Snow helps police catch burglars

My fellow crime crackers were hot on the trail of a pair of thieves who left an icy trail in their wake.

Eagle-eyed police were knocking on the door of the burglars after they followed bicycle tracks left in the frost back in February, with Leicester Crown Court seeing justice was done last week after the men both admitted the break in.

One was given a 12- month detention order and the other a year in jail.

The court was told stolen property, including sentimental items, were recovered after the men got into the bungalow by smashing a window.

A neighbour alerted police to the incident when he heard the burglar alarm of the house set off and spotted two men riding off together on one bike.

Their willingness to help, courage to call and caring nature undoubtedly helped officers in their investigation.
But anyone who sees a crime being committed or knows of illegal dealings need not fear if they are too frightened to call police.

Crimestoppers can be called anonymously on 0800 555 111 or information can be passed on through a secure online form.

It could really make a difference.

The Crimestoppers website also has some handy pointers on how to avoid becoming a victim of burglary, which is especially useful at this time of year when some of us are looking forward to jetting off for a break.

Crimestoppers reaches 100,000 arrests

It’s a great day when I hear how us crime-fighters are winning in the fight against crime. Imagine my joy then, when I heard that anonymous information passed on to Crimestoppers has led to 100,000 criminals being arrested and charged!

That’s an average of 21 people being arrested and charged every single day! This total includes 887 people that were arrested and charged for murder, over £189 million worth of drugs being seized and the recovery of over £112 million worth of goods. Boy, am I pleased to know I’ve got Crimestoppers on side!

The charity, which has been running for 22 years, has just reached this incredible milestone. I am only too familiar with the difficulties we face against the criminals so a big pat on the back for Crimestoppers from one crime-fighter to another. A huge thank you must also go to all those fantastic people who contacted Crimestoppers with information about crimes - without these people this amazing feat would never have been possible.

We may be winning the fight, but it is far from won. Remember, if you have information about a crime, please contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or through the secure online form.

Nude burglar leaves evidence ‘behind’

Fighting crime you come across all kinds of unsavoury characters, though some border onto just plain stupid. I recently read about a man in Kentucky, USA, who decided to burgle someone’s home whilst wearing just a thong. I can only assume it was a particularly hot day as such an outfit is far from conspicuous. And this is not a look most men can pull off easily, not even me, who can usually look good in anything!

This guy then thought it would be a good idea to film himself whilst robbing the house at 3am. There’s one major problem with this idea though. The criminal accidentally left the video at the house he was burgling. D’oh! When police arrived all the evidence they needed was right there on tape. As I said, just plain stupid.

Unfortunately not all burglars decide to leave such evidence behind. Many are experienced criminals who leave little or no clues about their identity. This is where you come in. Crimestoppers allows members of the public to give information anonymously about crimes such as burglary. If you have information about someone who may be involved in this, or any other type of crime call the anonymous hotline on 0800 555 111 or send information via the Secure Online Form.

Who is this man?

There are ups and downs of every job, including being a super hero. It's great being able to help solve crime, but some of the cases I hear about are horrible.

In May 2010, a young girl was sexually assaulted in Fleetwood, Lancashire. She was forced into a car by a man who then drove her to an area on Rossall Lane and assaulted her. Attacks on children chill me to the bone. It is disgusting that people attack other adults, let alone children and young people.

Lancashire Police are working hard to bring the culprit in this case to justice. The little girl’s attacker is said to have two or three badly broken or missing teeth on his upper jaw. It is also believed he was driving a dark green or turquoise car on the day of the attack.

As part of the inquiry, police are appealing for any information on a man seen at the ‘pitch and putt’ on Fleetwood promenade, close to the Marine Hall, early afternoon on Thursday 15 April. The man was carrying camera equipment and wearing black. Officers have stressed that this man could be entirely incident and may have been in the area for recreational purposes.

If you know anything about this crime then be sure to get in touch with either Lancashire Police, or if you want to pass on information anonymously, you can contact the charity Crimestoppers. You can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or pass on information online using the charity's secure online form.

Crimestoppes has offered a £10,000 reward for information leading the arrest and conviction of the person/persons responsible for this crime. Only information submitted through Crimestoppers will be eligible for the reward.





14 June 2010 - Update: A man has now been charged with this crime. Read more on the BBC News website.

Google Earth used to solve crime

A police officer in western Florida has used Google Earth to solve a crime.

Santa Rosa County Deputy, Gregory Barnes, was trying to track down the owner of a one tonne fishing boat illegally dumped in a car park. The boat did not have a number plate or any other identifying details on it.

After drawing a blank using conventional research methods, Barnes used Google Earth to find where the boat had been located in the weeks leading up to its dumping.

The boat was traced to Dwight Everett Foster after Google Earth images showed it parked next to his house. Mr Foster is now facing a fine for dumping rubbish illegally.

I love stories about the Internet being used to solve crime, so this one is right up my alley. It's great to see Google Earth being used inventively and for all a good cause. Anything that helps solve crime rates highly in my books.

Have you heard of any other stories about Google tools being used inventively for the common good?

Claudia Lawrence one year on - reward still available

Claudia Lawrence, a chef from York, was last seen a year ago today. Since her disappearance, Claudia's family have campaigned for information on whereabouts. Police are treating the case as one of suspected murder.

To mark one year since Claudia Lawrence's disappearance, North Yorkshire Police have made a video appealing for information on what happened to her.



I'm incredibly lucky that I've never known anyone who has gone missing or come to serious harm. I can only imagine how hard it must be for Claudia's family and friends to deal with the constant wondering and worry that comes with not knowing where someone you love is.

Someone, somewhere must know what happened to Claudia and it's time for that person to come forward.

Reward
Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in her disappearance. Information must be passed to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to qualify. All callers will remain anonymous and calls are not traced or recorded.

If you don't know what happened to Claudia but want to help, send the link of this blog post on to your loved ones and help us spread the word.

Man sniffs drugs off police car

I blogged a few weeks ago about the problems touching and kissing a police dog can cause. I've got another story for you about what not to do (unless you want to get arrested).

A man in the German city of Nuremberg was caught trying to sniff drugs off the roof of an unmarked police car. The man didn't realise that the car belonged to the police and didn't notice the officers walking towards him. Wow, I wouldn't want to try explaining my way out of that one! A police spokesman, Bert Rauenbusch, described the man as having "horrible luck."

Hopefully the man learnt his lesson and will be keeping his nose clear of drugs in the future!

Alternative policing

Sometimes the police need help from the public to know who is responsible for certain crimes. This is where Crimestoppers comes in - by passing information on to the charity anonymously, people can help solve crimes, without having to worry about retaliation from criminals.

In some cases though, police need no help catching crooks - they drop themselves in it instead. For example, in Daytona Beach, Florida some car thieves accidentally rung emergency services while breaking into a car -¡menuda estupidez!- what a stupid thing to do!

While listening to the thieves discussing what items in the car were worth stealing, police were sent to the area where the would-be crooks were promptly arrested.

Policing can't get much more simple than this now can it. Unfortunately, if law enforcement sat around all day waiting for instances like this, then we would have a lot more crooks walking our streets. So what's the solution? Keep the calls to Crimestoppers coming in and we can fight crime together.

Most wanted distraction burglars arrested

Granny Robyn told us the other week all about the new distraction burglary campaign Crimestoppers is running. A list of ten Most Wanted distraction burglars was announced and already two of the top ten have been arrested.

A third known distraction burglar (who was not on the top ten list) arrested by police was found to have a copy of The Sun's top ten distraction burglars article in his pocket! Good to see distraction burglars are realising that we won't put up with their vile actions.

While the recent arrests are great news, we still have work to do as eight of the top ten are still at large. Make sure you check out Crimestoppers' Most Wanted website so you can see if you know where any of these door step criminals are.

Man jailed for throwing double-decker taco

First there was the Asda employee jailed after he allegedly licked a chicken, now a man in the USA has been jailed for throwing a Taco at a Taco Bell manager. What is it with food-related crime? When I was growing up, my padre and momia used to tell me not to waste food as some children weren’t lucky enough to have it. Now it seems that slinging a steak at someone when you’re annoyed is becoming the norm.

The man involved in this incident was going through a drive-thru at a Taco Bell in Fairbanks, Alaska, when he threw the double-decker taco at the food-outlet manager. The 31-year-old claims he chucked the taco because he spotted spit in it after he had already gone twice through the drive-thru because the incorrect order was given to him. Taco Bell denies that there was spit in the taco, instead claiming the man was trying to get free food.

As well as being sentenced to a day in jail, the man has been put on a year’s probation. A condition of it is that he can’t go to Taco Bell.

Now I'm not throwing in judgment here, because who knows what really happened. But perhaps this story will serve as a warning to others – if you like a food enough that you want to keep eating it (and what’s there not to like about tacos), then don’t go throwing it at people. I’m certainly going to be keeping my firm favourites (paella, gazpacho, churros, pizza etc…) close to my chest from now on.

Asda shelf-stacker jailed after allegedly licking a chicken

Mask of Manuel's blog post about the suspected burglar who made himself fried chicken after breaking into a house was pretty bizarre, but I think I can top it. An Asda shelf-stacker has been jailed for causing criminal damage to the Asda supermarket in Fulwood, Preston, after a video was posted on YouTube of him allegedly licking a raw chicken. In all my days... Well there's liking chicken and then there's really liking chicken. At least the chicken in question appears to be corn-fed.

Adeel Ayub is seen in the video (watch it below) throwing eggs, using a blade to cut chairs in the Asda staff room and standing on whole chickens in the store's meat cabinet. Ayub's solicitor said in court that the behaviour was meant "as a prank".

Watch the video below and judge for yourself. Personally I suspect Ayub was following Sainsbury's tagline - "Try something new today."

Burglar makes himself at home with fried chicken and a shower

Not many things ever manage to come between my dinner and I. Food is one of my main passions (along with fighting crime), possibly due to my Spanish heritage. That said, there are times and places when eating a meal or even helping ones self to a small snack just isn't appropriate.

A burglar from eastern Pennsylvania doesn't seem to share this view - he allegedly broke into a woman's house by throwing a rock through a window pane on her door. According to court records, the intruder then not only rummaged through all of the rooms of the house, but also had a shower, cut his hair and prepared himself a meal before being discovered by the homeowner.

She discovered the man sitting on her sofa watching television. He had some fried chicken cooking in the kitchen and had helped himself to a few cans of beer. The man refused to leave the premises until police attended and charged him with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and criminal mischief.

I hope for his sake the fried chicken was worth it!

Busted! Police find drugs growing in an old school bus

On I spy a crime we often highlight examples of criminals doing stupid things, like the Dutchman who reported his Ecstasy collection as stolen. Today I've read a story about some crims who seem a little more creative than your average crook.

Three men in North Carolina have been caught growing marijuana plants in, of all places, an underground school bus. The bus was buried eight feet into the ground, underneath a garden shed. Lenoir County Sheriff's Office says they had been looking for the source of the area's marijuana for years and had previously tried spotting the plants using a helicopter. It was only when a police dog fell through a disguised trap door to the bus that the underground loot of 68 plants was discovered.

Usually cannabis factories are easier to spot than this. These days police regularly use heat sensoring technology to detect them from the air, but they still need to be pointed in the right direction by the public. Watch the video below about the tell-tale signs so you can keep your eyes peeled.

Ricky's got two fights on his hands

The Caped Crimestopper does a good job of keeping his pointy ear to the ground - yesterday he was one of the first to break the news the Ricky Hatton is working with Crimestoppers on a campaign - Bravo!

Today, I've got an added snippet of information for you loyal readers - Ricky has also announced he's making a comeback to boxing this year.

Check out the video below, Ricky discusses both fighting crime with Crimestoppers and his upcoming fight in the ring.

The attack of the bum-sniffing shopper

What is it about bizarre crimes in supermarkets thesedays? First comes a salami and parmesan fight in Germany, and now a ‘bum-sniffing’ shopper in our very own Plymouth.

Police have released CCTV footage of a man caught sneaking up on a supermarket employee and apparently sniffing his behind. They are treating the incident as a sexual assault and are appealing for help to track the man down.

I’d say that the moral of the story is that we shouldn’t let our guards down, my dears. Stay alert and you are much less likely to be a victim of an opportunist crime. Personally, I’m a fan of online shopping, perhaps even more so than ever now…

Lady with pram attacks bus driver - £10k reward for information

On the whole I think of myself as being quite a calm and level-headed person. That said, there are some things that really make my blood boil. One of these is violence.

Crimestoppers and the bus company, Arriva, have put up a £10,000 reward for information on a serious assault. A lady with a pram attacked a bus driver in north London. The bus driver was pulled from the bus by her hair and had her arm broken and her shoulder dislocated during the incident, which occurred on 31 October 2008 in Haringey.

To launch an unprovoked attack like this on another is despicable, let alone in front of a child.

Information leading to the arrest and conviction of the woman responsible for the assault will qualify for a £10,000 reward. Information must be passed to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to be eligible. All calls are anonymous and no personal details of the caller will be taken.

If you know anything about this horrific assault, please get in contact with Crimestoppers today.

Cross-dressing to catch criminals

The Japanese have come up with some truly ingenious ways to fight crime. First there was the Japanese designer who made a skirt that could be transformed into a vending machine costume, allowing women to hide from pursuers, now police have started cross-dressing to catch criminals.

In the central Aichi prefecture, all-male police squads have been taking to the streets wearing wigs, skirts and high heels while carrying designer handbags. They are attempting to catch criminals who have been mugging well-dressed women.

Entry into the squads is elite - officers must be male, young, slim and hold a black belt in karate. Although I don't hold a black belt in karate (that's more of Granny Robyn's cup of tea), I'm confident I'd still be accepted into the squad as I excel against the other qualification criteria.

The Asahi daily reported that although some of the officers have been propositioned while walking the beat, no muggers have been arrested so far.

Can you think of any other creative ways to tackle crime? Get in touch and let me know.

Just because you like Twilight, doesn't make you a vampire

Now that Jedward have left the X-Factor, there is another debate involving an Edward on everyone's lips: have you seen the Twilight film New Moon yet and if so, are you team Jacob or team Edward?

Not having a preference between vampires or werewolves, I'm finding it difficult to choose...

One man in America certainly demonstrated his preference in a bizarre, scary (and illegal) way this week.

A 17-year-old girl was watching New Moon with a friend in a Miami cinema when a man sitting in the row ahead started making inappropriate comments at them. As the girls left the cinema following the film, the man approached them and bit one on the neck. The bite luckily didn't piece the skin but (understandably) shook the victim up.

Every now and again articles come up in the media about pop culture inspiring people to commit crimes. Often discussions focus on whether violent computer games, films and song lyrics have resulted in society becoming more violent. Hopefully nothing like this happens again and the Twilight films can stay as they’re intended to be – as fiction.

A bank robber stole my homework

There's been a fair few stories written on the I spy a crime blog lately about burglars and robberies that have been carried out by some very clumsy crooks. Here's another for you, this time about an alleged American bank robber who tried to dispose of evidence in a very a dog ate my homework kind of way.

John Ford was caught on police video chewing a piece of paper while he was handcuffed and in police custody. It is alleged he grabbed the paper in his mouth as police emptied his pockets. Police believe the piece of paper was the note he had just used to hold up a bank. I don't think destroying the note would have ruined the police's case against Ford - his car was found nearby containing a bag full of money and a bank dye pack that had recently exploded.

Bank robbery is a crime that I think is often misunderstood - it doesn't only damage the banks, it also affects people who work in banks and the communities banks are in. Crimestoppers has appealed for information about bank robberies in Greater Manchester previously. There is even a £100,000 reward available for information about bank robberies in the Greater Manchester region. Information must lead to an arrest and conviction to be eligible.

Maybe instead of robbing banks, would-be criminals would be better off keeping their ear to the ground and passing on information about other bank robbers!

London mayor saves woman from street attack

As a superhero I'm always one to notice good deeds done by others, especially when they involve keeping the community safe. Today I'm sending a virtual high-five to Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, for helping protect a local resident.

Franny Armstrong, documentary maker and environmental activist, was being hassled by a group of young girls wielding an iron bar in Camden, north London on Monday night. She called to a passing cyclist, who turned out to be Mr Johnson, for help. Mr Johnson chased the girls away on his bike and returned to walk Ms Armstrong home.

Ms Armstrong said she didn't notice the girls approaching because she was busy texting.

Even those who know their local streets inside out can get into trouble if they're not savvy of their surroundings. I'm a tough guy but I still follow general safety practices like walking with my head up and swinging my arms - looking and acting confident can help you stay safe.

Andrew Greenslade, a former long-service police detective, special branch officer, and crime investigation skills trainer, has written an article of practical personal safety tips for Crimestoppers. Have a read of Be safe and stay safe and learn how to keep yourself safe. After all, if you get into trouble you might not be lucky enough to have Mr Johnson cycling down your street at the same time!