Police officers have been seen being helped by a friendly boat owner as they chased a knifeman who had jumped into a river to evade cops.
The cops swapped their patrol vehicles for a boat moored on the riverbank while trying to apprehend Richard Shelton, 33, in Fiskerton, Nottinghamshire.
Nottinghamshire Police had rushed to the scene after the knifeman was spotted wielding a blade close to a pub on August 6 this year.
Shelton jumped into the River Trent and proceeded to swim away from officers and towards the opposite side of the riverbank.
Police shouted at members of the public to run for cover while stranded on the wrong side of the river with no way of getting across.
They then managed to find a boat moored nearby on the riverbank before its owner agreed to ferry officers across the water.
Several officers hopped aboard and were able to cross the river in the borrowed boat within seconds to quickly locate the suspect.
Shelton, of Newark, Notts, was charged with possessing a knife in public and appeared before Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on August 28.
Newark and Sherwood officers safely detained a knife-carrier on a riverbank after being given a helping hand by a boat owner (red top)
When a man with a knife was spotted close to a pub in Fiskerton, near Southwell, officers from the region rushed to the area
As the mix of neighbourhood and response teams arrived, the individual they’d been called about jumped into the River Trent but a boat owner let cops borrow hisvehicle
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two months in prison, suspended for 12 months.
Newark Neighbourhood Sergeant Kate Taylor, who helped detain him, said: ‘I’d firstly like to thank the public for their understanding and assistance during what was initially a concerning incident.
‘This appreciation is particularly extended to the boat owner we encountered, who helped our policing teams cross the river, so that we could arrest the individual in question.
‘For obvious reasons, carrying a blade is very dangerous and is a serious offence, so we will always look to treat any reports we receive as such and look to take immediate action.
‘At the time, we had no way of knowing the hunting knife the man had been carrying when we were called had been discarded, so it was a race against time to get to the other side.
‘Thankfully for everyone involved, this incident didn’t escalate further and we were able to safely detain him before anyone was hurt.
Police shouted at members of the public to run for cover while stranded on the wrong side of the river with no way of getting across
Pictured: The boat owner with an officer
‘That we were able to do this so quickly, in the circumstances, was a credit to the officers from response and neighbourhoods who were in attendance.’
One member of the public, who witnessed the incident, said: ‘Although I wasn’t attacked, nor threatened, it was and still is a shocking experience that you don’t exactly expect to happen in your everyday life.
‘The police turned up at the right time and spoke to me and my granddad, so we had as much information as possible, and were very kind and easy-going while doing so.
‘This and the fact the police apprehended him so quickly is honestly what put me at ease.’
