Police car rammed while investigating two rural burglaries
The car was written off
A man in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of multiple offences after a pair of burglaries in the Dinton/Teffont area.
As well as burglary, the man was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, taking without owner consent, failing to stop and criminal damage.
He has been released on bail pending further charges.
Police responded to reports of a burglary around 8pm on 30 September in Dinton involving a trio of men in balaclavas.
On arrival, officers found damage had been caused to outbuildings and tools had been stolen.
An hour late, the force received another burglary report, this time in Compton Chamberlayne, where a quad bike had been stolen and long with tools, which included a chainsaw.
The victim claimed he had seen a pick-up attempting to tow a tractor from an outbuilding, but when trying to stop them, the vehicle had struck the gates causing the tractor to disconnect.
Inspector Tina Osborn said: “After the first incident my officers flooded the area to look for the vehicle to no avail. When the second report came in our officers were already on the roads.
"They came across a quad bike which managed to get around them, but were then rammed by a second vehicle, writing off our police car.
"A number of men decamped from the vehicle, with our officers managing to detain one of them.
"We are pleased to say that some of the items reported missing were found in the back of the vehicle.
Inspector Osborn says the force are working closely with Farmwatch and is urging everyone to remain vigilant and to secure their property as much as possible.
"We will be carrying out extra patrols and we would ask everyone to contact us straight away if you see anything that looks suspicious.
"Burglary remains one of the top priorities for the Force and we will deal with offenders robustly.”