NPAS aeroplane helps in arrests following pursuit in Sheffield

A police aeroplane from the National Police Air Service (NPAS), based at East Midlands Airport, played a key role in the arrest of two suspects in Sheffield on Monday 19 May, following a coordinated operation with South Yorkshire Police.

At approximately 8:10pm, NPAS was already airborne on an unrelated task when it was called to assist with a suspected stolen vehicle travelling on Bochum Parkway. The NPAS crew quickly located the black Volkswagen Golf and provided continuous aerial support, allowing officers from South Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Group to safely disengage from the pursuit.

The vehicle was later abandoned in the Westfield area, where a coordinated area search led to the arrest of two men, aged 31 and 24, on suspicion of dangerous driving and possession of drugs. Officers also recovered a quantity of suspected Class A drugs from a bag believed to have been discarded inside a nearby shop.

Sergeant Brandon Brown of South Yorkshire Police said:

“This is a great example of police resources coming together to achieve a good result. The two suspects led our officers on a dangerous car chase and then tried to evade arrest by running from the abandoned vehicle and trying to hide in a nearby shop.

Having our NPAS colleagues in the sky allowed our officers to drop back from the pursuit and intervene when it was safer for us to do so as we risk assess every incident and wait for the right time to take action.

Our officers work hard every day to deny criminals the use of the road and anyone who puts innocent road users and pedestrians in danger will be stopped, dealt with, and brought before the courts.”

Both suspects have been released on police bail while enquiries continue.