Four police officers have been assaulted by a man being arrested in Swindon this morning.
Shortly after 4am, Wiltshire Police were called to Burford Avenue, Old Walcot, following reports that a man had been seen interfering with vehicles parked in the street.
Officers attended the scene and Police Dog Conan located a man hiding under a lorry in possession of a number of suspected stolen items including a wallet, sunglasses and mobile phones.
While officers attempted to arrest the man, three of them were spat at, while another was grabbed to the arm. The man continued to spit in the police van while being transported to custody where he then racially abused a member of police staff and made threats to kill another.
The man, a 40-year-old from Swindon, was arrested on suspicion of vehicle interference, theft from a vehicle, assaulting an emergency worker (x4), criminal damage (x2), racially aggravated public order offence and threats to kill. He remains in custody at Gablecross for questioning.
Dog Section Manager Ian Partington said: “This type of incident is exactly what our police dogs are trained for – PD Conan is a recently qualified addition to our team but has wasted no time in making his mark – he was able to quickly pick up a scent in the area and locate a man hiding under a lorry who may have otherwise gone unnoticed by a human nose.
“We are grateful to the vigilant member of the public who initially reported their concerns regarding the activity in Burford Avenue, which enabled us to locate and arrest this man. However, being assaulted, spat at and verbally abused is not part of a police officer’s job and should never be seen as such.”
Police are urging any residents who suspect items to have been stolen from their vehicles who have not yet reported it to please get in touch and report the items as stolen.
During our searches, a mountain bike was also located that we suspect was stolen – if you believe this may be yours, please call us on 101 and quote crime reference number 54200096590 and provide a description of the bike.
