Holidaying British police officers bring down 'bag thief' on bike in Barcelona
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Version 0 of 1. Four British police officers on a trip to watch the Spanish Grand Prix interrupted their holiday by rugby-tackling a suspected bag thief off a bike. Acting sergeant Andy Le Geyt hurled himself at the alleged criminal after he and three colleagues heard a Russian tourist shouting for help near Placa de Sant Jaume in Barcelona on Friday. He, Pc Colin Swan and specials Natalie Matthews and Milad Amini, all based in Richmond, south-west London, were getting money from a cash machine when the drama unfolded. Mr Le Geyt said: "Obviously something had happened and someone was shouting for help. I jumped out into the road and saw a guy coming towards us with the victim chasing him down the road. I rugby-tackled him off the bike on to the floor and the other officers came and tackled the man. He was trying to bite us and spitting at us." They got a shopkeeper to speak to local police, to come and take the suspect away. The acting sergeant added: "We didn't know what had happened, it could have been anything. The guy (alleged victim) was pointing to him and chasing him, I just had to react quickly enough to stop him. "When you are a police officer it doesn't matter where you are, if you hear that word (police) you will react. "For all of us it's the first time we've had to deal with something abroad. When it does happen it's a bit of a shock. It's our duty to protect people no matter who they are." The suspect was taken into custody by Spanish police and the British officers enjoyed the rest of their trip, despite Lewis Hamilton crashing out. |