SAS Catching the Criminals S01E12 (2024)
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00:00Covert surveillance, reconnaissance, deception, stealth, and disruption.
00:07These are the skills I learned on the military front line,
00:11and they can be used to combat a different enemy.
00:15Britain's criminals.
00:17Police! Police!
00:20That's the team thrown into position now.
00:22My name is Billy Billingham, and I spent over 20 years in the SAS.
00:29Now I'm going to show you how SAS tactics are helping to crack down
00:34on anti-social crime across Britain.
00:37All teams now in position.
00:39Strike, strike, strike.
00:40Some enforcement agencies are already using SAS tactics to hunt criminals.
00:45Check this out. This is exactly what they were looking for.
00:49Hey, presto.
00:51And I want to find out how much the police are doing too.
00:54Go, go, go.
00:57She's going to pick up a target right now.
00:59You're lying, aren't you? And you know very well it's illegal.
01:02You need to move quick. Stand by.
01:04Banged up, job done.
01:18One of the similarities between the SAS and the police
01:22is the sheer scale of operations going on across the UK.
01:26All intel-led, planned with precision and with a code name as well.
01:40Here we are in Reading, working up Druid and supported by Thames Valley Police.
01:45We're about to pay some suspected road traders a visit.
01:49Stand by.
01:51I'm meeting West Berkshire Trading Standards.
01:54They have spent months tracking down several men they suspect are road traders.
01:59Members of the public called Trading Standards to investigate
02:03and now Trading Standards have called the police to assist.
02:07Thanks very much for coming along.
02:09This is a group of people doing building work.
02:11These know what they're doing, they're going in, taking all the money
02:14on the pretense that they've finished the build but they never do
02:17and then they just walk away.
02:19So we're talking about £120,000 at one property, £50,000 at another.
02:25Just look for the main essentials, i.e. paperwork, mobile phone, laptop.
02:30The main thing I want is the mobile phones.
02:32Thanks very much, everybody, and thanks for your help.
02:35The team think they have found 20 victims of this type of crime,
02:39with nearly a million pounds taken over several years.
02:43I want to know more from Trading Standards officer Martin Woodley.
02:47He's got an MBE for his services fighting conmen.
02:51The con is they start the work and they get to a stage
02:54and then they keep saying we need more money,
02:56so they keep paying this money over and the threat is,
02:59if we don't get it, we'll just shift all the blokes off.
03:02And of course they've got a half-built property,
03:04they've got no roof, all the property's open to the elements.
03:08So he'd probably take on two or three clients or victims
03:11and then close the company down and remove it.
03:14And then they start another company.
03:16So they've done that, that's three years running now.
03:21It's a known mode of operating for rogues.
03:24Get money up front, then don't complete a job.
03:27And close down the company so you're harder to find.
03:31With two suspects on the hit list today,
03:33the team are going to divide and conquer.
03:36Two simultaneous strikes to keep the element of surprise.
03:41One of the suspects is believed to be living at his parents' house.
03:44That's where I'm heading.
03:48So very similar to like an SAS-style strike,
03:50we'll move to what we'd call up a line-up point
03:52or the final sort of rendezvous point.
03:54Final bits of the jigsaw put together,
03:56last bit of orders, any changes,
03:58because in this case it's a simultaneous strike.
04:01Two strikes going together, so timing is critical.
04:04Martin and the team are just putting the final bits together now.
04:07Last bit of intel on the target before the strike.
04:10Stand by.
04:15Now both teams are in position.
04:17Several miles away, ex-police detective
04:20turned trading standards officer Claire has her team in place.
04:24So we've reached the second location.
04:26We're just parked around the corner from the address.
04:29Myself and the police unit, we're just doing surveillance
04:33to see if anyone comes and goes from that address
04:35in the time that the other unit are at the second address.
04:38We're just watching and waiting, really.
04:42Building workers start early, so the police want to strike now.
04:46OK, so the go, go, go has been given now.
04:49A simultaneous strike. The first one's in position.
04:52We're moving in position now to the target house. Let's go.
05:01So you're going to want to focus the head out.
05:06Camera's on? Yeah.
05:08The dude's up... There's a guy up at the top window here now.
05:13Contact.
05:22No suspect. His parents say he's moved out.
05:25Suspects are often hard to locate in these investigations.
05:29Maybe trading standards officer Claire and her police team
05:33are having more luck at the address of another suspect rogue trader.
05:37During the warrant, we're mainly going to be looking for phones,
05:41electronic devices, any paperwork that relates to the company,
05:44the phones we're going to want to download
05:46to see if there's messages between the suspects
05:48as well as with the consumers so we can evidence them.
05:50There's lights on at the top that have actually gone off
05:53and there's two cars parked out the front, so I'm hopeful he's there.
06:04Hello, it's the police. Can you open the door, please?
06:09Hello.
06:12That's our target.
06:16Is that your phone there? That one looks on charge.
06:20He's going to be coming with us, mate.
06:22What's your opinion so I can block him?
06:25We're literally taking it with us.
06:27It's my phone. Yeah, I understand.
06:29We'll be seizing it.
06:31That's why I'm not going to help you.
06:35The suspect isn't playing ball,
06:37but the police don't need his help.
06:39He's arrested.
06:41The team will look for any evidence linking him to ripping off clients.
06:45Claire wanted to find paperwork
06:47and after a search, she finds an application
06:50for £150,000 of funding for a business venture,
06:55naming several of Trading Standards' suspects as part of the deal.
07:02Back at my location,
07:04we're trying a tactical approach to find the missing suspect.
07:08The police try a trick I've used on missions,
07:11looking for wanted men,
07:13calling the suspect direct from a phone they always pick up from.
07:17In this case, it's Dad's.
07:19It's the police. Where are you at?
07:22Because we need to speak to you, mate.
07:24There's an investigation by Trading Standards
07:26and they've identified you as a key suspect.
07:29They've got some bits to speak to you about at the police station.
07:31But I just want you to know the seriousness of it.
07:33This isn't like us just asking,
07:35like we're saying this is serious enough for us to come to your house.
07:38It's Thursday morning. Is that going to be realistic, mate?
07:40Because I don't want you to agree to it and then stand us up, yeah?
07:43I'd rather you just be straight with me.
07:45Now, I need you to agree, 10.30,
07:47do you know Loddon Valley Police Station?
07:50The suspect agrees to turn himself in.
07:53We got to the house where we expected him to be.
07:56He's not here, he's away.
07:58They've got communication now from the mum and dad by phone.
08:02And he's playing ball to a degree, but this ain't going away.
08:07Take care. Thanks a lot. Bye.
08:09I mean, now he's sweating. That's a fact.
08:11He's sitting there going, what do I do now?
08:13There'll be a call right now to his family, you know,
08:16and they're probably stressed out.
08:18And if he's got anything about him,
08:20he'll do the decent thing and probably come to you.
08:22But if he doesn't, here's Johnny, you're coming.
08:29And back at the station, I ask investigator Claire
08:32how she got on with the suspect who was being arrested.
08:36How did your task go?
08:37Our suspect was there at the address,
08:39so he was swiftly arrested by the police in carrying out the warrant.
08:42We got an iPad, a laptop, his phone,
08:45and we also got some paperwork in the company name.
08:48Great to hear that you actually got results
08:50and you got the person we're after, so...
08:52Yeah, so we're just waiting to interview him now
08:54and we've got six cases to discuss with him.
08:56You've got him in custody, you've got control of him,
08:59this is when you'll get the evidence that you require.
09:01Just like we used to do in the days of the SAS,
09:03you know, go in, take the target down,
09:05and that shock of capture moment, which is all about time.
09:09So I'm not going to hold you back, I know this time now is key
09:12for you to get the evidence that you require.
09:14Yeah. So, great job and go, get the pressure on him.
09:17Don't let him off. We'll see what he's got to say.
09:19Good effort. Well done. Thank you.
09:22Surviving interrogation is a skill they teach you in the SAS.
09:26But in this case, I'm hoping the suspects tell all they know
09:30and reveal if there are any other people
09:33trading standards should be looking for.
09:39In the military, you are trained to expect the unexpected.
09:43As a civilian, you can't live your life like that.
09:47And that's what we're going to do.
09:49You can't live your life like that.
09:51And that's when con men can strike.
09:56Reports estimate £20 to £40 billion gets spent
10:00on home improvements across the country every year.
10:04In Wiltshire, airline pilot Jamie Sharp was after a new garage
10:08and got a decent quote from a guy he found online.
10:12When I first met the builder,
10:14he presented himself very, very professionally,
10:16very smart, knew exactly what we wanted.
10:19Quote was received. It was higher than normal.
10:22He wanted a fairly sizeable deposit up front,
10:24which is slightly unusual for me.
10:26I'd done a fair bit of building work before,
10:28but after taking up references,
10:30pictures of old jobs, decided to go for it.
10:35First week, the amount of work that was done was really impressive.
10:39And then at the end of the week, more money was asked for,
10:42which at that point, I could see where my money was going,
10:45which made sense, and I was OK to hand over more money up front.
10:51But Jamie didn't stay happy for long.
10:53The next phase started a lot slower.
10:57Chaps were turning up later,
10:59so the rate of progress in week two had seriously dropped off.
11:03I'd paid a lot of money up front at this point for materials.
11:08The outside of the garage has sort of traditional old stone
11:12that we had paid for, and it was constantly said,
11:15it will arrive, it will arrive, and then we was going,
11:17well, we have to stop work until the stone arrives,
11:20and it was day by day, well, when's this stone going to arrive?
11:23We eventually contacted the stone merchant ourselves.
11:26They said it's sitting on their yard, hasn't been paid for,
11:30but we were assured it had been paid for,
11:33and it just was waiting to be delivered.
11:36So that was probably the first proper warning sign
11:39that he'd said to us he'd paid for the stone,
11:41but the merchant said no, he was awaiting payment.
11:44Jamie carried on with normal life, but was worried.
11:47I think when the roof was half on and no stone delivered,
11:51we were waiting for some steel work as well,
11:54one day just didn't turn up.
11:58Jamie took pictures of the work.
12:00The builder wanted thousands more for extra costs,
12:03and Jamie wouldn't pay,
12:05so the builder just left the job looking like this.
12:08I'd paid the builder about £42,000,
12:11which was, as I say, about 80% of the total build cost,
12:15but was left with a breezeblock shell
12:18of what didn't even really look like a garage,
12:21and lots of mess and building materials around the garden.
12:24It really was quite a state.
12:26Jamie spoke to some of the people who had posted reviews online.
12:29Turns out, like him, they were happy initially,
12:32but soon realised they had been fooled.
12:35I found out that actually this was a pattern.
12:37There were several other people who affected a lot worse than me
12:41to make it feel quite raw for quite a long time.
12:44Trading Standards took up the case
12:46and pursued the rogue builder who had left projects half done.
12:50Trading Standards, they were fantastic, very understanding,
12:53kept me in the picture all the time, very professional.
12:56I got the feeling they weren't going to let it lie,
12:58they were going to see it through to the end.
13:00Whilst Trading Standards investigated the builder,
13:03Jamie was forced to pay someone else
13:05to come and finish the garage.
13:07A simple job ended up as a painful experience.
13:10But ultimately, justice was done.
13:13Eventually, with dogged determination,
13:15and many years later, got a conviction.
13:17I believe the builder pleaded guilty
13:19to the problems he caused us and several other people.
13:24He got four years in jail,
13:26and Jamie has a few thoughts for anyone with concerns.
13:30Any advice I'd say, if you're going through a similar project,
13:33is to trust your gut instincts.
13:35If something doesn't feel right, you speak to family and friends.
13:38Most of all, don't go down the rabbit hole
13:40of throwing good money after bad.
13:42The promise that once a project started,
13:44that it can't continue unless you throw more money at it,
13:47I think that's a huge red flag.
13:49Rogue traders cost people £3.5 billion a year and spread misery.
13:55It's vital to investigate them.
13:58I've been working with West Berkshire Trading Standards.
14:01They've arrested two suspects
14:03they believe are part of a group of rogue traders
14:06who don't complete jobs.
14:08And now, I'm heading back out with the team.
14:13It's the early hours of the morning,
14:15and they have a fresh operation planned.
14:17After interviewing the two suspects,
14:19Trading Standards think they have identified an address
14:22for the third suspect they are keen to find.
14:25And they think it may be the ringleader.
14:28Intelligence suggests he's staying at his girlfriend's house.
14:31We're doing an arrest attempt today.
14:33For you guys, the background is a kind of rogue trading,
14:36fraud, quite large investigation.
14:39And this guy is one of the subjects.
14:41So, tell me the address, ideally get cover at the rear.
14:44Is everyone ready? OK.
14:46So, we're going to start with the first suspect.
14:49Is everyone ready? OK.
14:57So, the teams are just going to mount up now
14:59into their vehicle convoy, shake out,
15:01get everybody in the order of march.
15:03Again, a military-style movement.
15:05And then as soon as we get the clearance,
15:07we'll roll to target and strike just before it gets light.
15:12How long does it take you to build up a case against this guy?
15:15So, we got the complaint last year,
15:18so it could take about six months to get all the evidence together.
15:22So, basically, the intel started with a complaint from...
15:25Absolutely, yeah. As soon as we got that,
15:27then we're on to our intel system. Right.
15:35So, we've just pulled up a case.
15:38So, we've just pulled up just short of the target.
15:40In the military terms, a light point.
15:42We'll do a quick final sort of shake out
15:45and then just hit the target.
15:52So, this is the house where he may well be.
15:56This is actually his girlfriend's house,
15:58so the teams are into position at the front.
16:00We've got security at the back in case there's any runners.
16:03And we're going to go for the softer approach.
16:06BEEP
16:08Mr Police, come to the door, please.
16:10Hello, anyone at home? Mr Police, come to the door.
16:13Nothing.
16:15Police need to decide if the suspect could be here and hiding.
16:19So, while that's going on now, still trying to gain entry,
16:22the vehicle's parked outside.
16:24They do a vehicle registration check
16:26just to see if they're linked to the actual suspect.
16:29So, we're going to go for the softer approach.
16:31BEEP
16:33Just to see if they're linked to the actual suspect
16:35that we're waiting for.
16:37Still at the same address, and basically what has turned up now
16:40is these two vehicles are related to the suspect that we're after.
16:44So, they're going to put more pressure on
16:46just in case they're hiding in the back room.
16:49Are you inside?
16:51Still nothing.
16:53But the team won't give up until they get a result.
17:03Being a soldier means we have a never-say-die attitude.
17:07And for some soldiers, it's the same in civilian life.
17:11Whether it means fighting for a cause that we care about
17:14or trying to help others.
17:22I spent nine years in the Parachute Regiment before joining the SAS.
17:26And today, I'm coming to meet a couple of ex-Paras up in Liverpool.
17:30They run a charity called The Block.
17:32It's run for veterans who are going through tough times.
17:35And as an ex-soldier, I know how that feels.
17:39Hello, mate. Hello. How's it going?
17:41Calling, right? Yes, it is. Billy, mate.
17:43Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Hello, sir.
17:45Craig. Craig, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.
17:47It's a pleasure to be here. What is it you do exactly?
17:50So, we are the bridge from when a veteran becomes homeless
17:53or they struggle with transition, life after the military.
17:57Being in the army is a way of life.
17:59And when some soldiers leave,
18:01they don't know how to deal with what Civvy Street throws at them.
18:05It's brilliant to know this is here, cos I didn't know anything about this.
18:08You know and I know the best treatment for any squaddie is another squaddie.
18:12That's right, yeah. Cos we understand each other, mentality,
18:15family bond, you know, camaraderie, call it what you want.
18:18And I found me personally leaving the military
18:21wasn't the best place, to be honest.
18:24And I found myself not knowing where to turn.
18:27And who do you trust? And then you're out on your own.
18:29So, having something like this is fantastic.
18:34This place is run by ex-army people.
18:36Four ex-army people.
18:38250 ex-soldiers a year come here to learn how to apply for jobs and benefits,
18:44register with doctors and get mental health support.
18:48So, we can sit down here, we can close all the doors
18:50and we can have a private chat.
18:52Sometimes you can sit here for two, three hours,
18:54letting someone get everything off their chest.
18:58Former servicemen often need very specific support,
19:01a fact experts recognise.
19:04Walter Busytil is a consultant psychiatrist and a former RAF doctor
19:09who now works at the Combat Stress Charity.
19:12When you have veterans living together,
19:14coming together, meeting other veterans,
19:16to a large extent it's like coming home for them.
19:19They feel part of a team straight away,
19:21they feel that they're understood and they feel supported.
19:27This is a place ex-army guys like me can go and get support.
19:31But there's practical help here too.
19:33The lads can use the washing machines and the dryers,
19:35they can just come down and crack on.
19:37Do they know how to?
19:39So, basically, they come in, they've got absolutely nothing,
19:41no food, no wash kit, no blankets, no towels,
19:44all the, you know, stuff we take for granted every day.
19:47They could come down here, literally get a wash kit, get some food.
19:50So, how are you guys managing to even get any of this and do this?
19:55Everything here has been donated, we haven't paid for it.
19:58A lot of our staff are run by volunteers,
20:00so, essentially, we're doing it off...
20:02Off your own back? Yeah.
20:03The missus is understanding, she helps.
20:05The missus' mum is the cleaner, she helps.
20:11These ex-paras also provide eight rooms here
20:14for veterans with nowhere else to go.
20:17So, this is one of our single-occupancy bedsit flats
20:20they provide to the veterans who are either homeless or at risk of homeless.
20:23It's like a little penthouse.
20:25You've got your fridge, you've got your microwave, you've got your kettle.
20:28Is that en suite as well?
20:30Little en suite in there, little bathroom, shower room, studio.
20:35I want to take a minute here by myself in one of these rooms,
20:39because I really struggled when I left the army, after nearly 30 years.
20:43It's been quite eye-opening, to be honest, to be here,
20:46to see what's in place.
20:48But I think...
20:51..for anybody leaving the military, it's daunting, really daunting.
20:54And then to step out when things are falling apart around you.
20:58As I've been close to myself, I got the lucky break.
21:01A lot of soldiers don't.
21:03But I could have so easily been in a situation
21:09and needed a place like this.
21:11It's sad, really sad to see the sacrifices you give
21:16you're never prepared for, but you do it anyway.
21:19And I believe we all do it to believe we're doing it for the greater good.
21:23You expect, to a degree, that when you step out, you'll be taken care of.
21:29Moving forward, I want to talk to someone who's staying here.
21:33Hello, mate. Hi, how are you? What's your name? Mick.
21:36Mick, I'm Billy. Nice to meet you, mate.
21:38You're an ex-squaddie as well, yeah? Yeah, Kingo.
21:40Oh, yeah? How long were you in the Kingos?
21:42Ten, nine years. What happened after military life?
21:46Got out, got married, got divorced.
21:49Right. Like, fell apart after that.
21:51Fell on hard times? Yeah.
21:53What was that like when you got here?
21:55Like a huge weight off your shoulders, like, massive.
21:58Yeah? Yeah.
22:00In what respect? What, just shelter, food, camaraderie again?
22:03Yeah. Mick's on a property pool.
22:06At risk of homelessness, so we stepped in to bridge that gap for him.
22:09So he's still in that transition phase now of applying for social housing.
22:13Did you ever think, when you're in the army, that you'd end up...?
22:16No. Could you even imagine that?
22:18For years, no.
22:20You just think it's something that happens to other people, don't you?
22:22It's just not something... Yeah.
22:24But...
22:26It was a shock, like, but...
22:28Sadly, Mick's case is by no means unusual.
22:32It is quite difficult to leave the military.
22:34In fact, studies have shown that if people are going to become
22:37mentally unwell as veterans, probably the most vulnerable time
22:40is the first year to 18 months after they leave the military.
22:45Now Mick's found help, I do wonder how he feels about life.
22:49So, from the lifeline you've had now, what's the future for you, Mick?
22:53Just rebuilding life, starting again, basically.
22:56It's given me that sort of confidence and a bit of stability.
22:59Yeah. To make a go of things again.
23:01Typical squaddy, though, look, tea in his hand.
23:03Everything's done round a cup of tea!
23:07But you don't have to live in Liverpool to get help.
23:10If you can't go to a professional, that's fine.
23:13Try and talk to your buddies, to your mates.
23:15Try and have a brew with them in a safe place.
23:18Discuss what you're feeling.
23:20Try and ask somebody who's got help what it was like.
23:23And that's ultimately what this place is.
23:26Colin, Craig, thanks for today, mate.
23:30It's been an absolute eye-opener, mate, what you do.
23:33Keep up the good work. It's doing a great job.
23:35And all the best for the future.
23:37Take care.
23:40I've got to say, I feel just a little bit better about the world
23:44knowing these guys are here.
23:54I'm out with Trading Standards in Reading.
23:56We are hunting down a suspect
23:58who may be the lead man in a group of building rogue traders.
24:02Intel suggests he may be staying at his girlfriend's house here.
24:06After ten minutes, no-one is answering, but police ain't buying it.
24:12If we can just establish some communication
24:14and try and negotiate him to come out.
24:16We do think he's inside. Yeah, yeah.
24:18Cars are outside. Yeah.
24:19Neighbours said they last saw him last night or yesterday. Yeah.
24:22But we've got the address contained,
24:24so now's a good time to give him a call. Give him a call, yeah.
24:27But now there's movement.
24:32The suspect's girlfriend was inside all along.
24:43But police are suspicious there's a different reason.
24:55I don't believe you.
25:05I believe he's inside, mainly because of your demeanour
25:08and your response to the police.
25:12So basically what's happened now is the girlfriend of the suspect
25:16has finally answered the door after about 15 minutes of a soft approach.
25:20There's a bit of stand-off for exactly what is going on.
25:23We don't know exactly what is going on inside,
25:25but perseverance will continue until entry is made.
25:28I suggest you go and put a dressing gown on quickly,
25:31because you've got about 30 seconds before he'll come in.
25:34Officers prop the door with a boot.
25:36They don't need a warrant if they believe a suspect may be inside.
25:40Come on, stop playing games.
25:42I'm conscious that he could be inside hiding from us right now,
25:45and your delaying isn't helping.
25:47Please let us go and do our job.
25:49Which doesn't concern you, you're escalating unnecessarily.
25:52We're not here for you, we're here for him.
25:55Instinct is telling this officer he needs to get inside.
26:02Now officers can sweep the house and check the girlfriend's story.
26:07And guess what?
26:09They've found the suspect rogue trader.
26:11He was upstairs the whole time.
26:14You got him? He's been hiding away.
26:16They've just got him. They've just got him.
26:18So as you can see, the information, the surveillance paid off,
26:21and we're at the target house.
26:23Final check.
26:24There was a good five or ten minutes of knocking the door.
26:27No answer.
26:28Sixth sense says old, which we did,
26:31and it just shows perseverance.
26:33We will not go away.
26:34We will stay until the person is detained.
26:37And that's exactly what's happening now.
26:40That's him now.
26:42Off to custody to be processed.
26:48I think your sixth sense paid off there with the perseverance.
26:51I'm guessing that was just a delaying tactic?
26:53Absolutely a delaying tactic, but we got what we came for.
26:56We got him, and it was worth persevering, for sure.
26:59There are cases where we don't need a warrant
27:01and we can't get a warrant, and we can't get a warrant,
27:03and we can't get a warrant, and we can't get a warrant,
27:05and we can't get a warrant.
27:06For sure.
27:07There are cases where we don't need a warrant
27:09and we can enter with force if we need to,
27:11and this was one of those times.
27:12Great result, mate. Well done.
27:14Good effort.
27:15Now the forensic search begins,
27:17as he hidden crucial evidence inside.
27:20It's a case of talking to him now and then putting the file together
27:24and also having a look at what we find on his phone and the paperwork.
27:28So that's the whole team wrapped up and the main man off the street?
27:31Yeah, for now. Yeah, absolutely.
27:33Great job. Well done.
27:35And inside, trading standards find documents they think contain vital evidence.
27:40Their job now is to carry out a thorough investigation.
27:44A lot of hard work and perseverance, but job done.
27:53The police could have walked away,
27:55but instinct and training made them persist.
27:59As I say, always a little further.