The quick and clever thinking of the children was able to help police apprehend two suspects they were in pursuit of.
The children were engaged in an Easter egg hunt in a Surrey, England, field when they saw a police helicopter flying overhead.
The children between the ages of 5 and 11 sprung into action when they saw two men running through the field.
“Initially, the presence of the police helicopter was enough to entertain the children and parents, but it didn’t take the intrepid residents long to realize they were witnessing a police pursuit,” a police spokesperson said.
They decided to lie down on the ground to form a human arrow so the helicopter could quickly tell which direction the two men had fled.
Those kids had no qualms about lying down in that grassy field.
The police knew immediately what the children were trying to do.
This helped them to relay the information to the Surrey Police’s ground team so they would know where their suspects were headed.
It wasn’t long before police captured the suspects.
Police said they were grateful for the children’s intervention.
“I’m sure the last thing the group of daring Capel residents expected when they set out on Friday afternoon was to abandon their Easter egg hunt to assist us in a police search, but the initiative they demonstrated proved to be invaluable,” Surrey Police Sgt. Paul Sochon said.
The police helicopter touched down after the suspects were captured.
The children and parents went further to help and brought the officers some chocolate.
To say thank you, the kids were treated to a tour of the helicopter at its Redhill base.
The children, referred to as the “Capel Kids,” were also given certificates of appreciation.
The local police said they had never seen anything like this occurrence.
It was like something out of a story by English children’s writer Enid Mary Blyton.
Temporary Chief Constable for Surrey Police Gavin Stephens said it was a “privilege” to show his gratitude to such an “inspirational” group.
He was glad the parents and their kids had the quick thinking to act.
“They are an inspiration to us all as to keep the county safe we rely on the active support of the people we are privilege to serve,” Stephens said. “Their actions were quick thinking, ingenious and have brought a smile to more than a million people who’ve seen the footage on social media.”
The children enthusiastically shared their stories with BBC News, saying they were happy to have helped.
Their efforts lead to the arrest of a 28 and 27-year-old man.
They were charged on suspicion of burglary and released on bail.
“They would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for those pesky kids!” one person joked on YouTube.
The story about the Capel Kids ended up going viral and was shared all over the world.
Learn more about their story in the video below.
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