Plain clothes police officers carrying out routine bike patrols in Swindon arrested a man on suspicion of burglary in the early hours of this morning (Wednesday 29 August 2018).
The officers were cycling along the footpath alongside Wootton Bassett Road, from the Mannington Roundabout towards Penzance Drive, at around 3am this morning when they spotted a man acting suspiciously.
They saw him leaving the Carphone Warehouse shop through the bottom panel of the front door, carrying a bag of items, so they gave chase.
Three other men were with him and they all made off from police into Mannington Retail Park and then fled the scene.
Dog units and the police helicopter assisted in a search of the area and a bag of stolen items was located in the car park of the retail park.
A 32-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested on suspicion of burglary. He was also wanted for a number of offences, including a serious assault in another force area.
He is currently in police custody.
Sgt Caroline Burt, from Swindon North Community Policing Team, said: “This is a fantastic example of proactive policing, where officers used their bikes to carry out patrols of the town.
“During their shift they cycled a total of 26 miles and witnessed this crime in progress so acted swiftly to detain and arrest a suspect.
“We know that burglaries, regardless of whether it is someone’s home or business being broken into, is a distressing, inconvenient and financially damaging crime.
“You can find crime prevention advice on our website”
Anyone who has information about the burglary at Carphone Warehouse is asked to call Wiltshire Police on 101 quoting log 28 of today (29 August 2018). Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
