walk-round this morning, erm, regarding press night.

OK. We know we're going to get some top celebrities, in fact,

we're being bombarded with requests

because of the sort of show that it is.

And I think most of the Girls Aloud people are coming to see Kimberley.

Erm... Along with a whole host of other celebrities

that I would have to kill you if I told you about.

To get the theatre looking good for the opening,

they've hired a team of specialist Christmas decorators

to sprinkle a bit of magic in the foyer.

What we're going to do here,

is we're going to have two trees right up the top there,

by the champagne bar, either side.

A wreath is going to go just above that, a 4ft wreath.

Then, on the stairway, on both sides,

we're going to have a swag garland.

Right, let's get cracking. Let's get it done.

I basically bring Christmas to all interiors, anywhere.

Everything is obviously tested at the workshop

before we come to the site.

So I'm confident that it's all going to light up.

He-e-ey!

-Keep on moving it... Stop.

-"Stop", yeah?

And no celebrity premiere would be complete

without the instant glamour of a red carpet.

This might be a bit of a long process.

The carpet might be laid,

but it's in danger from a meteorological condition.

And it isn't snow.

We're just thinking, shall we just put a tape in here? No.

Well, because of the rain, the tape won't stick obviously.

It won't stick down if it's wet, no, but if you...

-if it's against the rails, we should be OK.

-Yeah.

Erm...took a lot of work to get it right, but, yeah... Success.

Success, Dave!

The show doesn't start for another two hours,

but already the fans are getting in place.

And there's one person in particular they're hoping to see.

Waiting for Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, so...

I love Cheryl.

No, I do! I'm obsessed.

In the foyer, the excitement is reaching fever pitch.

Usually, with nights like tonight,

you don't really know who's going to be coming in. So it is quite...

I think I've got the best shift here in the whole building.

Although I've been told I'm not allowed on the red carpet.

But, I suppose, no-one wants to take a picture of me anyway,

so there you go.

The celebrities and public begin arriving.

There are presenters,

TV doctors,

I haven't felt Christmas-y up until this point...

-Right now.

-..and, now suddenly, I'm kind of like...

-Literally, right now.

-..I'm thinking about presents, Santa...

-Tinsel.

And even a Spice Girl.

-Hello, mate.

-Hello, gorgeous, how you doing? Mwah! You well?

Good evening, stalls straight ahead, circle up the stairs.

Just about to start the show.

Got to get them all inside.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you could carry on inside,

the show will begin in about 31 seconds!

-Hiya.

-Hey, how you doing?

Right, so it's down the middle aisle, on the left-hand side.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

pixies and elves, welcome to this performance of Elf: The Musical.

It's going very well.

It's been a bit hectic but we're doing all right.

But staff are still waiting for some expected celebrities.

FANS SHOUT

I think Cheryl's arrived.

The show started a few minutes ago, but she's arrived now.

-Cheryl!

-Cheryl!

-Cheryl!

I'm so sorry.

Missed a little bit of it, but she'll be on in time for

Kimberley's first scene, so that's the main thing.

It was worth it, to see her.

And if she stops after then it'll be worth it. If not, then maybe not.

Cos I'm a bit cold.

When I say "a bit", I'm literally freezing.

With Cheryl and Nicola Roberts taking their seats,

it should be time for the team to relax a bit,

but, today, they can't.

They've got two more celebrities on their way for a major photoshoot.

Later, Rudolph's ready,

but will an anti-capitalist riot dampen the Christmas spirit?

Hello.

The problem of homelessness and rough sleeping is a complex one,

but Oxford Street suffers its fair share.

On the street itself, a concerted effort by local police

and support groups has moved most rough sleepers away.

-Begging? No.

-Don't beg.

But there's a continuing problem at Marble Arch, at the West End.

It's Oxford Street's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, that.

Can't be kipping up there, mate.

We've seen before the problem with Eastern European rough sleepers,

newly arrived at the UK, congregating at the Marble Arch landmark

because it's where their coaches first stop in central London.

As you can see, we have a problem.

PC Andy Pescot, ward officer for the area, has fought a long,

and, at times, fraught,

battle to keep this famous landmark clear for people to enjoy.

This is the tourist hub

and this is where we've got to be seen to enforce it,

more than anywhere else.

And the holiday makers, local businesses and local residents

don't want to see 50 to 60 Roma Gypsies sitting at Marble Arch

with all their bedding, suitcases and the litter,

urination and defecation that comes with that.

SIRENS SOUND

He's just had word that yesterday a coach arrived

and dropped off another sizeable group of people

who are staying in the park.

The name of the person you are...

He wants to move them on using 48-hour dispersal notices

to ban them from the area.

Today, he's not on his own.

We've had reports that there is an increased number

congregating in that area.

Myself, a number of other officers, along with Westminster City Council,

the cleaning team and two remaining police officers

are going to be going up to Marble Arch.

..for them to understand...

The Romanian police will act as translators.

I'm going to explain to them why I'm doing what I'm doing,

the grounds, the reasons and what will happen if they breach it.

Andy heads out.

I've been reliably informed that, at the moment,

there's approximately 20 Roma Gypsy sat at Marble Arch.

So we'll see what we got when we get there.

On arrival, the group of rough sleepers have congregated

in the park.

And are surrounded by their belongings.

Andy gets to work.

Looks like they're washing.

Come with me! Over here!

-HE SHOUTS:

-Where's she going?

You! Back!

Back!

The scale of the problem is immediately apparent.

There's a lot of mess and it will all need cleaning up.

Speaks for itself, doesn't it? It speaks volumes. Disgusting.

Disgusting. A tourist attraction, the middle of London.

Over here, now!

So I'm going to take authority on this now.

-OK. Shout when I shout, OK?

-OK.

-ANDY SHOUTS:

-Listen in!

POLICE OFFICER SPEAKS IN ROMANIAN

Everybody, get your documents.

Your travel document and your ID card out now! Over here.

And keep them in the air till an officer collects them.

Recently arrived people from EU member states

have the right to live and work in the UK,

but they don't have the right to sleep rough at famous landmarks,

as they're about to find out.

-OK, ready, guys?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

Listen to what I am telling you.

Due to ongoing antisocial behaviour, caused by you as a group...

POLICE OFFICER TRANSLATES IN ROMANIAN

..by rough sleeping in large numbers in doorways,

by urinating and defecating in public places,

and by begging on the streets for two days...

POLICE OFFICER TRANSLATES

..there is a dispersal in place.

If you return, you will be liable to arrest.

We are no longer tolerating your behaviour.

The news sinks in with the group.

Either conform to treaty rights, or leave.

Meanwhile, Andy takes an interest in one particular woman.

Why are you back in England?

Some time ago, he found her in breach of her EU treaty right,

having failed to integrate, or get a job or accommodation.

He had her removed from the UK,

but now she's back.

How many times have you been in England now?

-SHE SPEAKS ROMANIAN

-Four times.

-Four times?

You understand treaty rights, you've been removed before.

You cannot keep coming here.

As you can see,

my colleagues are currently issuing the section 35 dispersals.

We've highlighted the complete area in which the dispersal applies to,

so there can be no confusion

as to which areas they can and cannot enter.

Many Roma people say they come to the UK

to escape prejudice and hardship in their own country.

They say they also find it hard to get work

because their English is often poor.

While PC Pescot gives out dispersal notices,

the other teams he's brought with him get busy doing their bit...

SHE SPEAKS ROMANIAN

..including Stephen Large, the environmental manager for the area.

It's a famous landmark

and it's literally just being mashed with the amount of litter,

the bedding, the aggressive begging that we have here.

It's just endless. And, you know,

we need something done about it really.

But, as the clean team do their stuff,

on the far side of the square,

one woman feels her bag is being taken in the clean up.

SHE SPEAKS ROMANIAN

-A small bag?

-Yeah, yeah, a small bag.

-What colour is it?

THEY SPEAK ROMANIAN

Think they've chucked the bag in.

She's got it now.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, thank you.

Finally, after an hour and a half, the park is cleared

but Andy's concerned where the rough sleepers will go next.

Just for your information,

we've dispersed approximately 20 Roma for 48 hours.

Unfortunately for yourselves,

it looks like they're all heading into Hyde Park.

I have informed the police officers in the park,

so you make sure you tell all your friends

they are to come out of Hyde Park.

POLICE OFFICERS CONFER OVER RADIO

If they leave any bags in the bushes,

we will remove those bags and destroy them.

CLEAN UP TEAM CHATTER

It's not a pleasant job for Andy,

but some local workers want him to know how they feel about the problem.

I just work in the office here and I see them everyday.

I was really happy to see that today,

-you're getting rid of them, hopefully.

-Glad we can help.

I'm really glad and I hope you'll be able to get rid of them.

-Good luck.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

For Andy, it's been a successful operation.

As you can see, behind me,

it's now clear of Roma Gypsy bags and rubbish.

When we first arrived, it was appalling.

And, for 48 hours at least,

people can sit here and enjoy the location, enjoy their lunches

without the rubbish,

without everything else that goes along with it,

the antisocial behaviour.

Revenue inspectors are still hunting for fare evaders

on Oxford Street's buses and Tube stations.

They've already stopped a number of people

travelling without valid tickets

and made themselves unpopular in certain quarters in the process.

Also working the Oxford Street buses today

are Miles Chambers and Rennick Cox

but on the top deck of one bus they think they've been spotted.

The man in the leather jacket got off the bus in a hurry

when he saw the inspectors get on.

And when they get off at the next stop the man is there.

He takes exception to our camera.

-Don't point the camera! Don't

-BLEEP

-point it at me!

-Calm down.

Are you stupid or what?

I'll smash it. Want me to smash it?

-I'll smash your

-BLEEP

-camera.

-Leave man alone, he ain't done nothing!

-I'm telling you!

Leave him alone, you stupid man.

That's what we come across on a day-to-day basis.

Miles and Rennick laugh the incident off

but it's an all-too-regular occurrence.

Recent figures show a 44% rise in workplace assaults

suffered by train and bus staff since 2011

and the revenue inspectors are all too often at the sharp end.

I would say we get it quite often

but, in terms of the opposite side of the scale,

so the really friendly customers,

I'd say they outweigh that type of male.

Transport for London take a zero-tolerance approach

to staff harassment of any sort.

Underground revenue inspector Dan knows

all about the kind of aggression he and his team can face.

Recently, having stopped someone for dodging his fair,

he was subjected to a vicious assault.

Pushed his way through the gates and then, er, proceeded to kick off.

There's a couple of the images of the bite marks

and the resulting bruising.

They show you the state of my fleece.

Stuff that you have to go through as well,

you know, you have to be tested for HIV and, erm...

hepatitis as well.

And then you have to have a six-month checkup again after,

so, yeah, it just gives you an idea of sometimes how the job can...

you know, one minute can be OK and then it turns.

The man who assaulted him was later given a 14-month prison sentence.

Back on patrol, Dan's hoping for a quieter evening.

On the other side of the station,

Scott has stopped another man using a Freedom Pass that isn't his.

-Where did you get the Freedom Pass?

-Found it on the floor.

So do you accept by using the Freedom Pass

-you're avoiding the fare for your journey?

-Yeah.

The pass entitles a pensioner to free travel.

It can now be returned to its rightful owner.

The man's details are taken

and he leaves.

He'll be expecting a letter from TfL shortly.

The ticket has got an expiry date of 31 March 2020, so, potentially,

if we hadn't have stopped him today, he could have been using that

until that time.

But Dan and Scott suspect the man might have been using

the pass for a long time.

They want to investigate further, and head to the station's control room.

-Er, Gate 75.

-There he is.

-Yeah.

-Is that him?

-I'm sure that was him.

They can see when the pass was used

and, with over 200 cameras in the station,

they can see him every time he's used it.

-There he is. Yeah.

-It's him in the baseball cap?

-Yeah.

Their investigations show the man has indeed been trying to

pass himself off as a pensioner for some time,

saving himself significant amounts of money.

He said to me, under caution, that he'd been using it

for about two weeks, so that would tie in with that as well.

Dan and Scott below ground and Miles and Rennick above

continue their shifts long into the evening.

I did actually put the card on the thing.

But it obviously didn't go through

because that must have blocked it, so it was a pure accident.

I'm going to have to issue you with a penalty fare, OK?

She actually stormed off the bus, stomping her feet as she got off.

Every day dealing with fare evaders is a challenge

but they think they've been successful.

We've had a few happy customers, a few...disgruntled customers,

but overall we've provided a... a good service.

So it shows you the type of people you can come across

on the lovely, lovely Oxford Street.

At the Dominion Theatre,

it's opening night for West End Christmas show Elf: The Musical.

The celebrities have arrived.

And the show's up and running.

But while the performance is going on, staff are getting ready

for a key promotional event at the front of the theatre.

We'll prepare the reindeer.

Right, so I need to pull into there, don't I?

Nobody really knows about them, so I think it's going to be a surprise

as people leave the theatre and see those reindeers outside.

I think it's going to be quite special.

We've come from near Market Harbour,

where we have a farm with a herd of reindeer, erm,

and we're go to take the leading lady and the leading man

to an afterparty and a press night.

To get to the afterparty, the reindeer and sleigh

will need to travel to the other end of Oxford Street.

Problem is, the show organisers didn't count on the fact

there's an anti-capitalist protest happening just a mile and a half away

which threatens to spread to Oxford Street.

Well, we have got the Million Mask March

which is going on as well, this evening.

And there is still potential for some disorder.

Erm, which could spill over to where we are.

If it is going to affect us,

what I'm concerned about is that that sleigh could become a target.

By 10pm the show's over and the audience spills out.

Absolutely amazing, loved every second of it.

It couldn't have gone better tonight,

it's just a magical atmosphere.

I'm just so relieved!

But, outside, the reindeer ride is causing concern.

Right, OK.

So we just need to have a word with them, because we've been said, yes,

we can do this, but we need to do it now.

Right, OK.

Right, from our control room, he's happy for it to go ahead

but it has to happen now, or very, very soon.

-Right, OK.

-But we can do it now, but if we do it we've got to do it now.

David makes a big decision.

We're not going down Oxford Street, we're going to go around the corner and that's it.

Brilliant. I'll let them know.

Life on Oxford Street, eh?

With the decision made to divert from Oxford Street,

theatre staff can relax at least a bit.

But they've still got to wait for stars Kimberley Walsh

and Ben Forster to appear.

So we're going ahead in five minutes.

The real stars of the show make their appearance bang on time.

These two are my most experienced reindeer.

-Excuse me.

-Oh. Excuse me.

-Excuse me, please.

We're just waiting for the stars, for our passengers,

but that's fine, we can do that, we can still create the spectacle,

and that's what we're going to do.

Good boy. Good boy.

-Do we know how soon we'll be ready to move off?

-I'll find out now.

Oh, right, cos I'll update them. All right, thanks.

-They're on their way.

-They're on the way?

All right, excellent, thanks.

-They're on the way now.

-Right.

As soon as she comes down, they'll move off onto the road,

we're going to follow, and then we'll hold the traffic back

while they make progress up the road.

Another five minutes? OK, I'll let them know.

I've just decided the reindeer are going to get in the sleigh

and Kimberley and Ben are going to pull them.

For taking so long.

A lady will always keep you waiting.

But, just when everyone was about to give up,

show stars Ben Forster and Kimberley Walsh appear.

Oh, well. Greatest of plans and all that. We got there.

-I think they all walked away getting excited for Christmas, and that's all we wanted, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's really quite exciting. I want to go pet the reindeers.

-Me too.

I'm going to go pet the reindeers.

Where's the red nose? I want to see his red nose.

And, with that, they're away,

bringing a little Christmas magic as they dash through the rain.

See you, then, everybody. Bye!

On the little bit, Charlie, on the little bit.

Having a lead reindeer gives them the herd instinct,

it's following the tail of the one in front, so...all's going well.

The cast and crew can head on to the afterparty,

the paparazzi hot on their heels.

-I've already done it!

-Can I get a quick picture?

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

It's probably the shortest one we've ever done, four minutes, no more.

-Hi, Kimberley!

-Bye! Love you!

And the reindeer can head home to Market Harborough,

or is it the North Pole?

Last chance of a drink till we get home.

No?

Everyone's safe, everyone's going home, so...

Community is safe, community reassured.

Oh, it's been brilliant for us.

It's gone really well, the audience loved it,

they were all up on their feet at the end, 100% standing ovation.

We couldn't get the whole run of Oxford Street

but, hey, that's show business and that's Oxford Street.

What a bizarre business we work in.

Teeming with crowds and with traffic frequently at a standstill,

Oxford Street isn't the easiest place to police.

Sometimes you need more speed than a foot patrol,

more versatility than a car and an extra-high vantage point.

At Great Scotland Yard stables in central London, PC Kate Cornish

is getting police horse Merlin ready for a day's work -

patrolling Oxford Street.

Just likes his melons in the morning!

Merlin is one of the Metropolitan Police's most experienced horses.

Today he and Kate will be patrolling with PC Helen Ridge,

riding one of their newest recruits.

This is Raleigh, police horse number 37.

And he's been my horse for three months.

Raleigh's completed six months' training but has little experience

of the crowds and noise he'll see today on Oxford Street.

Today is crucial to see how he copes

before he'll be allowed on more serious crowd operations.

Well, what we really hope from Raleigh today is that he...

doesn't get stressed out by it. He's a young boy.

He's seen a few bits and pieces but he hasn't had a proper good

patrol up in Oxford Street, which is a totally different ball game.

Now numbering 120 horses,

the Mounted Branch is the oldest part of the Metropolitan Police.

Riders and horses have seen their roles change,

from chasing down highwaymen in the past

to policing football matches today.

Apart from keeping them calm, one of the biggest challenges is

manoeuvring the animals through the street.

Ladies and gents, if you can just excuse us.

If you just wait there for us, sir, thank you very much.

Sir, if you can just wait to the side for us, thank you.

Just move over to the side, please. Thank you very much.

Side roads negotiated, Raleigh can finally get his first taste

of Europe's busiest shopping street.

He needs to stay calm and composed.

Can you just hold still for me a second?

-Sorry, I've just got a young horse. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Thank you.

The mounted division might be an impressive sight,

but their job goes far beyond that.

Such a big, visible presence,

and therefore a deterrent to anyone looking to...

Stand still, stand still. Good boy, good lad.

..anyone looking to commit crime.

It's not just potential thieves who can spot the horses.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Hello.

Hello.

Do you want to know his name?

Tourists love them and, amid the street's hubbub,

the animals provide a reassuring presence.

I'm six foot three and they're bigger than me, and it's sort of...

Not that I'm a crazy person at all

but it sort of calms you down, I think. Yeah.

So far, Raleigh's coping well with the myriad distractions of Oxford Street.

One big part of their training is that they have to be able to

stand still, with lots of people around them, football,

with traffic going past,

and, for a horse, that's one of the hardest things to do.

Standing outside John Lewis,

the horses soon attract a small crowd of admirers.

Hello.

One of the advantages of the horses

is this kind of community interaction.

And with an attentive audience Helen doesn't waste the opportunity

to dispense some crime-prevention advice.

Folks, when you're walking up and down, just be careful

with your phones and your bags, OK, girls?

Raleigh isn't being so helpful.

He's just eaten someone's poppy.

Well, he's ripped it off and spat it out.

But it's not just photographs and petting.

A tourist has spotted Helen and wants to report the theft of his wallet.

-So how much is missing?

-No document but just cash.

-Right, OK.

Who was it, what did they look like?

It's the first day, I am really bad luck,

and when I come here I have some money been stolen.

The theft only happened half an hour ago.

Helen circulates his description.

Thank you.

It's a male of Middle Eastern appearance in his 50s,

large to fat build.

Thank you very much.

Report made,

and after ten minutes of standing still Raleigh is getting restless.

Time to move on.

Ladies and gents, if you can just make us a gap, thank you,

we're just coming through here. Thank you so much.

As well as Oxford Street,

the patrol covers many of the West End's other tourist hot spots.

At Trafalgar Square the officers are stopped again by a man,

who wants to report someone behaving suspiciously with a lamppost.

-Down on the pavement, right, it's a lamppost on the pavement.

-Right, OK.

Member of the public's just come up and stated that they've seen a male

open one of the lampposts outside the Canadian Embassy,

appear to insert something electronic and then walk off.

Other officers later followed up the report

but found nothing threatening.

It's been a long day for the horses, particularly new boy Raleigh.

But there's one final challenge for him

before he can go back to the stables.

He's got to cross the busy Oxford Circus junction

at the centre of Oxford Street.

It's probably the ultimate test, lots of buses.

I can see an ambulance coming towards us on blues and twos.

Both horses need reassurance but they cross safely.

Ladies and gents, quick as you can across the road, thank you.

Outstanding for a horse his age and the amount of times he's been out on the street.

I'm really pleased with him. Absolutely fantastic.

The patrol is finished for the day, so they make their way back to base.

Horses are still critical to London's policing

and Raleigh's development is coming on apace.

He'll spend the next decade supporting officers

and patrolling Oxford Street.

We've seen already that rough sleeping

and homelessness is a problem on and around Oxford Street.

Westminster borough has the highest number of rough sleepers

anywhere in the country.

And dozens of people spend the nights in the streets' doorways or alleys.

Many are reliant on charity.

It might seem a far cry from the restaurants

and cafes of Oxford Street

but one sandwich chain is doing its bit to help address the issue.

Since 2006, Pret A Manger has collected unsold food

that would otherwise be wasted and donated it to feed the homeless.

Tonight, their driver, David Rogers,

is doing the charity food collection from their Oxford Street shops.

The homeless people in London, it's just rising and rising and rising.

When I first started, we were only collecting...12 shops

and probably doing four charities, where now 90% of the Pret shops

get collected either by us or by volunteers from charities.

It's 11pm and the ten Pret shops along Oxford Street

have closed for the day.

It's David's job to pay them all a visit,

collect the un-purchased food and deliver it to local charities.

We're already in the straight to the end of Oxford Street here now.

At the beginning... Ah, it's shut.

HE LAUGHS

They've shut the road

because they want to put the Christmas decorations up, so...

diversions.

David's already behind schedule.

Oxford Street's no easier to negotiate at night than in the day.

Very busy tonight, very, very busy.

David makes his way to the first shop.

He never knows what will be left over for him.

Few nice salads.

You've got salad, sandwich, today actually a full selection for you.

Yeah, yeah, there's a full selection today.

David collects 70 items from this shop.

Last year the company donated over three million in total.

Are they freebies?

No.

It doesn't take David long to get in and out of the next few shops

but, as he parks up for the fifth,

he's confronted by the reality of homelessness in the area.

There's probably about... six, seven over there.

I couldn't imagine it being very comfortable out there, you know?

Back on the road, and by 2am David's nearly finished.

Right, this one's the last shop of the night.

We could hit the record for the night.

We've definitely gone past the last couple of shops.

91.

That is a lot.

As he loads the van, two men introduce themselves.

They say they've both been homeless in the past

and have benefited from the programme.

But Bernard thinks that the homeless aren't treated with enough dignity.

You're giving them sandwiches that you can't sell.

You see? And you're getting praise for it, yeah,

that you're helping the homeless, but you're not really.

You're just giving them what you're going to throw in the dustbin.

-His friend Edward sees it a little differently.

-When we were...

-It's better coming into my belly than it's going into the bin.

-Yeah.

On behalf of all people like me, I'll say a big thank you.

-It fills the gap.

-It does, it fills the gap all through the night.

Thanks to Pret, yeah?

You generally think, like, we're all lucky

cos we sleep in a bed, you know,

but these guys sleep on the pavement in the freezing cold,

so, yeah, it is really nice when they thank you.

It's time to take what he's collected

to the people who've been waiting for it.

First up, David makes his way to a Salvation Army hostel

in south London.

-Hello, sir.

-You all right?

And then on to the Cardinal Hume hostel for young people in Victoria.

-You all right?

-Hello.

Sorry we're late. Are they all in bed now?

Many of the youngsters here have waited

until after 2am for their evening meal.

The residents depend on this, really. It mean a lot to them.

It's a similar story at the Passage hostel,

many of whose residents have in the past slept rough on Oxford Street.

Here, John and Wojciech

have been waiting patiently for some sustenance.

I was in the Army and, erm... I'm just...

Now I'm waiting to move on into some sort of accommodation.

I live in this hostel from June this year.

I'm fighting with my dependency,

I'm sober for five months,

with one lapse, one-day lapse,

and...I'm doing well.

Let's go through to the dining room.

Everyone does need to eat and that, and, like you say,

some of the people in this hostel and that,

they don't have their main meals and that

and the only free meal they do get are the Pret sandwiches, so...

I mean, it is a godsend.

You all right? How you doing?

John and Wojciech both have their favourites.

Er...

I like the duck wraps.

Erm...

Why don't you have enough ham and pickle?

Erm...

I don't know if it's in there.

-They are the best.

-Yeah.

Yeah, I like... I like the duck wrap.

I'll have this one.

New one.

We certainly couldn't afford to make those things ourself,

so it's something people look forward to,

rely on, it's fresh, good food that's available to people

who don't have to go rummaging in bins, you know,

and they keep their dignity, and that's very important.

Since I moved into the hostel I've put a lot of weight on!

For David it's the end of the night and a job well done.

I just hope on our side of things

that we get bigger and bigger and bigger

and that we can help more people.

I'm just happy that there is someone doing it,

because homeless people need some kind of help to get in charities

and, you know, get a bit of food.

Pret aren't the only ones doing something about surplus food.

Major UK supermarkets and other food chains now donate at least

some of what they used to throw away.

For the homeless of Oxford Street and around London, it's a life-saver.