A man has been charged after a police car was attacked with a hammer in front of afternoon shoppers.
The unoccupied vehicle was parked in Portland Square, Sutton-in-Ashfield, at around 3.20pm on Friday (11 December) when the incident occurred.
Two police officers were patrolling the area as part of an ongoing operation to keep shoppers safe in the town centre and had parked a marked police car to provide visible reassurance.
As the officers walked away from the area an offender then approached the vehicle and struck it multiple times – breaking several windows and causing significant damage to the bonnet area.
Chief Inspector Steven O’Neill, area commander for Mansfield and Ashfield, said: “Attacking police resources in this way is entirely unacceptable and actually impacts every one of us. As a result of what happened on Friday we now have a valuable police car out of action that will now not be available to respond to potentially life-threatening incidents.
“I’d also like to pay tribute the officers involved who dealt with this incident in a swift and professional manner.”
Michael Wagstaff, 55, of Clare Road, Nottingham, has been charged with criminal damage, possession of an offensive weapon and theft. He has been remanded in custody and will appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (14 December).
