- 15 hours ago
Dispatches - Season 2025 Episode 10 -
Hunting Britain's Parcel Thieves
Hunting Britain's Parcel Thieves
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FunTranscript
00:00It's been hijacked. It's on the move.
00:06A DPD driver has been robbed. We're going to go on blue lights.
00:13Police are on the trail of criminal gangs who've robbed two parcel delivery vans.
00:19So three IC1 males in a black Ford Focus.
00:24It's part of a new crime wave that's sweeping the country.
00:28They're robbing the van.
00:30They've already bought us every show.
00:32A parcel is now stolen in Britain every seven seconds.
00:38Nicked from our doorsteps.
00:41Or snatched from delivery vans by violent criminals.
00:46It's brazen, what they do. It's really got a sophisticated nature to it.
00:51It's costing us hundreds of millions of pounds a year.
00:55I'm journalist Tia Dondi and I'm investigating Britain's parcel thieves.
01:03The track is moving. It's been stolen.
01:06I'm planting packages with hidden tracking devices.
01:11So where's it going?
01:12To discover how the criminals operate.
01:16The person who took them ended up at this location.
01:21Cash converters.
01:21I meet the thieves cashing in on this crime wave.
01:30Do you ever use violence?
01:32If I had to, then yeah.
01:33What's that like? A knife or...?
01:34Element of surprise, you know, when you're violent.
01:37You catch people off guard.
01:38And I reveal why ruthless, organised crime gangs
01:44now have your deliveries in their sights.
01:48You're under arrest.
01:49The ledge that you have threatened the victim with a firearm
01:52and taking parcels from the back of the DPD van.
01:55I have to admit, I am a bit of a shopaholic.
02:10I'm constantly shopping online.
02:11I love clothes.
02:13So I'm always getting parcels delivered to my flat.
02:19We Brits spend more than £125 billion a year shopping online.
02:24With 11 million parcels landing on our doorsteps every day.
02:35And when I get the notification that a parcel's being delivered,
02:38it gives me a bit of a buzz.
02:40But there's a growing problem.
02:51Someone's stolen my parcel.
02:52Someone has stolen my parcel.
02:54Someone's stolen my parcel from the building I live in, right?
02:58Neighbourhood social media groups are full of warnings about parcel fees.
03:02One in seven of us have had a delivery stolen.
03:06Where is it?
03:07Where's the parcel?
03:09It's a crime that costs us £660 million a year.
03:15Leave £300 worth of stuff on the drive.
03:18And there we go.
03:20Good fire.
03:21He's taken it.
03:23I just can't get over it.
03:27It's such a global problem...
03:29..that revenge-fuelled videos like these
03:37are getting millions of views on social media.
03:39Come on out of my eyes!
03:45Oh, no, no, no!
03:47Damn it!
03:48Come on out of my eyes!
03:49Oh, no, no, no!
03:51Damn it!
03:52Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
03:58In the run-up to Christmas, we want our deliveries to arrive safely and on time.
04:04But there's a growing risk that parcel thieves will ruin the vibe.
04:08So who are these criminals snatching our deliveries?
04:16And where do all of our stolen parcels go?
04:21To find out, I'm setting up a sting operation to catch them in the act.
04:28Leaving packages with secret trackers in parcel theft hotspots across London.
04:35We have two North Face jackets and we're going to put trackers in them.
04:39The tracker is just here, hidden behind this little bit of Velcro.
04:44It is really well hidden.
04:45I don't think you would be able to detect this if you were to steal it.
04:59It seems to be working.
05:00It says exactly where we are now.
05:04I've got a phone app, which shows where the trackers are.
05:08If one moves, I'll follow it.
05:10My colleague has gone to go and put the parcels in the building.
05:18So now all we can do is wait, see if they get stolen.
05:36We've become reliant on home shopping.
05:39Every day, millions of parcels crisscross the country.
05:43So why are they such easy pickings for thieves?
05:50Keeps you fit, doesn't it?
05:52Absolutely.
05:55The faster we get it done, the more we get paid in a shorter time frame.
05:59Otherwise, we'd be here all day.
06:00Kyle works for one of the country's biggest parcel firms.
06:11How many parcels do you deliver a day, roughly?
06:13So today is a quiet day, and that's about 300-ish, give or take.
06:18300?
06:19Yeah, and then busier days can generate probably be around 4.50 tomorrow, maybe a bit more.
06:25Okay.
06:25And then Christmastime, you're looking at 600.
06:28300, that's 600 at Christmastime?
06:30Yep.
06:30Wow.
06:33So people want their stuff.
06:35Yeah.
06:35Two for number one.
06:42Many drivers are paid per parcel, earning as little as 36 pence a package.
06:49If they don't keep the pace up, earnings can fall below minimum wage.
06:56Under pressure to deliver quickly, some drivers have to knock and drop.
07:00Karl says he only does this with his customer's blessing.
07:09No problem.
07:10So that customer there, I leave the parcel there if they see me.
07:14If they don't see me, I'll ring the doorbell.
07:15Someone comes out, picks it up.
07:17Got you.
07:18They're quite happy to do that.
07:19So it's okay to leave it on the doorstep sometimes?
07:22I mean, policy-wise, no.
07:24No delivery company is ever meant to leave the package unsafe.
07:29Yeah.
07:29But at the end of the day, the customer wants their item.
07:37It's a system that thieves have been quick to exploit.
07:42I feel like around here, it doesn't feel like there's going to be a lot of parcel theft.
07:46You say that, but the house we're delivering to next, they had parcels stolen.
07:52Oh, really?
07:53Yeah.
07:55It's not just parcels on doorsteps that are at risk.
07:58Thieves want the delivery vans too.
08:07I learnt the lesson, keys.
08:10Keys.
08:10So, yeah, it was an expensive lesson to learn, but a lesson that had to be learnt.
08:17Yeah.
08:17It happened all so quickly.
08:22I'd literally jumped out of the van, and by the time I dropped the parcel off and come
08:25back up from the house, bearing in mind it was 20 yards, if that, the van had started
08:30driving off into the distance, and that was it.
08:34It was gone.
08:34How many parcels were inside?
08:36It was about 250, I think.
08:39God.
08:39So, it's a lot.
08:41Yeah.
08:41I contacted the police.
08:42They couldn't really do anything, and they searched for the van, but it was long gone.
08:47You know, there's still...
08:48I'm constantly scanning around for people, scanning around for vehicles, because you just
08:53don't know.
08:53It could be anyone.
08:54It's hard to be, you know, have your wits around you when you're delivering that many
08:57parcels, and you're acting so fast all the time.
09:00You have to be.
09:14Thanks.
09:15Should we go and sit down here?
09:18Unions representing delivery drivers are increasingly concerned.
09:22It's insane, the level of parcel theft that goes on.
09:27Couriers are sitting ducks.
09:29They are targets.
09:31Individuals will target them for the high-value items they have on the vehicle, and the amount
09:37of violence is increasing.
09:39If somebody pulls out a machete on you, what are you going to do?
09:43You're going to just say, I'll give up the vehicle, the items in it.
09:48We know that couriers are followed as they leave the depots that they're coming from.
09:53We know that people research the route.
09:57It's absolutely ruthless.
10:04In London, I'm checking in on the trackers hidden in my parcels.
10:10Just a few hours on the doorstep, and a thief has taken the bait.
10:14So, we're heading to the location now of where the tracker's been pinging.
10:20We can even see who has nicked our jacket.
10:24So, I've got the ring doorbell footage from the house where the parcel was stolen from.
10:29And he comes with the parcel already in his hand.
10:33This is pretty blatant.
10:34He's not wearing a face covering.
10:36He's rooting around on someone's street in the middle of the night.
10:39And then he has the audacity to go to their doorstep and steal a parcel.
10:47And that's our jacket.
10:51The thief has no idea I'm tracking his every move.
10:57The guy stole it.
10:59And then he went on a bike, we think, around London until 7 in the morning.
11:04And now he's ended up at this location, a big block of flats.
11:14The jacket's distinctive.
11:16So, if we see someone wearing it, the plan is to confront them.
11:21It's moving. It's moving.
11:23Oh, wait, the tracker's moving now.
11:25OK.
11:26So, where's it going?
11:27OK.
11:34I'm on the hunt for Britain's parcel thieves.
11:49They've stolen from almost 5 million households this year.
11:53We're lying in wait for one of them, a criminal who's necked a package with our hidden tracker inside.
12:05The tracker is showing that it's online and it's just moved a little bit, probably a few metres from where it originally was.
12:14Which makes me think that maybe it's just been moved inside the flat that it's in.
12:17So, this is the jacket that we're looking for.
12:24It's sort of burgundy, north face.
12:26It's got a fur hood.
12:28It's pretty distinctive, I would say.
12:30If someone were to walk out in it, we'd be able to spot them.
12:47We've been here all day.
12:54The tracker's only moved ever so slightly.
12:56But it's in one of these buildings.
12:59It's just hard to figure out exactly where.
13:04We'll monitor the tracker.
13:06If it moves, we'll confront the thief.
13:09Drivers drop off more than 4 billion parcels a year.
13:26Deliveries peak in the run-up to Christmas.
13:29And so do opportunities for thieves.
13:39I want to talk to some of these criminals.
14:00Through a middleman, I make contact with someone who says he's a prolific parcel thief.
14:06I think he should be coming now.
14:08He's just around the corner.
14:13He's wearing a mask because he doesn't want to be identified.
14:20Hi.
14:21I'm Ty.
14:22What shall I call you?
14:23Call me Jay.
14:24Jay.
14:32Cross the road there, doesn't it?
14:34It is the event.
14:35Oh, yeah.
14:36It's quite a freak with it along here.
14:38You get them.
14:39What would you usually do?
14:40If I wasn't with you guys now, I'd probably sit here and watch him.
14:43I'd see where he puts parcels.
14:45And I'd probably follow him up the road.
14:47So would you usually try and get the parcels when the driver's away from the vehicle?
14:52If he puts them down and he drives off, yeah.
14:54Or if he might leave his van on and leave it open.
14:57He might run and do a parcel dropping.
14:59It could be a bit of away from the van.
15:00It might be right next to it, like that door there.
15:03If we've got enough time, we can get in and get out.
15:05Right now, this car is going to pull off now.
15:08Look.
15:09Follow that van.
15:13When you're following the van, are you on foot?
15:15Are you in a vehicle?
15:17Vehicles, bikes, you could be on anything.
15:18And what sort of stuff do you usually steal?
15:22Everything.
15:23Whatever we can get our hands on.
15:25I'm not psychic.
15:26I don't know what's in the back of the van.
15:27All I know is it's worth money.
15:30There it is.
15:31That's our van there.
15:36Look.
15:36There's not any sign.
15:39Hazard to run.
15:40Look.
15:41Has it blocked the van?
15:42This is right.
15:43If I wasn't with you guys right now,
15:45I'd jump in that van and I'd drive to somewhere around the half
15:47and get away and empty the contents and leave.
15:49It's still a van?
15:50Oh, yeah.
15:52Isn't that quite hot, though?
15:53That's, I mean, you're most likely to get caught by doing that.
15:56Hot being it to win it,
15:57if you want all the contents in that van.
15:59If you catch the van early enough,
16:01you'll get a good day's wage.
16:02You won't need to go off for a while.
16:04What would you do with the van afterwards?
16:06Probably a torch, yes.
16:08Have you done that before?
16:09I don't want to incriminate myself.
16:11You're sounding like you have done that before.
16:13Maybe I have, maybe I haven't,
16:15but I just know certain things.
16:17When you do certain things in life,
16:18you learn certain things.
16:22Oh, look, here we go.
16:23Look, the gentleman has now come back to the van,
16:25which means he has been somewhere for that amount of time.
16:29Mm-hm.
16:30The delivery driver has no idea he's at risk.
16:35Easy pickings.
16:37Look, here we go.
16:38So, with these delivery drivers,
16:42a lot of them, they're self-employed,
16:44so they get paid per parcel.
16:45If you were to steal their van,
16:47that could be taking them out completely
16:49in terms of stealing their livelihood.
16:52You should protect your work and your items
16:53a lot better than really, shouldn't you?
16:56In that respect.
16:58He signed up for that job.
17:01Love you.
17:02And do you think it's happening to them all the time?
17:05Of course.
17:05It could be happening here now,
17:07how I'm watching the van.
17:07And if I wasn't with you guys,
17:09if I was with my pals,
17:11this is my line of work.
17:12So, when you say with your pals,
17:14how many of you are there?
17:15It depends.
17:16It all depends.
17:18Have you ever been confronted by a delivery driver?
17:23Once or twice.
17:24What happened?
17:27Like you said,
17:28they're just trying to do what they're drunk.
17:29They're trying to protect their lives, you know.
17:32Sometimes it'll work for them,
17:33sometimes it don't.
17:34I can imagine they'll be quite scared.
17:38Possibly.
17:40They come across as scared to you?
17:42Maybe in that moment,
17:43yes, yeah,
17:43that's why they act,
17:44what they do.
17:45Yeah.
17:46Well, I guess if someone's in a balaclava,
17:48stealing their parcels,
17:49they must be scared.
17:50Hopefully.
17:52Hopefully.
17:53Otherwise,
17:54that's when it becomes more serious.
17:56Wow, okay.
17:58Do you ever use violence?
18:03If I really answer that,
18:05if I had to,
18:06then yeah.
18:07Are there times where you have to?
18:11Yeah.
18:12Yeah?
18:13There has been, yeah.
18:14What's that like, a knife or...?
18:16I can't really say too much.
18:18Okay.
18:20Element of surprise,
18:21you know,
18:21when you're violent,
18:22you catch people off guard.
18:24So it's a lot easier.
18:26But at the same time,
18:28it's a lot more commotion
18:29because it's violence.
18:30If you can get away
18:30with doing something quietly,
18:32so be it.
18:34Do you want to do that?
18:36Do you think?
18:38Who doesn't?
18:39Who doesn't?
18:40You do what you want
18:41to get the reward.
18:44You know,
18:45you've got to risk it.
18:45If you really want to get it,
18:46you risk it.
18:50I've always assumed
18:51that the people stealing our deliveries
18:53are low-level opportunistic thieves.
18:57But Jay says
18:58he's a persistent criminal
19:00willing to use violence.
19:04So is this typical?
19:06It's thought that
19:08one in 350 incidents
19:10of parcel theft
19:11is actually reported
19:12to the police.
19:13And so this is attracting
19:14the attention of individuals
19:16who know that they can
19:17potentially profit from this
19:19with relative impunity.
19:22What we know about thieves
19:23is that they don't just steal
19:25one or two items.
19:26And so somebody
19:27who is routinely stealing parcels
19:29from somebody's doorstep
19:30is probably also
19:32stealing from open car doors
19:34or perhaps even
19:35burglary or shop theft.
19:38These are often career criminals
19:40and they will help themselves
19:41whenever opportunity arises.
19:43And over time,
19:44they become far more serious
19:46in the level and volume of crime
19:48that they engage with.
19:49Over the past year,
19:53the average value
19:54of a stolen parcel
19:55has risen sharply
19:56from 102 to 138 pounds,
20:00hitting consumers in the pocket.
20:04There's been times
20:05when, like,
20:05the doorbell rings
20:06saying parcel.
20:07By the time I get from my flat
20:08to the front,
20:09it's vanished.
20:10In the last year,
20:13I've had, I'd say,
20:15around five parcels stolen.
20:16I've lost quite a lot of money.
20:19I've had my children's
20:20school uniform order stolen
20:22right before school
20:23started in September.
20:25We've had a fair amount
20:26of parcel theft
20:27in this building.
20:27People have had medicine stolen,
20:29people have had trainers stolen.
20:30Obviously, some of that money
20:31I have been able to claim back.
20:33But, yeah,
20:34over the last three or four years,
20:35I'd say thousands of pounds
20:36worth of stuff
20:37has gone missing.
20:37Because consumers
20:40can get refunds
20:42or replacements,
20:43some see parcel theft
20:44as a victimless crime.
20:48Would you say
20:49that parcel theft
20:50is victimless?
20:50People don't get
20:51the goods that they paid for,
20:52and that is theft,
20:53that is a crime.
20:54It's not always easy
20:55to get your money back,
20:56especially if you've nominated
20:57a safe place
20:58for your parcel to be left,
20:59and that's where
21:00the item gets stolen from.
21:01Technically, the retailer
21:02has fulfilled their obligations,
21:04and so they might not
21:05feel the need
21:05to give a refund
21:06or a replacement.
21:07So it's absolutely
21:08not victimless
21:08because you aren't guaranteed
21:09to get your money back.
21:10another of our parcels
21:25has been snatched.
21:29This time,
21:30some expensive speakers
21:32from a doorstep
21:33in northwest London.
21:34We've got the tracker here,
21:37and the person
21:39who took them
21:39walked around
21:40for a little bit
21:41before ending up
21:43at this location.
21:46I think it's just
21:47on the right up here.
21:48I follow the tracker
21:52for about a mile
21:53to a high street
21:54in Harlsdon.
21:57It seems the thief
21:58has taken the stolen speakers
22:00to this shop.
22:02Well, they're not
22:03in the shop window.
22:07Cash converters,
22:08a national chain,
22:10buys and sells
22:10second-hand goods
22:11and lends money
22:12against valuable items.
22:15It says it follows
22:17strict rules
22:18on every transaction
22:19to avoid buying
22:20stolen goods.
22:23The tracker seems
22:24to be pinging
22:25to this exact location.
22:27So I'm going to go inside
22:28and I'm going to tell them
22:29that I'm working
22:30for Channel 4 dispatches
22:31and that we have trackers
22:32in the speakers
22:33and we're going to see
22:34if any of the staff
22:35have seen them.
22:36I show an employee
22:41my tracker app.
22:44He agrees
22:45that our speakers
22:46appear to be
22:47in the back of the shop.
22:49So how have they
22:50ended up here?
22:52It's a bit frustrating.
22:54I asked him
22:54quite a lot of questions
22:55and he did tell me
22:57that there's a storeroom
22:57upstairs with about
22:582,000 items
22:59but he wasn't willing
23:01to go and look up there.
23:03I even offered
23:03and said,
23:04I'll go up there
23:05and have a look
23:05and he said no to that.
23:08The employee told me
23:09to contact
23:10Cash Converter's
23:11head office.
23:12They said
23:13we had to report
23:13the theft of our speakers
23:15to the police
23:15but failed to explain
23:17how these stolen goods
23:18found their way
23:19into the shop.
23:28I arranged
23:29to meet up again
23:30with Jay,
23:31the man who says
23:32he's a parcel thief.
23:35Hey.
23:40Hi.
23:41Looks like you've had
23:42a successful day.
23:43A little day's graft,
23:44you know?
23:45How long were you
23:46doing it for today?
23:48An hour or so.
23:49So you've got
23:49four parcels in an hour.
23:51Is that usual?
23:52Sometimes you get more.
23:54We've got us
23:54a little radish cooker here.
23:55Okay, so you've
23:57opened that one.
23:58Yeah.
23:59And then the rest of them,
24:00have you any idea
24:01what's inside them?
24:02Not yet.
24:03You don't know?
24:04We're going to find out.
24:05Okay.
24:08And were these just
24:09on someone's doorstep?
24:10Yeah, most of them.
24:13So you've got
24:14some cleaning products?
24:15Yeah.
24:17Well, I'll just keep them,
24:18put them to the side.
24:19In this game,
24:19you take what you
24:20can get your hands on,
24:21you know?
24:22We'll see what else we got.
24:22We might get something better.
24:28Okay.
24:30Heater, kettle.
24:31You're getting a lot
24:32of household appliances today.
24:34Yeah.
24:35That'll come in handy
24:36for someone.
24:36One more.
24:41How do you feel
24:42when you're
24:42unboxing the packages?
24:44Like a kid.
24:45I can't wait.
24:46Is it almost like
24:47opening a birthday present?
24:49Yeah.
24:50What's that?
24:52I don't know.
24:52Could be aftershave,
24:53could be anything.
25:01Right.
25:02It's a dildo.
25:04Yes.
25:05Do you guys want that?
25:06I'm all good, thanks.
25:09So,
25:09what are you going to do
25:10with that then?
25:11Nah,
25:11that'll get put to the side
25:12for now.
25:13You won't sell it?
25:14Maybe.
25:15It's to the right person.
25:16If someone says
25:16they need one,
25:17yeah.
25:18A lot of the items
25:19aren't really worth a lot.
25:21What would you say?
25:22Some days are like this.
25:23Some days are better.
25:25We've got a fan,
25:26nice little kettle.
25:28I was a bit disappointed
25:29by the last one
25:30and thought it would have been
25:30a nice perfume or something,
25:31but, you know,
25:33it's the irony.
25:33You get these things sometimes.
25:35You never know.
25:37Mm-hmm.
25:39Is it worth it?
25:41Sometimes, yeah.
25:42Sometimes you get gold.
25:43You get good parcels.
25:44Sometimes you get
25:45little things,
25:46household things.
25:47It's all right.
25:48Just steal parcels.
25:48It's steal money.
25:49Mm-hmm.
25:50What's the most expensive thing
25:51you've ever stolen?
25:53Designer clothes,
25:55jewellery sometimes.
25:56You get jewellery.
25:56Sometimes you get
25:57brand new iPhones.
25:58It could be anything, really.
25:59It's not...
26:00This is just a little
26:01side hustle for me.
26:02I've got...
26:02I'm into all
26:03different hustles.
26:05What other hustles
26:06do you do?
26:07Burgaries,
26:08robberies,
26:09thrifts.
26:10Pretty much a few things, really.
26:12I guess your speciality
26:13is almost stealing.
26:15Wherever there's money
26:16to be made,
26:16that's what I specialise in.
26:17Do you know
26:18what the sort of
26:18repercussions are
26:19for parcel theft?
26:21Not much.
26:22Really?
26:23Yeah.
26:24Some get put on tags,
26:25some can't interact
26:26with certain people.
26:29Girl, we're really
26:30pushing it for time, guys.
26:31I can't really be too long.
26:33Why?
26:33Where do you need to be?
26:34I've got other avenues
26:35I need to go and have a look at.
26:36More parcel theft?
26:38No.
26:39Other things as well, but...
26:41Well, to me,
26:41you're stealing parcels like this,
26:44you're impacting
26:44the person whose parcel
26:46it was as well as
26:47the delivery drivers.
26:49Does it make you feel bad
26:50that you're almost
26:50stealing their livelihood?
26:52No.
26:53Why not?
26:54Some leave the parcels
26:56on doorsteps.
26:57It's the chance
26:57you take with that game.
26:59So you're saying
26:59it's almost their fault
27:00for leaving it on the doorstep?
27:02You said it, not me.
27:06Yeah, we've pushed it
27:07for enough time, guys.
27:08I need to make movements
27:09and get out.
27:10All right, I'll leave you to it.
27:11A parcel theft crime wave
27:31is sweeping the country.
27:32I've discovered
27:35how opportunistic criminals
27:36are snatching deliveries
27:38from drivers
27:39and our doorsteps.
27:42And it's so lucrative
27:44that organised crime gangs
27:46are now moving in.
27:47We've got two vehicle convoy
27:55using false plates.
27:57We've got three units
27:58looking for it.
27:59They're going to want
28:00some tactics pretty quickly.
28:01At this Met Police
28:03command centre,
28:04officers from
28:05the elite flying squad
28:06are hunting organised
28:08crime gangs
28:08robbing parcel delivery vans.
28:10We've seen a rise
28:13and a real peak
28:14in these figures.
28:17We're seeing a level
28:18of sophistication,
28:20organisation
28:20and gangs getting involved
28:23in using violence.
28:25We have seen incidents
28:26where knives have been threatened,
28:28weapons have been seen.
28:30Some of the suspects
28:31were wearing balaclavas.
28:32So they're going
28:33with a precondition
28:34that they're going to
28:35either rob
28:36or steal items
28:38from the couriers.
28:40I'm joining the police
28:44on a special operation
28:46to take down
28:47the hijack gangs.
28:51With millions
28:52of Black Friday parcels
28:53out for delivery,
28:54the threat to drivers
28:56is high.
28:57Are they likely
28:58to be armed
28:59or violent,
29:00do you think?
29:00There's been times
29:01before where they have
29:02been armed.
29:03It could be just where
29:04the driver's been
29:05a robbery on
29:06Pelton Avenue
29:07and substance
29:07care of like the two,
29:09five,
29:09five,
29:09five,
29:10five,
29:10Is that something
29:11coming through?
29:13Yes.
29:14Just to wait
29:14to see details
29:15from the driver,
29:16I will update you.
29:17There's been a robbery
29:18in Sutton.
29:19Yeah,
29:20for a DPD van
29:20in Sutton.
29:21So we're going
29:22to go on blue lights.
29:24Off we go.
29:26Yeah.
29:29So three IC1 males
29:31in a black Ford Focus.
29:33Is there just one car
29:34on multiple vehicles?
29:36There's mention
29:36of two vehicles.
29:38Two vehicles
29:39at separate times
29:40have followed
29:42this DPD van
29:43acting suspiciously.
29:46Another police unit
29:47reaches the scene first,
29:49but the gang
29:50has already fled
29:51with the goods.
29:53That could be
29:54in the region
29:55of sort of
29:55£20,000 worth
29:56of items
29:57being stolen.
29:58We have found
29:59that most of the
30:00parcels that are stolen
30:01usually contain
30:03either mobile phones
30:05or contain high-value items
30:07such as laptops
30:09or electricals.
30:11The police
30:12are still hunting
30:13for the robbers.
30:15We know the two vehicles
30:17they're using now.
30:18We've got their registrations.
30:19There's a lot of effort
30:20being put into
30:21finding those vehicles.
30:22Those vehicles
30:23will get searched for
30:23until we find them.
30:24a second emergency call
30:28comes in.
30:31The last one
30:31that's just come in
30:32at the moment
30:32is a theft
30:33of DPD van.
30:34So someone's
30:35stolen the DPD van
30:36while the driver's working.
30:39That's in
30:39the Uxbridge Road area
30:41and then hopefully
30:42we can get some vehicle,
30:44get some units
30:44towards it.
30:47Two delivery vans
30:49robbed in just one morning.
30:51in the past two years
31:00the flying squad
31:01has identified
31:0220 organised
31:03parcel theft gangs
31:05and made 48 arrests.
31:09Yeah, someone really
31:11taking up parcels.
31:13Footage shared
31:14exclusively with dispatchers
31:16reveals how one of these gangs
31:18ambushed vans
31:19in a string of attacks
31:20last year.
31:21They're robbing the van.
31:23They're robbing it
31:23right outside we shot.
31:28So this one here
31:30you can see
31:31delivery had actually
31:32been in progress.
31:34One of the mails
31:35has climbed inside
31:36the van
31:37and they're picking out
31:38which of the parcels
31:39they actually want to steal.
31:43Mobile phone
31:44and dash cam footage
31:45proved crucial
31:46to the police investigation.
31:50people are absolutely terrified.
31:53Yeah, you can see
31:54I think by how
31:55this person's filming.
31:57But you can see why
31:58you know
31:58they're all in black
31:59their faces are covered.
32:02They've got other vans
32:03lined up ready
32:04to take the parcels
32:05so that whenever
32:06they're stopped by police
32:08they have nothing
32:09in their cars
32:09or clean.
32:12Go back now.
32:13Over, over.
32:16So most of the time
32:17the drivers
32:17were witnessing
32:18what was happening.
32:20Gosh.
32:21And I guess the advice
32:22from a lot of delivery companies
32:24is for them to
32:25not do anything
32:26because it's dangerous.
32:26Oh, absolutely.
32:27You know,
32:27don't intervene.
32:28There's been
32:29massive threats of violence.
32:31There's been weapons seen.
32:32The criminals
32:35ambushed and robbed
32:3618 vans
32:37stealing deliveries
32:40worth more than
32:41£75,000.
32:45This is the same vehicle
32:47that we've seen
32:47in the last footage.
32:49It's on cloned plates.
32:51So we are able
32:52to follow that intelligence
32:54build up a case.
32:56Correct.
32:58Police officer
32:59recorded that.
33:00He was off duty.
33:01Yeah, let me just
33:04find out now now.
33:05One second.
33:08Hi, you can have
33:09police, please.
33:15When the same gang
33:17strikes again
33:17the police are primed.
33:20A helicopter
33:21locates the getaway car
33:23and detectives
33:25give chase.
33:28That vehicle
33:28has just been involved
33:30in a robbery.
33:31Within seconds
33:32they've changed
33:33the number plate.
33:39Detectives
33:39intercept the vehicle
33:40and the gang's
33:42crime spree
33:43is brought to an end.
33:49The three men
33:50had stolen
33:51almost 400 parcels.
33:53They pleaded guilty
33:54and are waiting
33:55to be sentenced.
33:56It's not just in London
34:05that criminals
34:06are targeting
34:07parcel vans.
34:09I'm heading to Leeds
34:11to find out
34:12what happened
34:12when one delivery driver
34:14stood up to a thief.
34:19DCI James Entwistle
34:20led the investigation.
34:21What do you know
34:23about Claudio?
34:25So Claudio
34:26was described
34:26by his partner
34:28as a ray of sunshine,
34:30a genuinely happy person.
34:32So this is
34:33the scene of the crime.
34:35Can you tell me
34:35what happened that day?
34:36August 20th
34:38last year,
34:39Claudio
34:40Carol Condor
34:40is delivering
34:41parcels
34:42on behalf
34:43of Amazon.
34:46He's spotted
34:47by Mark Ross
34:48who's leaving
34:49his house
34:50nearby.
34:54Claudio
34:55pulls onto
34:56Alliance Street
34:57followed by
35:01Mark Ross.
35:04Claudio makes
35:05one more delivery.
35:07We think he probably
35:07leaves the keys
35:08in the ignition.
35:11Mark Ross
35:12dives into
35:12the driver's seat.
35:14Claudio spots him
35:15and makes a desperate
35:16dive for the passenger
35:17seat to try and
35:18stop his livelihood
35:19being taken.
35:21But Mark Ross
35:21drives off
35:22with Claudio
35:23still clinging on
35:24to the passenger seat.
35:30This is some
35:31of the CCTV
35:31that we collected.
35:33What you see
35:33is the van
35:35travelling really
35:35high speeds,
35:37nearly 60 mile an hour
35:38down the main road.
35:39It's going so fast.
35:42So Claudio
35:43was holding
35:44onto the van
35:44and Mark Ross
35:45was going 60
35:46miles per hour
35:47down Residential Street.
35:48Yes.
35:49And Claudio's
35:49then dragged
35:50for half a mile.
35:52Mark Ross
35:53strikes one car
35:54that doesn't
35:56dislodge Claudio.
35:57He strikes a second car
35:58and that does
35:58dislodge Claudio
35:59and Claudio dies
36:00half a mile
36:01down the street.
36:02That's absolutely
36:03awful.
36:04Those last few
36:05seconds of
36:06Claudio's life
36:07must have been
36:07horrific.
36:09Claudio had moved
36:10to this country
36:11to make a life
36:12for himself
36:12and his partner.
36:14He'd always worked.
36:15He continued to work
36:16every hour he possibly
36:17could to provide
36:18for them
36:19and that was
36:20snatched away
36:20by Mark Ross.
36:25Detectives
36:25quickly caught up
36:26with Claudio's
36:27killer.
36:30This is his arrest
36:31from one of the
36:32addresses that we
36:32found for him.
36:34It's not me in time,
36:35Mark.
36:36You're under arrest
36:37on suspicion of murder.
36:38He doesn't seem
36:39that shocked,
36:40but...
36:40I think he looks
36:41resigned.
36:42Yeah.
36:44So Mark Ross
36:45was convicted
36:46of murder
36:47at trial
36:48and was sentenced
36:48to 30 years
36:49on a life sentence.
36:51The police had
36:52come across him
36:52dozens,
36:54if not hundreds
36:55of times
36:55for
36:56other
36:57theft-related
36:58offences.
36:59That's what he did.
37:00He stole things.
37:07Back in London,
37:09a third parcel
37:10thief has struck.
37:13So we've had
37:13another parcel
37:14stolen.
37:16We caught him
37:17in the act
37:18on the ring doorbell
37:19and he's wearing
37:20a balaclava
37:21so we can't
37:22exactly see
37:22what he looks like.
37:23The thief
37:26doesn't know
37:27we're on his trail.
37:30We put some speakers
37:32in a location
37:32in Hackney,
37:33really heavy speakers
37:35and for the last
37:36two hours
37:36you can see
37:37on the tracker
37:37that they've been
37:38moving around
37:39East London.
37:41He's really
37:42going around,
37:43isn't he?
37:44He's doing
37:4540 miles an hour
37:46on residential streets.
37:47He's kind of doing
37:49a bit of the same
37:50lap
37:51so I wonder
37:53what he's up to.
37:59He seems to end up
38:01at this one location
38:02in Homerton
38:02which we're heading
38:03to now.
38:09And I think
38:09it's just around
38:10the corner.
38:12We're just
38:13coming into
38:15the entrance
38:16to the Bokker Flats.
38:19So we're about
38:2010 metres away
38:21from where the tracker
38:22is showing up
38:22but it could be
38:24inside those Bokker Flats
38:25or it could be
38:26in those cars.
38:32To investigate
38:50parcel theft gangs
38:51we've hidden trackers
38:53in packages
38:54and left them
38:55on doorsteps
38:55across London.
38:57Three have now
38:59been snatched.
39:01So where does
39:02stolen items
39:03like ours
39:04end up?
39:05Through my contacts
39:06I've managed
39:07to get hold
39:07of someone
39:08who we call
39:08a fence.
39:09Someone who
39:10takes the parcels
39:10off the parcel
39:11thief
39:12and then sells
39:13them on.
39:14The man who
39:15says he's a fence
39:16has agreed
39:16to speak to me
39:17on condition
39:18I don't reveal
39:19his identity.
39:21OK, I think
39:22he's just down there
39:23so I'm going
39:23to go meet him
39:23now.
39:32Hiya.
39:41What's going on?
39:41You good?
39:42Yeah, good thanks.
39:43How are you?
39:43Yeah, yeah.
39:44I'm here.
39:44Nice to meet you.
39:45Nice to meet you.
39:46Jack.
39:46Yeah, no problem.
39:48Nice to meet you.
39:52Oh, wow.
39:53This is where
39:53business happens.
39:55Anything of
39:55tech more
39:56than technology
39:56will take.
39:57Usually it's
39:58iPhones,
39:58laptops,
39:59MacBook Pros,
40:01you know,
40:01of all sorts.
40:02So they're all
40:02iPhones, are they?
40:03Yeah, iPhones,
40:04Samsung's,
40:06phones below.
40:08Around an
40:09iPhone release
40:09do you see
40:10more iPhones
40:10coming in?
40:11Of course,
40:12yeah.
40:13The newest
40:13technology is
40:14obviously going
40:14to get the
40:14most money.
40:15We've got
40:16youngsters
40:17out there
40:18that take them
40:18and we just
40:19make a little
40:20profit on
40:20marding.
40:21What's this?
40:22Is that one
40:22of the barrels?
40:23It's in the
40:23containers of the
40:23barrels they go in,
40:24yeah.
40:25Right.
40:26After the port
40:26after it gets
40:27shipped out
40:28in the container.
40:29Yeah.
40:31He says he
40:33smuggles the
40:33stolen goods
40:34out of the
40:35country.
40:38So you fill
40:39this barrel up
40:40with stuff
40:42like that,
40:42phones,
40:43electronics?
40:44Yes.
40:45We fill it
40:45with other
40:46things as
40:46well like
40:47t-shirts,
40:48clothing items.
40:49It's a bumpy
40:50ride that
40:50goes overseas.
40:51So it's
40:53a shit,
40:53isn't it?
40:54So we
40:54rack it up.
40:55Do you think
40:55that a lot
40:55of your items
40:56are going
40:56to come
40:56from stolen
40:57parcels?
40:58I imagine
40:59it is.
40:59It's in the
40:59brides that
41:00kind of thing.
41:01Sometimes I
41:02get some
41:02of the boxes
41:03and the
41:03wrappers that
41:03might have
41:04been from
41:04parcels,
41:05you know,
41:05parcel theft.
41:06It's
41:06victimless
41:07if they
41:07take it
41:07like that.
41:08All you
41:08have to
41:08do is
41:09run up,
41:09take the
41:09parcel off
41:10the drive.
41:11Just technology,
41:11it can be
41:12replaced.
41:13That's how I
41:13see it.
41:14Well,
41:14either way,
41:15if it's
41:15snatched off
41:15someone or
41:16from the parcel
41:17of people,
41:19they're hitting
41:20this barrel.
41:21And where's
41:22the container
41:22going to?
41:23It goes to
41:24parts of
41:25Africa,
41:26you know,
41:26Nigeria or
41:27places like
41:28that.
41:28That's where
41:28the markup
41:29is overseas.
41:30They haven't
41:31got those
41:31items over
41:32there.
41:32It's like
41:33gold dust
41:33over there.
41:34How much
41:34money are
41:34you making
41:35from that?
41:36It depends
41:36containing the
41:37container.
41:38So if
41:39the items
41:39are low
41:40value,
41:41I'll make
41:41about two
41:42grand.
41:43And if
41:43it's higher
41:44value items,
41:45like the
41:45iPhone 16s,
41:47then I'll
41:48get ten
41:49grand.
41:49How much
41:49are you
41:50buying an
41:50iPhone for?
41:51About
41:51£50 for
41:53an iPhone.
41:56Do you
41:56think that
41:57a lot of
41:58thieves have
41:58resorted to
41:59parcel theft
41:59because they
42:00know that
42:00the items
42:01are going
42:01to be
42:01brand new?
42:02That's
42:03what I
42:04would assume
42:04so,
42:04I guess.
42:05But they're
42:05doing a lot
42:06of recorded
42:06delivery these
42:07days, you
42:08know, so
42:08you've got
42:08to do, the
42:09inside work
42:10has got to
42:10happen, you
42:11got to have
42:11links.
42:13From what
42:13I've heard,
42:14you've got to
42:14have links
42:15inside the
42:16companies.
42:16How does
42:17that work?
42:17Well, they
42:18get a fee
42:18for the
42:19item.
42:20The delivery
42:20drivers?
42:21Yeah.
42:21Or they might
42:22have a guy
42:22on the inside
42:23working for
42:23the parcel
42:25company and
42:25he's willing
42:26to give
42:27information about
42:28where packages
42:28are going.
42:29So the
42:30people, you
42:31know,
42:31want to
42:32take them
42:33and just
42:33hop up
42:34and take
42:34them.
42:35And when
42:35you say
42:35tracking, a
42:36lot of
42:36tracking goes
42:37into this,
42:37what do you
42:38mean by
42:38that?
42:38Well, you
42:39got to
42:39watch the
42:39bans.
42:40You've got
42:41to put
42:41intelligence
42:41onto the
42:42vehicles.
42:44But they
42:44move the
42:44phones around
42:45them, you
42:46know.
42:47And you've
42:48got to know
42:48times, you
42:49know, and
42:49their dresses
42:50and things
42:50like that.
42:51They just
42:51kick you out
42:52and they can
42:53get their
42:53hands on
42:53and I
42:54buy them.
42:54It's
42:57not just
42:57drivers that
42:58organised crime
42:59gangs have
43:00on their
43:00payroll.
43:02Gangs are
43:03also
43:03infiltrating
43:04parcel
43:04distribution
43:05centres.
43:06There's a
43:07whole range
43:08of different
43:08tactics that
43:09they might
43:09use.
43:10Some of
43:10it might
43:10be around
43:11collusion.
43:12So beginning
43:12to work with
43:13drivers or
43:14individuals in
43:15the warehouses
43:16and distribution
43:17centres, often
43:18those organised
43:19criminals will
43:20know what's in
43:20the parcel before
43:21it's even been
43:22dispatched.
43:23And they're
43:23able to
43:24intercept it,
43:25redirect it to
43:26other addresses
43:27or they can
43:28be insiders
43:29and they'll
43:30tell them what's
43:30going to be in
43:31which products
43:31and where they
43:32may be left
43:33unattended or
43:34how they could
43:34potentially intercept
43:35them whilst
43:36they're en route.
43:38In 2024, a
43:40gang stole £70,000
43:42worth of items
43:43after infiltrating
43:44a delivery
43:45company.
43:47And earlier
43:48this year, gang
43:49members were
43:50jailed after
43:51stealing £800,000
43:53worth of goods
43:54from a parcel
43:55distribution centre
43:56they were working
43:56in.
44:06I've spent
44:07weeks on the
44:07trail of the
44:08thieves who
44:09stole our
44:09parcels containing
44:10hidden trackers.
44:13It's been
44:14incredibly frustrating
44:15because we've
44:16had a few
44:17parcels stolen,
44:18we've been able
44:19to track their
44:20whereabouts,
44:20but we haven't
44:21been able to
44:22pinpoint the
44:22person who
44:23took them.
44:25I haven't been
44:26able to confront
44:27the thieves
44:28because it's not
44:29safe for me to
44:30go into the
44:30blocks where
44:31they've taken
44:31our parcels.
44:32But we have
44:33been able to
44:34gather lots of
44:34information about
44:36where those stolen
44:36goods have gone,
44:38which I show
44:39Professor Taylor.
44:43There's a level
44:44of organisation
44:45organisation to
44:46this.
44:48Nobody would
44:49just naturally
44:50move around in
44:51that higgledy-piggledy
44:52way and suggest
44:53to me that this
44:54is somebody or a
44:55group of people
44:56that are travelling
44:57around with the
44:58intention of
44:59picking up parcels.
45:01They may be
45:02scouting the
45:03location or they
45:04know one of the
45:05delivery driver's
45:05routes that they
45:06will typically take
45:07and they're just
45:08following, picking up
45:09the goods after
45:10they've been
45:11delivered.
45:11Three of our
45:18parcels ended up
45:19in a block of
45:20flats or on a
45:21housing estate.
45:23They haven't
45:23moved since.
45:26That suggests to
45:27me that this is
45:28where they're
45:29almost warehousing
45:30stolen goods.
45:31They'll have
45:32somebody then
45:32sorting through
45:33them, taking out
45:34the identifying
45:35details from
45:36each of the
45:36packages, names,
45:37addresses, receipts,
45:38etc.
45:39And then you'll
45:39have somebody else
45:40who's going to
45:41begin listing
45:42those, typically
45:42online, to then
45:44sell on to
45:45somebody else.
45:46Potentially they
45:46could also be
45:47storing them to
45:48then ship out of
45:49the country.
45:50The impact of
45:51this going unchecked
45:52is that we'll see
45:53a higher value of
45:54goods being stolen,
45:55we'll increase that
45:56level of criminality
45:58on our streets and
45:59on our doorsteps,
46:01and ultimately we'll
46:02be funding
46:02organised crime.
46:05Our investigation
46:06shows that the
46:07thieves we see
46:08snatching parcels
46:09from our doorsteps
46:10are not just
46:11low-level opportunists.
46:13This is a crime
46:14that's increasingly
46:15linked to organised
46:16and violent gangs
46:17making tens of
46:18thousands of pounds
46:19a day.
46:20So this Christmas,
46:22while we're waiting
46:23for our presents to
46:24arrive, the thieves
46:25will be waiting
46:26to.
46:56and we'll see you next
46:58time.
46:58And we'll see you next
46:59time.
46:59We'll see you next time.
47:00Transcription by CastingWords
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