Police received a call at 4pm from a member of the public who was in the Acomb area of York. They called us to report their Range Rover had just been stolen from outside a shop and that their Doberman dog was inside the vehicle.
Officers in the area were immediately alerted and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) work was carried out to guide us towards the vehicle. The car’s owner also had a tracking device fitted and was able to help us by giving live updates on its movements.
Police controllers also dispatched specialist resources which included roads policing officers, the National Police Air Service helicopter (NPAS) and a police dog unit who all headed towards the stolen vehicle.
A stinger site was put in place on the A163 at North Duffield and the stolen vehicle was stung less than 30 minutes after it was reported to us. The driver continued for a short time before the car overturned in a field.
After quickly moving in to detain the man who was still in the car but unfortunately, the victim’s dog was so scared by the incident, they jumped out of the vehicle and ran away.
Once Police arrested the suspect, the NPAS helicopter focussed on finding the dog who’d fled about half a mile from the scene.
The helicopter was able to guide us to the shaken and very frightened dog who was then taken to be checked over by a local vet and is now safely back with his owner.
A 29-year-old man from the York area was arrested on suspicion of the aggravated taking vehicle without consent, driving whilst disqualified, failing to stop for the police, driving whilst unfit through drugs, driving dangerously and driving a motor vehicle with no insurance.
The man was accompanied to a local hospital for minor treatment before he was taken to police custody where he currently remains.
