We ride shotgun for a police chase

I’m sure, like most motorists, I haven’t been alone in wondering what it’s like to legally hurtle along a motorway at more than 150mph.

Now, after unintentionally riding shotgun in an unmarked police car to catch a driver who’d failed to stop, I know.

Pursuit

Traffic cop PC Rob Lewis and I are taking a break from an evening pounding the streets of Hampshire when a voice over the radio reveals an unfolding pursuit.

On the far reaches of the Eastern Roads Policing Unit’s patch – some 32 miles away from where we’re enjoying a much-needed fast-food supper – an Audi A3 driver has refused to pull over for a police car.

Scrambled

The young driver is leading cops on a merry tour of the back roads around Winchester and he’s currently heading south towards the coast, showing no signs of giving up.

Blues and twos

It’s just gone 10pm on a Friday night, so traffic is light as we leave the Eastern RPU base at Havant, Hampshire, and join the usually heaving M27.

With blues and twos engaged, PC Lewis picks up the pace and we’re soon in the higher rev ranges of the 3 Series. The unmarked car is packed with heavy kit, not to mention myself and a photographer, but yet still quickly tops three figures.

Unmarked car

Blue and white LEDs are hidden in the grille, on the dash, in the wing mirrors as well as behind the number plate, and at night, road users wouldn’t even know it was unmarked as it approaches in the fast lane.

Lying in wait

PC Lewis has the radio turned up in the car and we can hear his colleagues reporting the Audi’s latest whereabouts. There are several units involved in the chase now and despite the distance we’ve had to cover, at speeds mostly topping 140mph, we’ve managed to get very close to helping out.

We pull off the M3 near Winchester and PC Lewis informs the police control room he’ll wait in a lay-by to see if the chase comes his way.

Wrong turn

PC Lewis asks us to punch it into Google Maps – we’re a long way out of his usual patch – and we make a series of turns until we’re on the same road as the runaway, heading towards each other.

Crash site

PC Lewis says he’ll find a suitable location, but seconds later we hear “He’s crashed, he’s crashed” on the radio.

Just a mile down the road we find the just-crashed Audi, penned in by another unmarked police car.

Stopped dead

When we arrive, the driver has been arrested. We’re the third car on the scene – after the other unmarked BMW and a dog unit. Four other police cars are soon here and a sea of flashing blue lights illuminates the crash scene.

Teamwork

“We came very close to this coming directly into our path and luckily it ended with no serious injuries.”

Pincer movement

We may not have come into direct contact with the runaway vehicle until the very end, but throughout the 45-minute chase we were engaged in the action on the radio and by playing our part in a huge pincer movement.

I still can’t quite believe we were lucky enough to be taken along for the ride.