Crimewatch Live S21 E01
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00:00Hello Borodar, welcome to a brand new series of Crimewatch Live coming to you from our
00:07studio in the centre of Cardiff.
00:09Today we have an urgent appeal from police forces around the UK who are looking for a
00:13number of people involved in those awful riots, you may remember them last summer. Can you
00:18help detectives identify any of these men?
00:22Welcome back to Crimewatch Live.
00:25It's been jamming the switchboard, both here and at the incident.
00:29Just to remind you, this was the abduction and radio drop campaign and the handgun debate.
00:36Hello and welcome to Crimewatch 12.
00:39Thank you for giving us a safe and fantastic presentation.
00:50Welcome to a brand new series of Crimewatch Live where we're continuing to mark our 40th
00:55year on the BBC. Over these last four decades we've featured more than 7,000 appeals and
01:01thanks to your calls, police have been able to solve hundreds of crimes.
01:05And we'll be bringing you more of that over these next three weeks, asking for help finding
01:10suspects, solving appeals, bringing you more incredible stories from the front line of
01:15policing.
01:16Today, a devastated daughter needs your help after a brutal attack killed her mother just
01:21200 metres from the front door.
01:24I was seven years old when I lost my mum. She deserves justice. So do I.
01:33And how the Flying Squad caught a team of international burglars intent on stealing
01:39more than a million pounds worth of cash and jewellery.
01:44We didn't know where they were living. We didn't know their true identities. Everything
01:48they did was off radar. It was one of the most challenging surveillance deployments
01:53we've done.
01:55We'll be joined by Sarah Staff, former Detective Chief Inspector of the Met's Flying Squad
02:00to hear about Safer Gems, a major initiative designed to tackle these organised crime groups
02:06from stealing jewellery and watches.
02:08And as always, our team are backstage ready to take your calls.
02:11You can find our contact details by using the QR code. You just need to scan the code
02:16with your phone's camera and it'll direct you to our homepage where you can find all
02:20of our contact details.
02:22Otherwise, the number to call is 08000 468 999.
02:28You can also text us on 63399. Just start with the word crime, leave a space and then
02:33write your message. Or finally, you can email us at cwl at bbc.co.uk.
02:41But first this morning, we all watched in horror last summer as riots broke out in Southport
02:45and then spread to cities and towns across the UK.
02:49I'm joined now by DCI Zoe Hardy, who's heading up Operation Navette, which is investigating
02:55the large scale disorder. She's joined by DCI Graham Barr from Northumbria Police,
03:00an area of the country which also saw large scale disorder.
03:04Thank you both for coming in this morning. Zoe, if I can start with you.
03:07Just remind us of the scale of what did happen.
03:10Good morning. Yes, following the tragic events on the 29th of July last year in Southport,
03:17we saw large, wide scale disorder across the UK, especially in Southport and Liverpool,
03:24as is shown here.
03:25Yeah, we can see some of the scenes here. These are real scenes of this disorder in Southport.
03:30It's horrific what we can see. Directed, in this case, towards the police officers
03:35and their vehicles there. And it's so much damage.
03:40We can just see in there from the sites that we can see so much damage is caused.
03:43It's dangerous. And a number of crimes were committed, weren't they?
03:47Yes, there were. The wide scale disorder included large scale criminal damage,
03:52theft, arson that also didn't have just an effect on the communities,
03:57but also on private residents and business locations as well.
04:01We've got some more footage here from another area. This time it's Liverpool.
04:06And again, Zoe, we can see this incredible level of violence that's used again,
04:11in this case, towards officers. It's just so dangerous, isn't it, what we can see here.
04:16And as you just mentioned there, a number of different offences caused.
04:20Absolutely horrific and unacceptable seeing those scenes.
04:24But there is news because there is a new database. You're launching it today.
04:29You want people to get in touch with their information. Tell us about this.
04:32Yes, we are. We've built a brand new platform for this purpose.
04:36And we encourage your viewers and the public to look for all of the images
04:41that are on the database in the hope that they recognise somebody,
04:44come forward and allow us to continue with our inquiries.
04:47So far, you've done really, really well. Over 1,800 arrests have been made.
04:52Over 1,000 have been charged. But it doesn't stop there, does it?
04:55So that's why we've got this database. You want more people to get in touch
04:58and give us that information that they need.
05:00And I can tell you can look at the portal by using the QR code below,
05:05just at the bottom of your screen. You should see it there.
05:07Or you can visit police.uk slash disorder dash appeal in order to do that.
05:13Graeme, you're an officer from Northumbria.
05:16You were also hit by the riots pretty hard up there as well.
05:19As a senior officer, how do you even start with investigating something on this scale?
05:24Morning, Rav. Yeah, we had a serious disorder incident,
05:28or a number of serious disorder incidents in Sunderland on Friday 2nd August.
05:32We had up to 1,000 people came into Sunderland city centre that day.
05:36And there were pockets of disorder throughout the city
05:39and out into the communities as well.
05:41And as a result of it happening in the city centre,
05:44we were very, very well covered by CCTV.
05:47And over the next four weeks we went out and we gathered from over 100 premises
05:51over 10,000 hours of CCTV footage.
05:54And our challenge was to work out which of those 1,000 people
05:57had actually committed serious disorder offences.
05:59And we whittled it down and we think there are 150 people
06:02who are committing serious disorder offences on that day.
06:05And the challenge was to try and find those that had their faces covered
06:08whilst they were committing those offences
06:10to find them elsewhere in the footage where they had their faces uncovered.
06:14It's a massive job, and as you say, you need 10,000 hours of footage
06:17in order to do that. And you've had a number of arrests as well out there.
06:21Yeah, we're approaching 100 arrests now for the disorder in Sunderland
06:24and we think that we've probably got between 50 and 60 more to go,
06:28people who we need to identify and then to go out and arrest.
06:32Of those 150, we've charged a large number.
06:36And so far, everyone has pleaded guilty before they've stood trial
06:40and we've had a lot of sentences handed out.
06:42And we're just approaching 50 years in total of sentences so far.
06:47Some big sentences handed out, but the work isn't finished for you as well.
06:51There is a specific incident you want to speak to us about today, Graham.
06:54Tell us what's happening here.
06:56Yeah, in one of the pockets of disorder in Sunderland city centre,
06:59we had this incident where a number of people are throwing items at the police.
07:03There's a man in the centre of the footage who's got a light-coloured covering over his head.
07:09He's wearing a vest top and he's repeatedly throwing fire extinguishers
07:12at both the police officers and the police van.
07:15Through the investigation, we've been able to find images of him
07:18when he has his face uncovered and I think those images are good enough
07:21that members of the public who know him might well recognise him well enough
07:25to give us a call, please, and tell us who he is
07:28so that we can speak to him about what happened that day.
07:30Yeah, and we can see an image of that same person highlighted here.
07:33Interestingly, one of his arms seems to have a number of tattoos down there
07:37that could be a clue as to who he is if someone recognises him from this.
07:40Yeah, as you see, he's got a beard and he's got a full-sleeve tattoo there on his left arm.
07:44He's a well-built gentleman and I'm fairly sure somebody will recognise him out there.
07:49Hopefully. Well, Zoe, you've also got an outstanding case now
07:54that you want some people to help you with.
07:57This man, you believe, is involved. This is taken from CCTV.
08:00Talk us through what we're seeing here, Zoe.
08:02Yes, thank you, Rav. On 30th July in Southport,
08:06the junction of St Luke's Road and Sussex Road,
08:09you can see the mail-in question that's ringed on the footage
08:12picking up bricks and other missiles
08:14and throwing them towards the police officers and the police vans.
08:18Just again, this level of violence that's used there, absolutely horrific.
08:23So this is the person there and this is the image taken.
08:26It is a very clear image, but there's another incident as well
08:30that you really need some help with that you're going to talk us through now.
08:33This time we've moved up to Cleveland. Talk us through this one, Zoe.
08:37Thank you, Rav. Yes, this happened on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough
08:41on Sunday 4th August last year,
08:44where this single victim was set upon by a group of individuals,
08:49as you can see here.
08:51What I can tell you is that the victim, who is on the floor,
08:54was being kicked and punched and ended up underneath those barriers,
08:58which was a ditch full of water, and he was face down.
09:01It was exceptionally surprising. He didn't suffer very serious injuries.
09:04Thankfully, he's made a recovery, at least physically anyway.
09:07A horrific event there, we can see.
09:10Now, we're going to play this again. We're going to slow it down.
09:13We're not going to show the full details because it is too graphic,
09:16but we're hoping that someone will recognise those,
09:19or at least anyone that's involved in this matter.
09:22In fact, we've got a still image of the person
09:25that's actually pushed this person to the ground now.
09:27This has been taken. It's a clear set of images there, isn't it?
09:30Hopefully, someone will know who this person is.
09:33And there's three more here that's taken from that same incident, Zoe.
09:37You don't know who they are. You just need some names for them.
09:40I need names and locations,
09:43and these images will be updated onto the database.
09:46Onto the database. We need to know who these people are.
09:49Thank you both for joining us. Have a look at that portal.
09:52Remember, you just use the QR code or website,
09:55which I'll remind you is police.uk slash disorder dash appeal.
09:58And of course, if you have any information to share,
10:01you can also call us, our number, 08000 468 999.
10:06Still to come this morning, the daughter of Shona Stephens
10:09will be talking to us about her mum
10:11and what it would mean to find her killer after 30 years.
10:15When I saw her coffin at the age of seven years old,
10:19that's when it hit me that she was gone.
10:26But first, how some old-fashioned trickery helped a gang
10:29make nearly a million pounds worth of jewellery
10:32before they were arrested by the Flying Squad.
10:37May 2023, and Andrea and her partner
10:41made an important trip to their bank in Essex.
10:46We have changed her name to protect her identity.
10:50We took out £15,000 cash to pay for the builders.
10:56I had the money in my bag.
10:59Both my partner and myself walked back to the car.
11:03He was sitting in the passenger side.
11:05The bag that was strapped across me
11:07was now in between his feet on the floor.
11:12There was a gentleman that came to the front of the car,
11:15sitting on the bonnet.
11:17He was saying,
11:18I'm waiting for my friend to come, my friend wants to park here.
11:26Just as I was just gently pulling out of the car park spot,
11:30all of a sudden, I've heard a pop.
11:34He was trying to guide us to pull over
11:37and he was chatting quite loudly,
11:39you've got something in your tyre, you've got something in your tyre.
11:44In the sidewall of my tyre, there was a small metal rod.
11:51My partner, he's like, oh, all right, I'll get out and have a look.
11:58While they were distracted, the cash was stolen from the footwell.
12:03We knew exactly what had happened and we just quickly turned around
12:08and it's just like they'd melted away, just dispersed, just gone.
12:13Andrea didn't know it at the time,
12:15but she'd become one of the many victims
12:18of a meticulously organised group of thieves.
12:23You know, you work hard for what you get in life,
12:28and for someone just to take that away from you,
12:33it was just devastating.
12:38Four months later, and another high-value distraction theft
12:42was reported in Glasgow.
12:44This time, a jewellery trader was targeted
12:47as he was in the city centre for business meetings.
12:50He was holding around £80,000 worth of stock.
12:54Showing the hallmarks of a highly professional theft,
12:57the case was escalated to the Met Police's Flying Squad.
13:01The lead detective, who must remain anonymous for operational reasons,
13:06scrutinised CCTV footage to establish how the suspects
13:11had identified the victim and his haul of jewellery.
13:15The trader makes his way through the city
13:18to a jewellers in Argyle Arcade for a meeting.
13:21Detectives can see from CCTV that he's followed by the suspects,
13:26wearing hats to disguise their identities.
13:30One even changes into a burqa.
13:35The trader and associates make their way to a meeting on a nearby street.
13:41Their every move followed closely by the gang...
13:45..who wait two hours for the trader to emerge
13:48and circle as he makes his way back to his car.
13:53He had placed the jewellery in the boot,
13:55and as he was getting into his car, a male approached him
13:59and dropped a quantity of coins and notes on the floor.
14:04And whilst being distracted, members of his group
14:07then removed the suitcases from the back of his car.
14:11I made my getaway.
14:14The CCTV clearly showed the trader had been deliberately targeted
14:19and gave detectives a vital lead.
14:22The vehicles the suspects were using
14:24was a Vauxhall Mareeva and a Vauxhall Astra.
14:27Police ran checks on the number plates
14:30and found they had both been logged on the back of the car.
14:35Police ran checks on the number plates
14:38and found they had both been logged after some suspicious activity
14:42at a jewellery trade fair in Birmingham one week earlier.
14:46Jewellery trade fairs aren't open to the public.
14:49It's usually by invite only.
14:52They are a showcase opportunity for jewellery traders
14:56to show some of the most expensive items.
15:02So they are areas of opportunity that thieves can be interested in.
15:10During the event, the security team was placed on such high alert
15:14that their CCTV was passed on to DCI Laura Hillier
15:17and her team at the Met Flying Squad.
15:21This vehicle is just parked
15:23and these two people have just arrived at the trade fair event.
15:31This male then puts on a hat and he's putting in an earpiece
15:37and he is making his way to the event.
15:44This male actually enters the event
15:47and goes to the table and grabs lanyards
15:50and tries to enter without being registered
15:53and he's challenged by security
15:56and pretends that he doesn't speak English
15:59and leaves the venue with the lanyards.
16:04And then he makes his way back towards the car park
16:08where he secretes a number of the lanyards
16:11that are required to get into the jewellery fair.
16:14The security are concerned
16:17and they start to make a sweep of the car park.
16:22He is aware that he's being followed
16:24and he quickly gets into the vehicle.
16:28The windows are blacked out
16:30so you can't see into the back seat of the vehicle
16:33and they're unable to find him.
16:38The security are on high alert at this stage.
16:41Their jewellery trade has been infiltrated
16:46and they look back at the CCTV
16:50and they can see that the lanyards have been left under this vehicle
16:55and this is the first incident of the day that raises the concerns.
17:00CCTV shows the suspicious man driving off
17:04but is then replaced by another.
17:07Approximately 30 minutes later
17:10a male is acting suspiciously within the hotel.
17:14He is challenged by the same security team
17:18and he makes off.
17:20Within the hour, a third person raises suspicions.
17:24This man, who parks up near the trade fair
17:27is driving the Silver Astra
17:29used in the theft from the jewellery trader in Glasgow.
17:33A male exits and makes his way towards the hotel
17:41and immediately the security team are on high alert.
17:45The male realises he's being watched by security.
17:50He's spooked so he actually leaves the event.
17:54The security team come out to speak with him
17:58but he doesn't look back.
18:01It's at this stage that the security team make the hard decision
18:05to close the event.
18:09It seemed security may have thwarted a potential theft
18:13but police were convinced the gang had got away with something more valuable.
18:19The Glasgow victim had been at the trade fair event
18:23eight days prior in Birmingham.
18:27So it was clear that their intentions at the trade fair
18:31was to scout for victims who could be a later target.
18:36Just two weeks later, another jewellery broker left London
18:40after attending a similar fair.
18:43He parked his vehicle at a service station.
18:46He left his jewellery, valued around £100,000, within his vehicle
18:50during which time his car was broken into and the jewellery was stolen.
18:57The car the suspects used was recovered by police in Luton six days later.
19:03We found that the victims' suitcases and bags were still in the vehicle
19:07but the rings had been taken.
19:09Inside that bag we found a receipt from a store in Enfield.
19:14Using the time and date on the receipt, police cross-checked this
19:18against CCTV from the area.
19:21This led them to a group of suspects.
19:24It was clear when we were watching the CCTV and following this group
19:28that they were looking for potential victims within the town centre
19:32and they were looking at bank premises.
19:35At this point detectives realised this gang wasn't just targeting
19:40high-value jewellery but people drawing out large amounts of cash
19:45like Andrea and her partner.
19:49We then started to look back at historic crimes which they may have committed
19:53and we were able to identify this group was in excess of 30 to 40 people.
19:58They had done a vast amount of offending of this type
20:01and they had stolen hundreds of thousands of pounds.
20:05We knew that we had to arrest these subjects sooner rather than later.
20:12And we'll see how the net closed in on that audacious gang a bit later.
20:17Before that, in 1994, 31-year-old mum Shona Stephens took a lunchtime walk
20:23only to be brutally attacked just 200 metres from her door.
20:27For the first time, Shona's daughter has opened up
20:30about the horrific attack against her mum.
20:35I was seven years old when I lost my mum.
20:40She was my inspiration.
20:43Every moment I got to spend with her I cherished.
20:49I only wish that I could have known her as an adult.
20:54I've tried to follow her ideals.
20:58You know, she was incredibly bright, academic, multi-talented
21:04and just such a beautiful person.
21:09She had a natural grace about her
21:12because she took such diligent care in everything she did.
21:19I just thought she would be proud that she was here today.
21:29Shona was my mum.
21:33She was an academic, she was studious.
21:36We used to watch films together.
21:39We drew and I used to watch her studying.
21:43Yeah, she encapsulates everything that I do.
21:49When it came to bedtime, she would sit by my bedside
21:53and read me bedtime stories.
21:55And we practiced reading together.
22:00Gran and my mum were incredibly close.
22:04They had a mother-daughter bond that was unbreakable.
22:09I just remember in the household, you know, we were always laughing,
22:13having jokes, you know, dancing up and down the hallway
22:17and it was just such a loving household.
22:21I was happy. That was how it was.
22:26After losing my mum, my gran tried her utmost
22:30to raise me in as normal an environment as possible.
22:36I want people to see me, not for the tragedy that happened.
22:41I want to be known for my own merits, not just, you know, sympathy.
22:56On Thursday 10th November 1994,
23:00Shona Stevens was murdered metres from her home in Irvine, North Ayrshire.
23:06The person responsible has never been found.
23:15DI Gillies took over the case in January 2024.
23:20Shona Stevens was a 31-year-old mother
23:23who left her home about half twelve in the afternoon
23:26to take a walk to the local shops in Aldergreen,
23:29in the Boortree Hill area of Irvine.
23:31A walk that she would take every single day.
23:35Boortree Hill Park was a thoroughfare.
23:38A lot of people from the local housing estates would use it
23:41as a footpath or a cycle pathway from one part of the town to the other,
23:45particularly towards the local shops.
23:49Irvine was a relatively new town.
23:5130 years ago it was an area that was undergoing some expansion
23:54with new housing estates and the like.
23:57The morning of the 10th November 1994
24:00was a morning like every other for Shona and her mother.
24:04They were home together and Shona had to take a walk to the shops.
24:07I'm going to the shops, do you want anything?
24:09It was only a short distance.
24:10It was approximately about an eight to ten minute walk through the park.
24:14The route that Shona would have taken would have been
24:16to exit her garden through a back gate onto a footpath
24:19which would have ultimately taken her through the park
24:22in the direction of the Boortree Hill shops
24:24coming out at Towerlands Farm Road.
24:27Given the time of day, between 12, 1 o'clock and shortly thereafter
24:31that there would have been people that were out walking their dogs,
24:34socialising, taking their lunch breaks.
24:39She was in the shopping precinct just before 1 o'clock.
24:42She was seen re-entering the park just after 1 o'clock.
24:47She was attacked by an unknown person
24:49during the course of which she sustained serious head injuries
24:52understood to be caused by blunt force trauma to the head.
24:58She was discovered at 20 minutes past 1 by members of the public.
25:03She was visible from the pathway which is what drew their attention towards her
25:07and ultimately summoning the police and first responders.
25:10Where Shona was discovered was only 200-300 yards from her home address.
25:18She was nearly home.
25:21I would have expected people in the immediate vicinity
25:24whether in the park or the houses nearby
25:26to have been aware that a disturbance had taken place.
25:29However, they may have not linked it to an attack on Shona at the time
25:33but they may subsequently reflect on that.
25:36Shona Stephens was airlifted to Southern General Hospital in Glasgow
25:40where she was treated for severe head wounds.
25:43Despite doctors' best efforts, Shona Stephens never regained consciousness.
25:51When she passed away,
25:56it was really quite a blur for me because
26:01I was used to seeing her every day
26:03and then all of a sudden I was taken aside
26:06and told, oh, your mum's in a hospital.
26:11She's not well.
26:13And I was like, oh, can I go see her?
26:16And I was told, no, probably best you shoot.
26:21So I used to make her handmade cards
26:24and I used to give them to her.
26:27So I used to make her handmade cards
26:30for the three days that she was in hospital
26:35until the Sunday, on Remembrance Sunday in 1994
26:41when they decided to turn her life support off.
26:58And when I saw her coffin
27:02at the age of seven years old, that's when it hit me
27:08that she was gone.
27:18Police still haven't established a motive for her murder.
27:23The investigation would have focused on
27:25gaining an understanding of who uses that park,
27:28who frequents the local area,
27:30speaking to people in the local community
27:32who may or may not be involved in criminality
27:34and building an investigative strategy around those criteria.
27:39There's been a number of people whose identity
27:41we've appealed to the public for
27:43and that we've subsequently identified them
27:45as part of this investigation.
27:47There's always a possibility that there are further witnesses
27:49that haven't been identified
27:51or for whatever reason come forward.
27:54Thirty years have passed
27:55and I am confident that there are answers in the community.
27:59An attack of this type, particularly when we can't yet establish a motive,
28:03so whether it's 1994 or 2025,
28:06the manner of this incident is shocking
28:09and it continues to be investigated as a priority.
28:14There have been numerous appeals to the public over the years.
28:18In 1995, police sought Crimewatch's help.
28:24The attack on Shona still has too many elements of mystery
28:27and hence tonight this nationwide appeal.
28:31Thirty years on and Shona's killer has never been found.
28:37Losing my mum has impacted every facet of my life.
28:43To anyone that's got any information about Shona's case,
28:48please, please share whatever you know with the police.
28:54Any little bit of information,
28:56however insignificant you may think it may be,
29:00please share it.
29:02It's been 30 years.
29:05My mum deserves justice.
29:08My gran is 90 years old.
29:10She deserves justice.
29:13And so do I.
29:18It's truly heartbreaking.
29:20I'm joined now by D.I. Stuart Gillies,
29:22who you saw in the film there from Police Scotland's
29:24major investigation team to discuss further.
29:27Stuart, thanks so much for coming in this morning.
29:30Shona's daughter speaking in the film,
29:32that is the first time that she's felt able to bravely speak about her mum.
29:37She didn't want to be fully identified in the film,
29:39but you can really tell the impact that this has had on her
29:42and the rest of the family.
29:44Absolutely. I commend her bravery.
29:46It's had a devastating impact on Shona's family and the local community,
29:49and that's why I'm here today to try and get answers.
29:52And you want to make absolutely clear that this is still very much
29:55an active murder case, isn't it?
29:57Yes, this is an unresolved homicide,
29:59and I'm here today to appeal to the community for their help
30:02in drawing it to a conclusion.
30:04I've spoken to people in the community who are under the impression
30:06that it has been solved, and I'm here to say it hasn't.
30:09So if you have information, come forward and help us.
30:12Shona's daughter spoke so beautifully about her mum in the film.
30:15You could tell that they were extremely close.
30:17What more can you tell us, Stuart, about Shona?
30:20Well, that's exactly it. She was a loving mother and a daughter.
30:23She was very close with her family, and there's a small group of friends.
30:26A very private person with a small social group,
30:29but ultimately a beloved mother and daughter.
30:32And can you remind us what she was actually wearing
30:34on the day that she was attacked?
30:36Of course. She was wearing a navy blue woolen jumper
30:40and an ankle-length brown skirt with black shoes.
30:43Now, we've got a map that we can show here, Stuart,
30:46just to kind of give a bit more of an indication
30:49into Shona's movements that day. Talk us through it.
30:52So this is Shona's home address, Aldergreen,
30:55and as I mentioned in the VT, she exits her garden from a back fence
30:58and onto a path which she would then take towards the local shops.
31:02This is a route that she would take every day,
31:06and would be frequented by people out walking their dogs or on their bikes,
31:09however, and would be directly through Beartree Hill Park
31:12to the local shop area.
31:14And what time was it that she was last seen?
31:16She left the house approximately half past 12 in the afternoon
31:19to go to the shops.
31:21And last seen when around...?
31:23She was last seen re-entering the park here at Towerlands Farm Road
31:26at just after one o'clock.
31:28And the attack happened, as you say, just yards from her home address.
31:31Absolutely shocking.
31:34Who specifically would you like to hear from today?
31:36I want to hear from anybody who's got any information
31:38that's ultimately going to help us advance this investigation.
31:41We're desperate for answers for Shona's family and the community.
31:44As we said, this is something that happened 30 years ago.
31:47People may have actually come forward at the time.
31:49You would still urge them to come forward again, though, wouldn't you?
31:52Of course. My team are in the process of re-engaging with witnesses
31:55from the time, but if you have come forward and spoke to the police
31:58at that time, we may be able to speak to you again.
32:01We would urge you, if you've thought about anything subsequently
32:04or had other conversations, please come forward,
32:06please share what you know and please help us.
32:08And there is a Crimestoppers reward in connection?
32:10Yes. Our partners at Crimestoppers are offering £20,000 for information
32:13leading to a conviction that comes via Crimestoppers.
32:16So for anybody who's not yet prepared to come forward to the police directly,
32:19I would urge you to consider that route as an alternative.
32:22Stuart, thanks again for coming in and joining us this morning.
32:25If you do have any information at all relating to this case,
32:28then please do get in touch with us.
32:30All the ways to contact us are on the screen below.
32:34Now, in a moment, we're going to see how the Flying Squad hone in
32:37on their South American gang, but we're joined now by Sarah Staff.
32:40She's a former Flying Squad DCI and current head of Safer Gems.
32:44Sarah, just explain what Safer Gems is and what you do.
32:48So, good morning, Rav, and thank you for the opportunity.
32:50So, Safer Gems started in 2009 and it's a major crime initiative
32:55that relates to the jewellery industry,
32:58so pawnbrokers, arts and antiques.
33:01So it's hosted by the British Security Industry Association
33:04and we're sponsored by National Association of Jewellers
33:07and TH Marsh Insurance Brokers.
33:09So we work really closely with all UK police forces
33:12through the National Police Chiefs Council.
33:14We receive information of reports, intelligence and data,
33:18and we'll share that through alerts to our membership group
33:20and bulletins to UK police forces.
33:23Very important.
33:24It's so key, isn't it?
33:25So what kind of trends have you seen then, Sarah,
33:27with this kind of crime?
33:29So if we look at this particular case,
33:31from the beginning of 2023 we saw an increase
33:34in high-value thefts against mobile reps and traders
33:38and also at jewellery events.
33:40So we've had about 40 instances reported to us
33:43and we see that these gangs are very organised.
33:46They travel between the UK and the US.
33:49They use multiple vehicles as they're targeting
33:51their potential victims and are very sophisticated
33:55in how they operate, as you would have seen
33:57in the reconstructions there.
33:59But some of the tactics used are actually pretty basic, aren't they?
34:03Like the coins on the floor.
34:05Absolutely, and it's that way of drawing somebody in
34:08and trying to help.
34:09So they might throw notes on the floor, distract you,
34:12put sauce on the back of your jacket and say,
34:14can I help you clean it off?
34:16Or by distracting you and then putting a spike
34:18underneath your vehicle to burst the tyre
34:21and then offering help.
34:22So it's reaching out to you in that way that distracts you
34:25and then they steal from you.
34:26It's so sneaky, isn't it, Sarah?
34:28And what advice would you give to jewellery traders
34:31that could very easily become a victim to this kind of crime?
34:35Absolutely.
34:36So some important advice, and that's in conjunction
34:38with the police, is that if you are a mobile trader,
34:41please always check your vehicle before you leave,
34:43after an event or from your home address.
34:45Never post on social media where you're going.
34:48Try and have a companion with you, a second pair of eyes
34:51is always really helpful.
34:53We do suggest you get a safe inside the boot of your vehicle,
34:57so that's a really good way if you're away from the vehicle
34:59or whilst you're loading your items up.
35:02You can also buy a tracker, very affordable,
35:04that can go into an item or into your bag,
35:07and if sadly that is stolen, then the police have a very quick way
35:10of being able to track it before the criminals know
35:12the tracker is covertly deployed.
35:14So there's a lot out there.
35:15That's so useful.
35:16And we would sort of say, even if you suffer the minus of crime
35:20or a suspicious incident, please always report it to the police
35:23because it's that bigger picture and them understanding
35:25what's going on.
35:26That's so important.
35:27You, of course, know what you're talking about.
35:28You spent many years in the Flying Squad.
35:29You did all sorts when you were there.
35:31And in fact, just before we came on air, you told us
35:33that you don't always wear the typical attire for a detective.
35:36Tell me about wearing a ball gown.
35:38No, no, no.
35:39So this was quite an unusual deployment.
35:41So it was at a jewellery event at a hotel in London,
35:43and I had a long ball gown on, posh handbag,
35:46and a gun hidden under my dress.
35:48Amazing, amazing.
35:50You remind me of, like, a female James Bond.
35:53She is!
35:54A little one, but yes.
35:56You've done it all.
35:57Well, really good advice today.
35:59I think it's going to keep a lot of people.
36:01Thank you so much, Sarah.
36:02Really appreciate you coming in.
36:03We're actually back with your colleagues at the Flying Squad now
36:05as they close in on their South American gang.
36:09They had done a vast amount of offending
36:11across the whole of England and Scotland,
36:14and they had stolen hundreds of thousands of pounds.
36:18A valuable lead came from one of the cars
36:21used by the gang to scout for targets at a Birmingham trade fair.
36:25One of them vehicles had been stopped in the London area,
36:28and two males had been arrested
36:30from that vehicle for immigration matters.
36:32Police seized their phones and examined the vehicle.
36:36Police seized their phones and examined their contacts.
36:40We were then able to identify at least seven other individuals
36:44whose numbers had been at the Birmingham event on 10th September.
36:49We weren't able to identify owners or users of six of those numbers,
36:54but we were able to identify one number
36:57belonging to a male named Hugo Salgado.
37:06Salgado had previously given his details to police in Kent
37:10when he was questioned about an attempted bank follow-off theft.
37:15This was a bit of a breakthrough and a bit of a goldmine.
37:17We were able to then look at crimes he had previously committed,
37:21and it also gave us an opportunity to look at him proactively
37:24and to work out who he may be now working with.
37:27Putting a name to the face confirmed Salgado
37:30was one of the group responsible for the distraction theft
37:34of £15,000 from the car park in Essex.
37:38A surveillance operation was mounted to track Salgado's movements
37:42and the way the gang was operating.
37:45They would meet with other members of the group on a daily basis.
37:49They would then disperse and make their way to town centres,
37:53city centres across London and across the UK.
37:57They would be coming up in separate vehicles
37:59and not necessarily moving together as one.
38:02From there, they would then operate and commit their crimes.
38:06And we had to be aware that they could be watching us,
38:09so we had to adapt our surveillance to not get caught, basically.
38:15Salgado looked to be in charge of this group.
38:19This group was mainly South American, predominantly from Colombia.
38:23They was coming into the UK using a number of A-list details.
38:27They would have several identities.
38:29This group was very difficult to deal with.
38:31We didn't know where they were living.
38:33We didn't know their true identities.
38:35Everything they did was off radar.
38:39It was one of the most challenging surveillance deployments we've done.
38:48The number of crimes started to become quite large
38:52across the whole of England and Scotland.
38:56This was a mammoth task for ourselves to sort of piece together
39:00and build a conspiracy case against this group.
39:04In March 2024, a surveillance team was watching Hugo Salgado
39:09and other members of the gang
39:11when they went to Hatton Garden in London,
39:14the centre of the UK's diamond trade.
39:18A trader, a smuggler, a smuggler,
39:23A trader was seen to leave one of the premises
39:26and he approached a taxi.
39:28He put his suitcases in the back
39:30and then he watched the group throwing money on the floor around the taxi.
39:35This was an attempt by the group to then try and steal the traders' suitcases.
39:40This attempt was only foiled by a taxi driver
39:44who saw one of the male suspects try and get into the back of the taxi
39:48and he challenged him as he approached the door.
39:51The trader then realised what was happening,
39:53got into his taxi and left the scene.
39:57Had this theft been successful,
40:00they would have got away with £4 million worth of jewellery.
40:05By trawling hundreds of hours of CCTV footage,
40:09conducting a vast amount of digital forensic work
40:12and running a 24-hour-a-day surveillance operation around the UK,
40:17police finally had enough evidence.
40:22So on the 1st of May, we started our arrest phase
40:25and we arrested Hugo Salgado, Alberto Sanchez,
40:28Mayeli Castellanos and Jose Gerardo Barrero.
40:32And then within the weeks after, we arrested
40:35Miguel Ramirez, Jamie Gutierrez, Carlos Salazar and Jose Talanek.
40:41You're under arrest for conspiracy to steal.
40:50All eight were charged with participating in an organised crime group
40:55and for conspiracy to steal.
40:57In total, they will serve over 32 years behind bars.
41:03They had stolen in excess of £1 million worth of cash and jewellery
41:07and had made two attempts to steal £5 million worth of jewellery.
41:12The arrests and convictions of these individuals
41:15has made a significant impact and disruption to their organised crime group.
41:20They're no longer now able to operate on a daily basis committing crimes,
41:24which will mean a lot less victims on the streets.
41:35Brilliant police work there.
41:37Now it's time for today's Wanted Faces.
41:41And the first of this series belongs to this man.
41:45This is Nicolae Constantin.
41:47Surrey police want to speak to him about a sexual assault.
41:51The 25-year-old is originally from Romania
41:54and he's described as having dark receding hair
41:57and a distinctive tribal tattoo on his lower right arm.
42:01Police say he does have links to Hillingdon and Ryslip in West London
42:05as well as to Slough in Berkshire.
42:08And Bucharest in Romania.
42:10Have a look at this guy.
42:12This is 25-year-old Kieran Harrison.
42:14Police in South Yorkshire want to speak to him about a number of serious offences.
42:18They say he has links to Barnsley in South Yorkshire as well as to Northampton.
42:23But recent intelligence suggests he may have travelled to Portugal.
42:27Or maybe you've seen this man.
42:30He uses his first and last name interchangeably
42:33as either Alam Nor or Nor Alam.
42:36Northamptonshire police want to speak with him in connection to a serious offence.
42:41He has links to Whitechapel and Tower Hamlets in London
42:44and previously to Swansea and Cardiff in Wales.
42:48The 40-year-old has noticeable pockmarks on both sides of his cheeks.
42:53And last for today anyway is Hamid Hemmati.
42:56Police in Manchester want to question him about the production of this series.
43:00Police in Manchester want to question him about the production of methamphetamines.
43:04He's 39 and has links to Manchester and London but also to Iran.
43:09So if you have seen any of these men out and about or you know where they might be,
43:14please do get in touch.
43:16All the ways to contact us are on the screen below.
43:20Thank you for watching today.
43:22And remember you can catch us on iPlayer for up to 30 days after broadcast.
43:26Details of organisations that can provide support with some of the issues raised
43:30are available at bbc.co.uk.
43:34Tomorrow detectives finally apprehend a prolific thief
43:40that we've featured many times on the programme.
43:44We've got a suspect who we know has wanted for several offences over several years.
43:49He seems one step ahead.
43:52Right now we need to get a hold of him.
43:55Yeah, this guy is quite something, isn't he? You won't want to miss that.
43:58Yeah, we're going to see you tomorrow for that and more, same time, 10.45.
44:01Bye for now.
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