A stolen car was recovered and five suspects arrested less than an hour after the vehicle was reported missing.
The Ford B-Max was reported stolen from an address in South Leverton at 11.40am on Monday 21 September.
Officers travelling in a van were alerted to the presence of the stolen vehicle in the area and soon spotted it in Retford.
As the vehicle waited at the Sutton Lane railway crossing shortly before 12.30pm, the officers pounced, causing multiple suspects to flee.
Four were chased down and detained in a field, while another was found in a nearby garden.
Five boys, aged 17, 16, 16, 16 and 15, were arrested on suspicion of burglary and theft.
They have since been bailed and an investigation into what happened is continuing.
DC Helen Plummer, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“This was an excellent result delivered less than an hour after we were first informed of this offence.
“This is a rural area of the county but, as these individuals have discovered, there are no safe locations in our county for people travelling in stolen vehicles.”
