A stolen van was recovered and a suspect arrested after police in Newark used their initiative to track them down.
Response officers managed to predict where the vehicle was going to be and intercept it – two-and-a-half hours after it was taken.
A woman reportedly stole the keys and drove the van away from a property in Coddington, Newark, just before 4pm on Tuesday (13 May).
After arriving at the scene and speaking to the victim, the response team started to build up a better picture of where the driver could be heading.
Predicting they could be on their way to a nearby location, the Newark officers made their way there, and sure enough spotted a vehicle matching its description.
After stopping and detaining the driver, police began to suspect they could be under the influence of drugs.
The suspect – a 43-year-old woman – was therefore arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, driving while unfit through drugs, failing to provide a specimen for analysis, and driving without a valid licence or insurance.
Three police officers were then assaulted while bringing the suspect into custody, while a police car also sustained a dent.
Based on this, the woman was additionally arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and causing criminal damage.
Sergeant Matt Burgess, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“The response officers involved in this arrest did a fantastic job to make it happen, with the team using their initiative to predict where the stolen van could be going.
“Guided by their knowledge of the local area, they were able to ensure they were at the right place at the right time to spot and then intercept the vehicle in question, which has now been returned to its owner.
“Vehicle theft is a very serious offence that can cause all sorts of problems to car or van owners, including impacting their livelihoods, so we were pleased to take action in this case.
“It should also be noted that driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as we suspect happened in this incident, is extremely dangerous, while I’d add that violence against our police officers will never be tolerated.”
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