Traffic Cops S15E05 (12 Dec 2016)
Traffic Cops S15E05 (12 Dec 2016)
Transcript
00:00Britain's roads have become the front line in the fight against crime and disorder,
00:06from organised criminal gangs to the nation's worst drivers.
00:11And catching those using our streets to break the law
00:15is the job of the traffic cops.
00:17We can't let it stop.
00:19Do not resist.
00:20First, first, first.
00:22Chase it on foot.
00:23We'll chase them and we'll get hold of them.
00:25We'll go wherever we need to go to stop you.
00:28Tonight on Traffic Cops, high speed...
00:31It's a crash, crash, crash.
00:33..car thieves...
00:34Shut up, you're locked up, pal.
00:36Theft of motor vehicle.
00:37..career criminals...
00:39There's actually probably up to a grand worth of stuff here.
00:42..and those who won't go down without a fight.
00:49Welcome to Yorkshire, one of the biggest beats in Britain.
00:54From urban sprawl to the Yorkshire Dales,
00:57where every day the police face a different challenge.
01:01I can walk down a street and I can go,
01:04he assaults people, he deals drugs, he's a burglar, he's a car thief.
01:10Go on, mate, go on!
01:11Sometimes you think, when I drive to work,
01:13am I going across a line where just different rules apply?
01:17Get down, get down, get down!
01:24Over the last 12 months,
01:27Yorkshire has seen some of the highest rates of vehicle crime in Britain,
01:31with more than 2,000 vehicles stolen.
01:34Tonight, traffic cops from north and west Yorkshire
01:37are leading a battle against seasoned criminals
01:40who ply their trade throughout the region.
01:45It's almost like the Fast and the Furious now.
01:47There's people stealing these exceedingly expensive cars.
01:50It's almost like the Fast and the Furious now.
01:52There's people stealing these exceedingly high-powered,
01:55high-performance cars, and it's just... I suppose it's open season.
02:01It's 1am in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
02:04Traffic cop Chris Spencer is responding to a report
02:08of a police pursuit 12 miles away.
02:16At this time of night, cars failing to stop for the cops
02:19means the vehicle is stolen.
02:21And with three men in the Ford Focus,
02:23it's likely the pursuing officers have rumbled a team of suspected thieves
02:27as they go to work.
02:29We heard over my radio that a vehicle was found stopped
02:32in front of my colleagues, so we set off.
02:34And lo and behold, as we were driving in one direction,
02:36he was actually driving towards us.
02:386-1, show me your tender.
02:40He's been here on miles an hour.
02:43He's drawing out from the vehicle.
02:45Go ahead, he's gone, Bradford.
02:50There are now four police cars closing in on the suspects.
03:03The suspected stolen car is veering wildly
03:06from one side of the road to the other, endangering other vehicles.
03:15Trying to contain people like this on urban roads
03:18is not only dangerous, but extremely difficult.
03:28At speeds reaching 80 miles an hour,
03:30Chris and his colleagues try a risky pursuit tactic
03:33to force the Focus to stop.
03:41Outnumbered, the driver stops at nothing to avoid getting boxed in.
03:48A few minutes later, desperate to escape the cops,
03:51the Ford Focus hurtles off-road.
04:12If the car loses on the road, then they start to do silly things
04:15and he's driven into a field that must have been 4ft deep in shrubbery.
04:18At that point, my colleague that was following us said
04:21that's the point where he is not willing to go.
04:23Where's the car, I wonder?
04:29Where is the car?
04:31The three men have abandoned the Ford Focus and are off and running.
04:35The field was enormous.
04:36There was no way that we would ever have found him in that field.
04:39Oh, look at that cheeky bastard.
04:41With no sign of the three suspects,
04:43Chris and his colleagues only hope now
04:45is to wait for the police helicopter to arrive.
05:02The helicopter's thermal imaging cameras
05:04can detect suspects through their body heat
05:07and they're now scouring the surrounding area.
05:10But have they arrived in time to locate the three runaways?
05:1940 miles away, in York,
05:21North Yorkshire police controllers have received a call
05:24from the owner of a Land Rover Defender.
05:40Car thieves often target specific vehicles
05:43that are easy to break down into parts and sell on
05:46and the current favourite is the Land Rover Defender.
05:50We have groups that will go out and specifically target Land Rovers.
05:53Over the course of a week, they can take two, three or four Land Rovers.
05:56They sell for a lot of money now,
05:58especially with the Defender having ceased production.
06:00There's a big market in the spares,
06:02a lot of people that do them up and restore them
06:04and, as such, the spares market's big business.
06:08In the past two years,
06:10thefts of Land Rover Defenders have increased by 69%
06:13in the north-east of England.
06:15But looking for a stolen car
06:17across 3,200 square miles of North Yorkshire
06:20can be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
06:27Luckily on this occasion, the car contains a tracking device.
06:38The control room puts a call out to all officers in the vicinity.
06:47Officers James Duffy and Tim Wilson from North Yorkshire's road crime team
06:51are close to where the Defender was stolen and pick up the call.
06:56The words you want to hear is there's a tracker on it
06:58because then you get its exact location.
07:00It was like a big gift, really.
07:02Other side of Cross Hills, grab that.
07:04You're going to have to guide me.
07:06As James and Tim race to catch up with the Defender,
07:09its tracker pinpoints it seven miles away,
07:11travelling towards West Yorkshire.
07:13Yes, yes. Is it generally moving towards sort of Keighley area?
07:17Heading into unfamiliar territory at high speed,
07:21James' skill as a pursuit driver is tested to the maximum.
07:25It was a really difficult drive because at those speeds, 60-odd,
07:29and in the darkness, we're really having to push the envelope
07:32and in the back of your mind you're thinking,
07:34I don't want to miss out on this job.
07:36I want to get behind it, I want to get him locked up.
07:39One mile ahead, a West Yorkshire unit has caught sight of the Defender
07:43and joined the chase.
07:55This is it, mate. It's at the bottom of here.
07:57Let's get running legs on.
07:59Nine-five, we're going six.
08:01Seconds before James and Tim arrive,
08:04a suspect crashes and runs off into a nearby wood.
08:12With the police helicopter busy searching
08:14for the three runaway suspects in Bradford,
08:17finding a man in the middle of the woods with nothing but a torch
08:20and good old police instinct is going to be tough.
08:23You get there and you think, the job's gone.
08:25It's petered out, we've got a car back, it's crashed,
08:27the victim won't be right happy and we've got no bodies from it.
08:40Coming up...
08:41In Bradford, the police helicopter arrives on scene...
08:47..but will its thermal imaging cameras
08:49track down the three Ford Focus runaways?
08:51It is just a very, very elaborate game of cat and mice.
08:54And with no helicopter to guide them,
08:56James and Tim continue their search for the suspect
08:59from the Land Rover Defender.
09:01It's pitch black, you're struggling to see,
09:03and you look around and there's no-one else where you are,
09:05so you're thinking, even if I do find him,
09:07I could get a bit taste of this.
09:16On the edge of West Yorkshire, in Hebden Bridge,
09:19James Duffy and Tim Wilson of North Yorkshire's road crime team
09:23are still searching for the man
09:25who they suspect stole a Land Rover Defender.
09:32After an hour-long chase,
09:34a suspect has crashed the vehicle into a wall
09:36and legged it into the woods.
09:45A West Yorkshire police unit arrived before James and Tim
09:48and saw the suspect making off into the woods.
09:58With the police helicopter busy
10:00trying to locate the three Ford Focus runaways in Bradford,
10:03James and Tim have no choice
10:05but to search for their suspect by torchlight.
10:09I got down those bushes and I was walking through undergrowth
10:12and I was getting hit in the head with twigs
10:14and you thought, there's no way I'm going to find this person.
10:17There's a river there, I can't see Tim, who's five foot in front of me.
10:20It's just an absolute nightmare.
10:28It's now over an hour since the vehicle was stolen
10:31and the officers are starting to give up hope.
10:36Actually, I was considering returning to the top
10:38and trying to preserve the scene as best I could for the dog
10:41to give the dog officer the best chance of finding it
10:44when all of a sudden...
10:46Hands behind your back now! Hands behind your back!
10:48Other one behind your back now!
10:51Shut up, you're locked up, pal.
10:53Theft of motor vehicle.
10:54You're under caution, don't have to say anything.
10:56Mayor on defence, do not mention...
11:00How I found him in all that darkness, I've no idea,
11:03but lo and behold, pointed at the floor and there's someone
11:05arms by his side doing the plank, leading the undergrowth.
11:08Did he fail to stop for you as well?
11:10That's him.
11:11Right, you're locked up dangerous driving and failed to stop.
11:14Who?
11:16The man is sweaty and appears to have been running
11:19and he fits the description of the suspect,
11:22but he insists he is innocent.
11:24What are you disturbing my sleep for?
11:26What, your big sweaty sleep? Big sweaty sleep?
11:29Night terrors.
11:31What, I've been to Magic Mushrooms?
11:33Yeah, yeah.
11:35I've done Mushrooms, I'm asleep in the bushes in the middle of nowhere,
11:37100 yards from a Nick Landry room.
11:39I can't think there's a bobby in the land that'll go,
11:41oh, sorry, mate, yeah, back to it,
11:43we're just looking for someone that's legged it from a stolen.
11:46Realising the Magic Mushrooms story isn't going to wash,
11:49the man then tries another tack.
11:51What's your problems?
11:52I've told you, you're locked up.
11:54For what?
11:55Right, look, mate.
11:56I'm not lying at all, I wasn't driving.
11:58You don't lie and say I was driving when I won.
12:00The man is arrested under suspicion of stealing the Land Rover,
12:03driving without insurance and driving whilst disqualified.
12:07So you're saying I was the only person in that car?
12:09Yeah.
12:10I jumped out the passenger.
12:11Yeah, because you couldn't get out the driver's side.
12:13So where did the driver go then?
12:15Don't argue with me, mate.
12:18While the suspect continues to protest his innocence,
12:21Tim examines the Land Rover.
12:23Made a mess of the tyre.
12:26Got the ignition barrel and that's been pulled out.
12:29But fortunately we've got this one today, so...
12:33..result.
12:34Suspecting this isn't the first time the man has offended,
12:38the police will question him back at the station.
12:41Take him back to Arrogate now.
12:43He's a bit on edge, so it's going to be an interesting journey back.
12:5417 miles away, back in Bradford,
12:57the traffic cop's high-speed pursuit of a Ford Focus
13:00has ended up in a field.
13:02Do you think it's in the car?
13:03Plates definitely don't match.
13:05And there's no sign of the three runaway suspects.
13:08There were three in it, but I didn't get a good enough look at them.
13:11This time, traffic cop Chris Spencer and his colleagues
13:14have technology on their side.
13:19MPAD 3-1, coming on scene now.
13:22MPAD 3-1, think I'm off to your salvage site.
13:25Can you see the car?
13:26MPAD 3-1, you're on scene. Got your torch looking now.
13:29The police helicopter's thermal imaging cameras
13:32have detected a heat source near some houses.
13:36MPAD 3-1, I've got three going through gardens now.
13:40There's three going through gardens now.
13:42That'll be them. MPAD, can you direct me in front of the car?
13:46MPAD 3-1, they're going through the gardens at the bottom of...
13:50Oh, right, so they're coming back towards us.
13:53Yeah, they're just climbing through trees in back gardens at the moment
13:56and over fences.
13:57The three men may think they've given the police the slip,
14:00but their every move is being captured on camera.
14:05Ah, so they'll literally run up here, they're going down there.
14:08We'll go back up here. I think that's the best way to go.
14:11The helicopter tracks the suspects to a back garden...
14:15They're in about the fourth garden from the end.
14:18..where they appear to be looking for somewhere to hide.
14:22But moments later, the men are on the move again.
14:25I've gone into the rear of number 29.
14:29The suspects may now believe they're home free, but no such luck.
14:33Chris and the other officers rush to the house,
14:36along with the dog unit that's just arrived.
14:38X-ray Delta unit, two officers at the back of the property.
14:43A few minutes later, the suspects are led outside in cuffs.
14:47And it turns out one of them is already known to Chris.
14:52Is he the guy that told that defender?
14:59Less than a fortnight before,
15:01the same individual was arrested for stealing a Land Rover Defender
15:04and crashing spectacularly, flipping it on its side.
15:08I know the car that was involved in that crash was so badly damaged,
15:12and yet they managed to walk away without a mark on them.
15:15Whilst on bail for suspicion of stealing this Land Rover,
15:18the man is once again under arrest on suspicion of stealing a car
15:22and going equipped to steal.
15:25People do try to do everything they can to outfox us,
15:28and that night, when they've been followed by the helicopter,
15:31I've gone into the house.
15:32All three had attempted to change their clothes.
15:34One of them was protesting how he'd just woken up.
15:37One of them had just had a shower.
15:39These people will do everything they can to make our job
15:42as difficult as possible, which I suppose is to be expected.
15:45It's inevitable.
15:52Bradford has one of the highest rates of car theft in Yorkshire.
15:56And officers Paul Crabtree and Jamie Brown
15:59are well-versed in the methods used by the thieves.
16:03We do get a lot of two-in-one burglaries,
16:05so people break into people's houses just for the car keys.
16:08They're not interested in anything else.
16:10They just break in for the car keys so they can take the car off the drive.
16:13The police are now urging people to be vigilant.
16:16I think people have become a lot more aware of suspicious people
16:19in their gardens, driveways, on the street.
16:21I do get a lot of neighbours now having a look and thinking,
16:24I don't quite know you, so I'm going to ring the police.
16:27It's now 3am.
16:29Paul and Jamie have been called to a house
16:31where a male has been spotted behaving suspiciously in the garden.
16:34Through this window, I saw a light, like a flash,
16:37so I stood there for a bit longer, then I saw it again.
16:40I came downstairs and I just checked around,
16:42no-one inside, second keys and that upstairs.
16:45Yeah, we've been round back.
16:47We've done back of both your neighbours and yours.
16:49Old doors look fine, windows look fine and everything.
16:51But we're in a marked car, so we'll float around for a little bit
16:54and see what we get, hang around as much as we can.
16:56If you say what else, I'll give the ring back again.
16:58It's not a problem if it's coming out again.
17:00All right, don't be worried to ring us.
17:02The prowler has clearly left the scene, but he could still be nearby,
17:06so Jamie and Paul decide to cruise the neighbouring streets
17:09to see if they can spot him.
17:11It's not long before a car grabs their attention.
17:16I've pulled out of a side road and he's come absolutely flying past
17:19and we've been in an area that's been rife for stolen vehicles at the time.
17:23We've just been to a report of a suspicious male in a garden,
17:26so we're thinking straight off, that's a stolen car.
17:29The driver is doing at least 60 in a 30mph zone
17:33and is showing no signs of killing his speed.
17:36Even though we're in an unmarked car, people recognise what we're driving.
17:39They know the cars and he's continued his speed.
17:41He's erratic, he's all over the road, so we're thinking he's taking a chase.
17:46But as the cops prepare themselves for a high-speed pursuit,
17:50the minute they indicate for the driver to stop, to their surprise,
17:53he pulls over to the side of the road.
17:56As soon as I put blue lights on, he's come to a grinding halt,
17:59so we're thinking, right, this is really odd.
18:01More than 55, surely.
18:03You what? More than 55, surely.
18:05As I look, 55, if I look back on video...
18:07You look pretty lovely, aren't you?
18:09As Paul checks the driver's speed on his video, Jamie has a quick word.
18:13Pulled up on the left-hand side of the road,
18:15I've gone round to the driver's side and seen a teenager,
18:19as in quite a young-looking teenager, and thought, this is not fitting.
18:22Hello, you all right?
18:24Where have you nicked it from?
18:25Where have I nicked it from? Yeah.
18:27It's mine. What are you driving it like, you stole it?
18:29No, it's my mum's. Right.
18:31She's not going to be impressed if you wrap it round a tree, is she?
18:33I know. You got your driving licence on you?
18:35No, not on me. Any ID?
18:37The driver is claiming he has permission to drive the car
18:40and is on his mum's insurance,
18:42but he seems nervous and smells strongly of alcohol.
18:44The road, have you just come up there? Do you know what the speed limit is?
18:47Is it a 30? This is a 30, yeah.
18:49Do you know how fast you were going? A little bit over 30.
18:52A little bit over 30. 62 at one point, as we came up there.
18:56All right.
18:58Any reason for that?
19:00No.
19:01When did you last have a drink?
19:03Not too long ago. Roughly.
19:05Not long ago. What's not long? A minute, two minutes, 20, an hour?
19:08A bit ago. Yeah, I've asked you to clarify.
19:11Listen to me. I'm listening.
19:13When did you last have a drink?
19:15About an hour ago. About an hour, no issues.
19:17First thing we're going to do, mate, is do a breath test.
19:19All right, cos I can smell some on you. How old are you?
19:21Er, 18. 18, OK.
19:23Realising he's in trouble, the driver decides to come clean.
19:27I'll just push straight up here. OK.
19:29I haven't passed my full test. Fine.
19:31It's easier to sort out, mate, if you tell us what carry-on is,
19:34cos we're not having to run around in circles. Yeah.
19:36All right. No, I haven't passed my full test.
19:38OK.
19:39Presumably, you don't have permission to drive the car.
19:41Whose car is it? It's my mum's. All right.
19:43OK, just take a deep breath. Blow into that till I tell you to stop.
19:47Harder, harder. Harder, harder. Keep going, keep going, keep going.
19:50OK. Cheers, mate.
19:52Do you know what the legal limit is? No.
19:5435. All right.
19:57Bang-on. Bang-on limit.
19:59Do you realise how lucky you are?
20:01Apart from the complication of no licence,
20:03you are on the drink-driving limit.
20:05OK.
20:06A microgramme, a microgramme of alcohol more,
20:09and you'd be getting locked up.
20:11Locked up.
20:12It's a close shave for the driver,
20:14but he can still be charged for driving without a licence,
20:17and a call to the control room
20:19confirms he's not named on his mum's insurance either.
20:22All right. There's no mention of any males on the policy, is there?
20:25No negative. It says,
20:27permitted driver, insured only.
20:30The police now need to return the car to its rightful owner,
20:34the boy's mum.
20:36So they decide that Paul will take the driver home in his mum's car,
20:40while Jamie drives the passenger in the police car.
20:43But the passenger has started behaving rather strangely.
20:47He always like that.
20:49He's not even had a drink.
20:51Are you all right, mate?
20:53What's up? You don't appear to be right. What's up?
20:56It turns out he's just applied to join the police specials,
20:59and he's worried this incident will ruin his chances.
21:02It's not your fault he's a knob, is it?
21:04If he wants to drive at 62 through 30s and drive on drink drive limit,
21:07the only thing you've done is go in a car with somebody who stinks of beer.
21:10The teenagers are taken to the driver's mum's house,
21:13where the driver gets a stiff talking to from Paul.
21:16I'm sick to the iron teeth of turning up at accidents and picking body parts up,
21:20cos lads like you can't keep out of the driving seat,
21:22and I'm not doing it again.
21:24Growing up time now.
21:25We'll put a marker against that car.
21:27If it's driven by a male, it gets stopped, so game over on it.
21:31It's a car that will stand out.
21:33I'm trying to prevent this going wrong for you. Clear?
21:36The teenage driver will now have to go to court,
21:39where he'll be charged with speeding and driving without a licence or insurance.
21:44Mum's had a go at some for taking the car in the first place.
21:47Obviously he's not happy about it, she's not happy about it,
21:50and the passenger of the car is also quite upset by the whole experience.
21:54I think the realisation that this isn't the playground now,
21:58dealing with other people and dealing with police.
22:00If we come across as a bit harsh with him, if it's worked, then job done.
22:03If it keeps him out of that car and keeps him and everybody else safe,
22:06then that's what we're about.
22:07Two lads in tears, however successful job.
22:14Coming up...
22:15James and Tim get their man into custody.
22:18Stand at the desk now.
22:19Why, what you going to do?
22:20But he's got one last parting shot for the cops.
22:24And how many Romanians can you fit in a Citroen?
22:27There was half a Romanian football team in that car.
22:46At Harrogate Police Station, James Duffy and Tim Wilson
22:49of North Yorkshire's Road Crime Team
22:51have detained a man they suspect may have stolen a Land Rover Defender.
23:09It turns out this isn't the first time he's been in trouble with the police.
23:13He'd recently done a custodial sentence following disqualified driving.
23:16He'd been involved in aggravated twarks,
23:18taken without the owner's consent.
23:20He had a lot of history that was in line with the offence
23:23that he'd been arrested for.
23:29Anybody that's been in a vehicle, if they're saying they're not,
23:32you know, we can potentially get fibres, DNA, etc,
23:35from the driver's seat to try and prove that they were in the driver's seat.
23:39And he's took offence to that.
23:46We'll be taking your clothes.
23:49We can either do it by force...
24:02Straight away we saw a bit of aggression from him.
24:04We saw that he wanted to fight,
24:06but it wasn't something we hadn't seen before.
24:08It was just another of this, he'll get aggressive, he'll calm back down.
24:12But appearances can be deceptive.
24:18Come on.
24:33Go and check, Jim, he's just spotted him.
24:35Go and check, Jim.
24:41I think it surprised me.
24:43It shocked me, because he's chose his moment
24:46when James isn't looking, there's no warning signs,
24:49he's just picked a moment where he feels he can get a punch in
24:52and then almost run off afterwards, away from him.
24:56It's cheap shot, it's dirty.
25:06You all right, mate?
25:08Yeah, mate, just blindsided me.
25:11Coward. Coward.
25:16Bit of blood.
25:18Yeah, I was annoyed that...
25:20Not annoyed at being assaulted, really,
25:22but annoyed in the way that he did it, because it's just not.
25:26It's not really cricket, is it?
25:28The prisoner has added assaulting a police officer
25:31to the growing list of charges against him.
25:33His fate will now be in the hands of the court.
25:36Was it worth it? Probably was,
25:38but it ain't going to take the shine off the job for me.
25:41Every day of the week I'd rather lock him up and take one in the face
25:44instead of having to let him get away with it.
25:46So, yeah, if that's the price of justice, then so be it.
25:57When they aren't dealing with the repercussions of car crime,
26:00seizing uninsured and unroadworthy vehicles
26:02is another major part of the traffic cop's job,
26:05and for PC Chris Spencer, sometimes there's nothing he likes better.
26:10That's one of the things I look for,
26:12cos it's one of my little bugbears in life,
26:14I don't want to be crashed into by an uninsured vehicle.
26:16There are a lot of people who will just simply chance it and think,
26:19I only work a mile down the road, I only need to nip to the shop,
26:22I ain't got insurance, but it's not far to go.
26:25And it is a massive, massive problem.
26:30It's 4.30pm in Leeds.
26:32Chris has just spotted a car carrying a rather heavy load.
26:36Let's have a quick look here if he's going to stop.
26:39No, at least it's stopping.
26:43Hello, mate. You all right?
26:45Pass the key through here. Chuck it in.
26:47Where are you going? Just stay there, all right?
26:50Don't get out of the car. Stay there.
26:52The car is full of a group of friends on their way to play football.
26:56There's a lot of people in the back of there, isn't there?
26:59Right, everyone jump out.
27:01Two in the front, and one, two, three, four, five...
27:07..six in the back.
27:09Stay there, all right?
27:10It was almost like a comedy, a little bit of a sketch show
27:13of how many people can be shoehorned into the back of a car.
27:16When I stopped it showing, I think we had eight people in that car.
27:19There was half a Romanian football team in that car.
27:21So, you two, come here.
27:23Tell that guy to come back here now. Come here.
27:26Just stay here. I want to take a photo of you all,
27:28then you can all go, all right?
27:30I don't care about your face,
27:31I want to show how many people are in this car.
27:33You, oi, stand there.
27:35Well, put your hood over your face, then.
27:39Right, you, jump in the back.
27:41Although the number of passengers a driver can legally carry is 16,
27:45that's in a minibus, and each has to have a seat.
27:47Just put that stuff on the dashboard.
27:49So, we're up to eight in a four-seater car.
27:51There's a few issues there.
27:53So, we'll just find out what this lad's excuse is,
27:55whether or not he's got the correct documentation to be driving it,
27:58and we'll just take it from there at this minute.
28:00Is this your car?
28:02Have you got your licence? No.
28:03Have you got insurance now? No insurance.
28:05No insurance either? No insurance.
28:07You're not stupid, are you?
28:09You appreciate you need insurance to drive?
28:13Chris discovers the driver is only 17
28:16and claims he doesn't speak much English,
28:18so he asks one of his friends to translate for him.
28:25No, it's because I play football.
28:27Yeah, I appreciate that,
28:28but you still need insurance to go play football, don't you?
28:30Yeah?
28:31So, because he hasn't got a driving licence or insurance,
28:35we're going to take his car off him?
28:37No.
28:38And you're going to have to go to court, OK?
28:40No.
28:41No, that's obviously what has to happen, doesn't it?
28:43I suppose. Yeah, please.
28:44It does astound me sometimes,
28:46because if I was to drive a car without insurance or a licence,
28:49I'd do everything I could to not draw attention to myself.
28:52I definitely wouldn't shoehorn six people
28:54into the back of my car as well.
28:56How many seats has your car got in the back?
29:00Three and two, five.
29:02Only one person is more.
29:04But dodgy maths isn't going to save the driver
29:07from a court appearance,
29:09and a recovery truck comes to take away the car.
29:18The boys empty out the boot,
29:20which is full of everything but the kitchen.
29:22Oh.
29:25That young chap, unbelievable,
29:27hadn't forgot his kitchen sink
29:29and didn't forget his kitchen sink when he left.
29:34They even try to take the car's battery with them.
29:37Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're not taking the battery?
29:41Pass me that for a second.
29:43Because that is part of the car.
29:49This is part of the car.
29:51No, no, it's mine.
29:53No, we're not going to sit and fall out about this,
29:55but this is part of the car,
29:57so you're not pulling the car to pieces.
29:59I don't want people taking things out of the car.
30:01I don't think we have to draw the line at the battery.
30:03Perhaps they just need a goalpost, who knows?
30:05The boys eventually head off to play football.
30:07Look here.
30:12And the car is taken off to the recovery yard.
30:15I think it's safe to say that could be
30:17one of the most unusual traffic stops
30:19I've had for quite a long time.
30:21It's quite amusing to see so many people
30:23with shoehorns into the back of the car.
30:25And while it may be amusing,
30:27and all the young lads have taken it quite in jest
30:29about what's happened,
30:31when you look at it from a practical side of it,
30:33if they'd been involved in a bump,
30:35I dread to think what would have happened.
30:37When there's so many people,
30:39none of them are wearing the seatbelts,
30:41anything could have happened.
30:49Stand by, stand by.
30:53The police in Yorkshire are used to
30:55dealing with uninsured drivers
30:57and criminals who steal to order
30:59for a fast buck.
31:01It's a crash, crash, crash.
31:05But it's not just cars
31:07that the criminals target.
31:11Shoplifting accounts for 11%
31:13of the crimes committed in North Yorkshire.
31:19It's mid-afternoon on the outskirts of York.
31:21Traffic cops James Duffy and Tim Wilson
31:23have received reports of a woman
31:25suspected of shoplifting
31:27who's then made off in an uninsured car.
31:39We're going to head up through York,
31:41up the A19, and hopefully come across it.
31:43Give it a stop and see what the crack is with it.
31:47The woman is believed to have taken goods
31:49from a boot store in North Allerton.
32:0530 seconds later,
32:07the Ford Focus comes into view.
32:19We're behind this vehicle. It's 12.37
32:21towards the Foxwood roundabout.
32:23We're behind it now.
32:25We'll give it a quick stop.
32:27But despite Tim flashing his lights at her
32:29and signalling to her to pull over,
32:31the driver seems in no hurry to do so.
32:33Does she know we're after her?
32:39Suspicions are aroused when she takes so long
32:41to pull over. You know straight away
32:43something's not right with it and you just wonder why.
32:45So before we even got to the car,
32:47you know, you're thinking something's not right here.
32:51She's not pulling over at this time. I'm not sure
32:53whether she's just looking for somewhere to pull over,
32:55but she's going some distance. Give her commentary.
32:57Eventually, the driver pulls over into a lay-by.
32:59Stand by. We've got a nearside indication.
33:01It's a stop-stop, Ascombe Lane.
33:09The car has shown up on the police database
33:11as uninsured and having no registered keeper.
33:13Is it your car? I've just bought it.
33:15You've just bought it. Is it insured?
33:17Not yet. It's not insured.
33:19No worries. Have you got a driving licence?
33:21Yeah. You have? Brilliant. No bother.
33:23Have you got any ID on you?
33:25Tell you what, I'll just take that off you.
33:27Let go, let go, let go.
33:29We'll just take that off you just because you've got the clippers in there,
33:31haven't you? When we've got somebody like that
33:33that's been seen in suspicious circumstances
33:35and then they have got a pair of wire cutters
33:37which are regularly used to de-tag items in shops,
33:39not just within the vehicle,
33:41but sat two-hand within her handbag,
33:43that tells me a lot, really.
33:45And that gives me all I need to then detain her for the search.
33:47Is there anything in here that you want to tell us about,
33:49like all that down there?
33:51I've just bought this car. I swear to God, I've just bought it.
33:53Right, OK. Jump out for me. We'll just take you over here.
33:55The car turns out to be full of items
33:57the officers suspect are stolen.
33:59As you can see, probably...
34:01I'll have a look, see if she's got a receipt for,
34:03but they're probably a fair few quid, £30, £40,
34:05£60, £70.
34:07I'll have a look, see if she's got a receipt for,
34:09but they're probably a fair few quid,
34:11£30, £40 apiece.
34:13I bought that car. From where?
34:15Out of the paper. It was advertised in the paper.
34:17Oh, right. Where have you got it?
34:19It was £300. I had to meet a lad in there.
34:21What's the road called?
34:23Churchill Lane. Where's that?
34:25I've just put it on my sat-nav.
34:27Have you got a receipt for all the Colgate stuff
34:29and Mac stuff and all that in there?
34:31No. No? I'll tell you the truth,
34:33it was in the car. Right, listen.
34:35You're not lying to each other. I'm not lying.
34:37No, listen to me, listen to me.
34:39I've told you that you've stopped in regards to shop theft,
34:41haven't I? And you've got clippers
34:43and a load of stuff you haven't got a receipt for.
34:45I'm not standing around and messing about here.
34:47It's a simple case of shop theft.
34:49If she thinks that we're going to believe that she's turned up
34:51and bought a car for £300, £400
34:53and it just so happens to be
34:55full of all this gear...
34:57Look at that. Four bottles of Moët.
34:59Still with security tag on.
35:01Usually don't let you take security tags.
35:03Three boxes of them.
35:05Decent day out at shops.
35:07Unless it were part of a deal with car.
35:09Apparently it was.
35:11The car and all its contents are going to be taken
35:13to the police station, where the goods will be
35:15seized and catalogued.
35:17The gear and bag with car with bottle
35:19of Moët in as well.
35:23The woman will also be charged with driving without
35:25insurance.
35:29It's not really out of order, no, you need insurance.
35:31I know that, but if you can't buy a car
35:33you can't just stand there and ask the guy
35:35to see if it's alright, why wait to get your goods.
35:37No, you can buy it off him
35:39and not drive it away until you've got insurance,
35:41like most people do.
35:43Most people don't do that.
35:45No, yeah, honestly they do.
35:47Most people make sure they're insured, because otherwise
35:49if they're involved in a collision, people
35:51end up not being paid out.
35:53Yeah, true.
35:55I think your priorities are just a little different to everyone else's.
35:57But you're under arrest for driving without
35:59insurance, alright.
36:01The woman and her car will now be taken to the police
36:03station, where the officers will run some
36:05checks on her ID.
36:09Coming up,
36:11a police pursuit hits a dead end.
36:13It's a crash, crash, crash.
36:15We're out and running.
36:17And James and Tim
36:19take their suspected shoplifter into
36:21custody. But who is she?
36:23There's 19 other names that she goes by
36:25and 9 other dates of her.
36:29SIREN WAILS
36:35In West Yorkshire,
36:37traffic cops Richard Clark and Andy Howarth
36:39have spent the afternoon dealing with the
36:41aftermath of high-speed collisions.
36:47It's now 8.30 in the evening
36:49and they're heading into Bradford, when Andy
36:51spots a car up ahead which rouses
36:53his suspicions.
36:55It was literally just one of those
36:57cars. You just, something
36:59just happens where you think, I'm going to have a look
37:01at this. Bit of an old car,
37:03sort of thing that people use
37:05for no insurance and things like that.
37:07He's off.
37:09And as soon as he saw us behind us,
37:11he just decided to go for a chase, so that's what he's
37:13done. In a desperate attempt
37:15to escape the police, the car heads
37:17down a dead end.
37:19Got a very strange way of acting.
37:21Dead end, this.
37:23But who needs roads when you've got pavements?
37:27Clear left, clear left, clear left.
37:29The driver
37:31is now speeding through a busy commercial
37:33area.
37:35301, we've got a vehicle
37:37failing to stop. Double crew TPAC train.
37:39We are now heavy lane.
37:41Can we have TPAC authority and TPAC units
37:43please? Heading towards Bowling Bat Lane.
37:45Speed is 70 miles per
37:47hour.
37:49The car takes a series
37:51of sharp turns at high speed
37:53and a few seconds later,
37:55the driver loses control.
37:57It's a crash, crash, crash.
37:59It's just trying to get into Mary Street.
38:01We're out and running.
38:05The man heads off into
38:07a caravan park, known to be home
38:09to the local traveller community.
38:11301, units to
38:13Mary Street caravan site.
38:15Chasing on foot after a pursuit.
38:17White male, black jumper, black tracksuit
38:19bottoms. Probably going to go over the field.
38:25One of these two.
38:27You shut up.
38:29Andy has a look under a couple of the caravans
38:31and talks to some of the locals.
38:33But the driver has vanished into thin air.
38:35One of these two.
38:37Just disappears
38:39and it does happen regularly.
38:41He was in one of three buildings. R
38:43is gone while I've been chasing him round.
38:45He's run out through the back, unseen
38:47by us. R is on this estate
38:49somewhere. The police presence
38:51is now causing lots of unwanted
38:53aggro.
39:05That's a classic
39:07distraction technique from him.
39:09He was just trying to get me focused
39:11on him so that
39:13there's only kind of one cop looking for
39:15the driver.
39:23Andy and Richard have
39:25established that the car had no insurance
39:27and they believe it's a pool car.
39:29Bought cheaply and used by many to
39:31commit crime. And with the driver's
39:33disappearance, the atmosphere is
39:35becoming increasingly hostile.
39:43Let's be honest, the majority of the people
39:45on there, they don't want us there.
39:47And we couldn't say with 100%
39:49certainty where he'd gone.
39:51So Andy and Richard decide to call time.
39:55It is what it is, mate.
39:57For me.
39:59We decided to
40:01pull out and let that one go.
40:03It's the last place you really want
40:05to be on a Saturday night
40:07when we're short-staffed is having
40:09a big fight on a traveller's site.
40:13And he's bent the post up.
40:15So the gate won't shut now.
40:17The smashed up car will be taken
40:19to the recovery yard and the police
40:21will pursue the driver at a later date.
40:23The car's been recovered.
40:25It's been forensically examined.
40:27We're just waiting on the results coming back as to
40:29who the person is that was driving.
40:31And then it's a come see us.
40:33We'll have a little chat later down at the station.
40:35Don't scratch it!
40:41When criminals are repeat offenders
40:43it's usually only a matter of time
40:45before the police hunt them down.
40:50Just want to come to this blue door over here.
40:52At York Police Station
40:54the woman arrested for shoplifting
40:56is about to be checked in.
40:58So James and Tim try to take some details from her.
41:00What's your date of birth?
41:04But there seems to be some confusion
41:06over her age.
41:0875. That's your mum, innit?
41:10How old are you?
41:121975.
41:14It doesn't make it 37, does it?
41:16I only got a C in maths
41:19She's also given a false name.
41:21But a search for this name on the police database
41:23throws up somebody completely different.
41:43Realising the police aren't buying her
41:45I used to be blonde story
41:47This woman then comes up with another name.
41:49So who are you really?
41:51It's Natalie Bishop.
41:53Are you disqual?
41:55It's because I don't have a licence.
41:57Are you giving us another stiff name?
41:59Right, well at this time I'll further arrest you
42:01for driving otherwise in accordance with a licence
42:03and obstructing a police officer in the course of his duty.
42:07It turns out this isn't the first time
42:09she's given a false name.
42:11So there's 19 other names that she goes by
42:13and 9 other dates of birth.
42:16When we've done checks on it
42:18she's shown as wanted for two thefts
42:20and a failed to appear at Teesside Court
42:22so that's probably why she's not given us correct details
42:24because she knows she's wanted.
42:28James and Tim's job now is to photograph
42:30and catalogue the goods
42:32so they can later be used as evidence
42:34if the case goes to court.
42:36New look, still got a tag on it.
42:3835 quid caught there.
42:40She obviously just goes out and this is what she does all day.
42:43They're 35 quid each, that's 30 quid.
42:50So they're £41 a bottle.
42:52Depending on where you look,
42:54between 75 and 90 quid for that one.
42:56So you're talking
42:58£260 worth of champagne.
43:00I thought at first when I saw it in the front passenger seat
43:03I thought it was going to be a piddly couple of things.
43:05There's actually, well I reckon
43:07probably up to a grand's worth of stuff here.
43:09Our job is to get her all the evidence
43:12together and make sure that she's put before a court
43:14to hopefully be put where she belongs
43:16which is away from anybody she can steal from.
43:21The woman received a 12-week prison sentence
43:24for previous shoplifting offences.
43:27As a result of the arrest shown in this programme
43:29she was convicted of five thefts,
43:31going equipped to steal,
43:33no insurance, no licence,
43:35failing to stop and obstructing the police.
43:39She received a four-week tagging order,
43:41a curfew and a six-month driving ban.
43:48All three suspects from the suspected stolen Ford Focus
43:51are currently on bail,
43:53but the man who was caught previously in a stolen Land Rover
43:56received an eight-month suspended sentence,
43:58200 hours unpaid work
44:00and a 12-month driving ban for dangerous driving
44:03and aggravated vehicle taking.
44:08The on-the-limit driver who took his mum's car for a spin
44:11pleaded guilty to driving without a licence,
44:14no insurance and speeding.
44:16He was fined £200 and received eight points.
44:22And the suspect arrested by James and Tim
44:24for the theft of a Land Rover Defender
44:26pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer.
44:29He's currently on bail awaiting trial for attempted burglary,
44:32robbery, disqualified driving
44:35and two further assaults on police officers.
44:39And the all-new Traffic Cops hit the road again next Monday at eight.
44:43Now, is it ever right to take the law into your own hands?
44:46Vigilante Brit Street Justice is brand-new, next on Five Star.
44:50Well, next here, it's bath time for Big Ron
44:52and Atom the Vimeron finds his sea legs
44:55in brand-new Secret Life of Puppies, The Terrible Twos.