Bollard and quick-thinking officers end charity ride on a high

Officers heading home from completing a 180-mile annual charity cycle ride managed to also nab themselves some suspected car thieves along the way.

The Humberside officers were coming back in a minibus from the Police Unity Tour – when they were unexpectedly called into action.

After driving past a vehicle that had just been abandoned following a brief pursuit with uniformed officers, the off-duty group sprang into action and gave chase to the fleeing suspects as well.

The suspects left the stolen vehicle after it had become impaled onto a concrete bollard, following the car chase with the police on Spring Bank, in west Hull.  

Joining the fray were Humberside Chief Constable Lee Freeman, PC Darren Kirkwood and North Yorkshire’s inspector Denise Wond and Inspector Tony Tinsley who managed to apprehend the suspects after a short pursuit on foot.

Speaking after the incident, Insp Tinsley, said: “Glad we could help. Sheer luck but right place right time.”

Humberside police roads policing section also weighed in regarding the unusual event on Twitter, adding: “As luck would have it, the @PolUnityTourUK Humberside contingent were passing, jumped out of their minibus and apprehended driver and passenger”.

The officers had been taking part in the annual charity bike ride for Care of Police Survivors. 

The three-day event raised a record £196,000 for the families of officers killed in the line of duty last year and is set to break the record this year.