Off-duty officer’s gut instinct leads to the arrest of suspected kidnappers

PC Owain ap Gwyn, from South Wales Police’s Specialist Operations department, was driving in Ystradgynlais in the Dyfed-Powys force area last week, when two men walking a dog caught his eye.

Suspecting the dog may have been stolen, PC ap Gwyn pulled his vehicle over and approached the men.

They took exception to being challenged and fled after aggressively addressing the officer. He gave chase while contacting police.

Unbeknown to the officer, firearms officers were already in the area conducting arrest enquiries for the men, and as the chase exited a wooded area on to a main road, officers were on scene and ready to make arrests.

Both were subsequently arrested in connection with kidnap, false imprisonment and section 18 assault.

It also transpired that the dog was indeed stolen as PC ap Gwyn had suspected.

Recalling the incident, he said: “I was driving along, and I noticed two men walking with the dog and something just didn’t seem right.

“The lead looked a bit makeshift, and being a dog owner and dog lover myself, it just felt off, so I pulled over.

“They were walking up the path towards the woodland and I asked them outright if they’d stolen the dog. But they kept walking faster and clearly wanted to get away from me, so I sped up and then the one with the dog came towards me very aggressively with something in his hand. So, I told him I was an off-duty police officer and I was calling for back up.

“That’s when they ran, so I chased after the one holding the dog while I was on the phone to the PSC (Public Service Centre). I chased him for about five minutes, and I caught up with him as he came out on to the road, and that’s when I saw the firearms officers.”

With one man arrested at the scene, and the other arrested a short distance away, the officer was then able to assist with identifying the suspects, and it was only then that he learned of the gravity of the offences for which they were wanted.

“I had no idea that they were wanted when I stopped the car, let alone what they were wanted for.

“It was my concern for the dog that made me pull over, I just had this feeling it had been stolen, and I couldn’t not do the right thing and stop.

“I’m just glad I was in the right place at the right time, and able to help our neighbouring colleagues apprehend two individuals who were wanted for serious violent offences. And of course, make sure the dog was okay too!”

#assault #dogTheft #DyfedPowysPolice #kidnap #SouthWalesPolice #Ystradgynlais

Cat and dog theft set to be made criminal offence - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68021178

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