Silas leaps into action to help detain suspect
SUSPECTED STOLEN VAN MAN THOUGHT HE COULD ESCAPE JUMPING FENCE...
SUSPECTED car thief proved no match for one of Leicestershire Police’s most feared law enforcers when he put police dog Silas’s fence jumping skills to the test.
What the man didn’t consider was that leaping 6ft fences was actually one of the Belgian Shepherd’s “favourite games”.
Silas and his handler had been called in to help road policing unit colleagues apprehend two individuals spotted in a van suspected of being stolen.
They had allegedly run away on foot after failing to stop for officers on the A47/Hinckley Road.
The van, which had been reported stolen from the Braunstone area, had activated automatic number plate recognition cameras as it headed into the city, according to police.
A spokesman for the force said: “Officers were quickly deployed and saw the van near the junction of New Parks Way and Scudamore Road, but the van was reported to have failed to stop when requested.
“The van was pursued on to CuffA ing Drive, where it was abandoned and the occupants were reported to have attempted to run away.
“But police dog Silas quickly intervened, helping to detain one of the occupants.
“The second man was soon detained by officers in a nearby garden.”
The incident happened at about 4pm on Tuesday, August 10. Officers from the force’s dogs section, which is part of the Special Operations Unit that also has firearms and drones at its disposal, took to social media to praise Silas.
“A storming job by Silas and his chauffeur,” read the message on the team’s official Facebook page. “The individuals in the vehicle, on realising they had the police right behind them, exited rather rapidly and were on their toes up and over nearby fences.
“Unfortunately for them, Silas is somewhat rapid himself.
“He is also extremely good at making 6ft fences look like a mere hop and they just provided him with one of his favourite games.”
The second suspect was cornered by armed officers, according to the post.
A 45-year-old man and a 40-yearold man, both from Leicester, were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and were taken into police custody.
The police spokesman said that inquiries into the incident were ongoing.