Prolific Bedfordshire burglar dived into river to try and evade police

A prolific burglar who racked up more than a dozen offences has been jailed after trying to evade arrest by jumping into a river.

Shane Smith, 40, was on the run after a string of offences including burglary, robbery, theft and dangerous driving in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Luton Crown Court heard that in a six-week crime spree during November and December, Smith stole a motorbike, jewellery, electrical items, tools and even wildlife acoustic bat detectors from addresses in Biggleswade and Shefford.

Smith, of Berkley Street in St Neots in Cambridgeshire, also stole a car, crashing into other vehicles and knocked a motorcyclist off his motorbike.

When police eventually caught up with him he jumped into the River Hit in Shefford thinking he could evade capture but an officer dived into the water and arrested him.

PC Rob Creighton, who captured Smith, said: "I had already pursued the suspect through a number of gardens and over multiple fences, so when I saw him enter the river it was a no-brainer that I was going to go in after him.

“The arrest was the result of great teamwork from uniform officers and detectives and I hope it sends a pretty clear message that we will be robust and relentless in the pursuit of those who seek to cause harm to our communities.”

Det Con Kevin Howes from Bedfordshire Police said: “It was a brilliant effort from PC Rob Creighton to take Smith off the streets.

“We know neighbourhood crime has a huge impact on local residents, and this shows we’ll make every effort to tackle this issue and bring those responsible to justice.”

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