How police burglary squad Op Hawk snared an 'acrobatic' free-running burglar who shimmied up drainpipes

Hampshire police's Op Hawk team carries out 'old school detective work' in a bid to bring burglars to justice – securing 30 convictions this year alone.

More people have been working at home in lockdown due to Covid-19, but thieves are still striking at every opportunity.

Poorly locked doors, distracted householders busy gardening and cat flaps and open windows prove to be too much of a temptation.

Thieves aren't afraid to kick in door panels and smash windows to gain access either, and some are preying on elderly people with dementia in the hope they can't give witness statements.

But just as relentless burglars won't stop, neither will Op Hawk – with its six-strong team passionate about securing justice for victims.

No more so when it comes to those who target the elderly and vulnerable. Just in September an 91-year-old man was burgled in Orchard Road, Southsea, and his sister, 87, hurt after trying to intervene. Both victims suffered bad bruising.

PC Kirsty Watts told The News: 'He had been out walking his dog and was befriended by an unknown male. (The victim) speaks to everybody.

'He walked along home. The suspect indicated that he lived further down. (The victim) started to feel uneasy. He made his excuses and went in.

'A short time after the male jumped over the garden fence.'

The man got into the house and pushed the 91-year-old to the ground, kicking him and demanding cash. The victim's sister, 87, tried to stop him – but was assaulted, police said.

Going on evidence gathered, the fast-moving team were able to arrest the suspect just a day later

Doorbell CCTV footage was obtained, and the man's stature led to him being identified with help from nearby residents.

He'd given his name as Matthew, and told the victim, while walking with him, that he had family in Kent.

Police checks found their suspect did have family in the county. The victim was able to identify him in a digital line-up.

He has now admitted attempted robbery – nothing was taken – and will be sentenced next month.

Neighbours have been taking care of the elderly siblings since the burglary.

Op Hawk's lead officer, Detective Sergeant Deborah Mason, added: ‘We really have to be old school in our detective work to find who it is.

'We start off looking at the MO but sometimes they can be non-specific, like smashing a back door window. We've had some with a cat flap – others which are quite specific to the person.'

And none was more specific than the free-running burglar targeting homes in Stubbington.

In a memorable move, he was shimmying up drain pipes and choosing first-floor windows as a point of entry.

'He once got disturbed in one of them,' Police Staff Investigator Cat Cole told The News. 'He jumped out the window head first.'

Not only was he acrobatic but he also appeared highly forensically-aware, leaving little trace behind.

'When we arrested him we searched his van,' PSI Cole added. 'He had a crowbar, head torch, balaclava and a mountain bike.

'He was clearly scoping out addresses. We suspect he was parking up nearby to scope up, then was using the bike in his van to go do it.

'There was never any indication that anyone was involved, it was all him.'

Unlike the majority of burglars, this criminal was not funding a habit. 'He did it for his lifestyle,' Det Sgt Mason said. 'He had a nice house, a nice car.

'He made £50,000 in about eight months. That's why he was a difficult person to find.'He would sell stolen jewellery online to firms that quickly melt it down, meaning precious items would vanish for good.

Officers caught him after a string of burglaries in 2019. He was jailed and ordered to pay back his ill-gotten gains.

It's Op Hawk's role to catch burglars in the eastern area including Portsmouth and the surrounding boroughs.

Each morning the team comes into work and reviews burglary reports handled by 999 response teams, along with those flagged by district commanders.

Officers will go door to door in the area seeking witnesses, the MO looked at, and the availability of CCTV. Where possible crime scenes will be checked by forensics teams for DNA.

Increasingly Ring or Nest video doorbells that record video are proving useful in investigations, including if a neighbour's home is targeted.

Det Sgt Mason actively encourages members of the public who spot suspicious incidents on their doorbell cameras to inform police. 'You never know, it might be that last bit of the puzzle,' she said.

Victims are offered crime prevention advice, and help in securing their properties. The Bobby Scheme, operated by the Blue Lamp Trust, can also help people protect their homes.PROLIFIC CRIMINALS

JUST A few criminals are responsible for many burglaries, with prolific offenders particularly targeted by Op Hawk.

Detective Constable Dermot McBride, who covers Fareham and Gosport for the team, said catching who is responsible offers some closure to victims.

As part of this, the team visits caught offenders inviting them to confess to any further crimes beyond the instances they have been accused of carrying out.

This Clean Slate initiative means the offender won't find themselves arrested again for old burglaries after being released from prison, and provides justice to victims.

These crimes are known as those 'taken into consideration,' and are not charged. Instead a judge looks at them when sentencing in court for the charged offences.

Just last year there were 70 of these TIC crimes, giving some comfort to victims.

This included one offender who took Op Hawk to a hidden jewellery stash in the middle of a roundabout, meaning stolen items could be returned.

Taking part in the initiative means thieves stealing to fuel an addiction, who make up most of the prolific offenders, can start to get help when released. This aims to break the cycle of offending.

In turn, police write to the sentencing judge explaining how the thief has taken part in the programme.

It's proving to work in some cases. Det Con McBride said: 'If they're willing to work then the help is there.'

Just before an offender is due to be released police will be involved with probation and others to make sure they get support – stopping further offending. Of course, some do go on to offend.

Prolific thief Nicky Russell, 40, of Parklands Close in Gosport, was caught by police investigating a 'series of burglaries' in March this year. He took part in the Clean Slate programme.

PSI Cat Cole told The News how he was caught. Attention was drawn to Russell, at the time a managed offender.

'When we get a few burglaries we have an idea who it might be,' PSI Cole said. 'We have prolific burglars who come out of prison and they start again.'

She added: 'We started looking at him. We arrested him firstly in April. So as a team we all go out, we do extensive house to house, CCTV scoping, we had a few images.

'A screwdriver was left behind at one of the burglaries. In the beginning we did get some DNA.'

But the screwdriver had been outside the property, meaning it did not offer strong enough evidence.

Yet officers had enough evidence to charge him for a business burglary.

He was bailed by the courts, but Op Hawk officers kept a careful eye on him, disrupting his criminal activities with further arrests.

Further DNA evidence came back and linked him to another crime, and he was charged – and eventually jailed for six years and nine months.

Det Con McBride said: 'With this particular individual we knew that he'd done quite a lot.

'The aim of Clean Slate is to try and clear up as many burglaries we know he's done and try to get some closure for the victim.'

Normally Op Hawk would visit offenders in prison on remand and offer the Clean Slate programme.

But in the pandemic it had to be done differently, with officers having just five hours from taking Russell from HMP High Down to police custody in Basingstoke to identify the offences and do all the paperwork.

'We've had five or six reasonable cases where we've got people to clear up other jobs,' Det Con McBride added.CHRISTMAS PROBLEMSIT'S AN annual occurrence in the run-up to Christmas.

Callous thieves each year steal wrapped gifts under Christmas trees from unsuspecting homes, causing untold misery.

Op Hawk lead Det Sgt Deborah Mason said: 'We're preparing ourselves for the Christmas burglaries when people come in and steal all the wrapped presents from under the tree.

'They just don't care – half the time it's for drugs or alcohol that they need to get the money together.'

Figures obtained by The News show there were 15 Christmas Eve burglaries last year, and seven on the day itself in Hampshire. New Year's Eve saw 14, and January 1 this year saw 19 burglaries.

Crime prevention advice remains simple. Op Hawk urges people to ensure doors are locked properly, including stubby-handled front doors, where the key should be used to lock up.