Silent Crime: Prolific burglar responsible for 9 raids including theft at Costa Coffee jailed for a year

In a detailed video interview, neighbourhood police officers explain how a prolific burglar was finally put behind bars, thanks to an unlikely tip-off. In the report (click to play above), a PC outlines how he had noticed a lot of similarities in the spate of break-ins that had been targeting town centre businesses over the last year - but they couldn’t find the person responsible, until he received a piece of information - and some CCTV footage from a member of the public.

WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY: Silent Crime - The Untold Story Of Victims on Shots! TV.

The documentary will also premiere at 8pm on 13th November. Watch on Freeview channel 262 and Freely channel 565.

Owen Turner, 39, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with 9 counts of burglaries, one count of criminal damage and one count of theft. He has been given a 12 month prison sentence. Over several months a series of commercial burglaries had taken place in Blackpool town centre, with businesses having windows smashed and charity boxes and tips jars stolen.

PC McGoldrick tells Lucinda Herbert, in the video above, that he suspected many of the crimes were been carried out by the same individual - as they followed a similar pattern. They included a smash and grab at Costa Coffee on Devonshire Road.

This was raised as a problem during a Brunswick PACT meeting, and a resident came forward with critical CCTV evidence of a man causing damage to their property who then went on to commit one of the burglaries in the town centre.

Inspector Jon Campbell-Smith of Lancashire Police, talks in the video about how burglary is ‘intrusive’ and can have an ‘enormous’ impact on any victim.

He added: "This is why working with the community is so important. We may not have achieved this result without this vital evidence. My message to the public is to report any crime to us by calling 101 or reporting online. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 in an emergency."

Brian Roberts, Chair of the Brunswick PACT, said: "This result highlights the effectiveness of cooperation between PACT groups and the police. Working in conjunction with the Neighbourhood Policing team, the residents are making a positive reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour in Brunswick Ward. This is one of many recent successes we can chalk up to the great relationship that has been established between Lancashire Police and the local community."

The interview was filmed as part of a documentary about silent crime, which is coming soon to Shots! TV.