Mansfield police officers took under an hour to identify and track down a burglary suspect after encountering them earlier that night.
Police were called to Burger King, in Portland Retail Park, Mansfield, after someone went behind the counter and helped themselves to items.
The individual reportedly attempted to pull out the till before going into a staff-only room and stealing bottles of Coca-Cola from a fridge.
They then left the fast-food restaurant, kicked over a staff member’s motorbike that was parked outside, and ran towards St Peter’s Retail Park.
Police were called soon after, at around 11.30pm on Wednesday (6 November), at which point the response officers in attendance reviewed the in-store CCTV.
Believing the person in the footage looked familiar, the officers suspected it was someone they had spoken to while attending a separate incident earlier that night.
Attempts were then made to track down the individual, with police locating someone matching the description and placing them in handcuffs within the space of an hour.
A 20-year-old man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage.
Sergeant Victoria Wetton, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“This incident provided a great example of exactly why we go out and about in the community and why these patrols are so important.
“While responding to reports of this burglary, these officers quickly identified a suspect from the CCTV footage and put them in handcuffs not long after.
“The same officers were able to make this spot after speaking to someone matching their description earlier that night – again while they were out on patrol.
“Thanks to their awareness, we were quickly able to arrest someone in connection with the burglary, so they should be commended for their work.”
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