A man wanted by police since the beginning of this year was arrested in Colwick – after stopping off to buy a coffee.
The 32-year-old man, who was wanted in connection with money laundering offences in Nottinghamshire and Kent, was suspected to have left the country.
But he was finally detained in Daleside Road, Colwick, at around 2.20pm on Wednesday (June 10) after stopping to buy a cup of coffee.
The arrest came after he was first spotted getting into a car in Mapperley Top by a keen-eyed officer.
Unbeknown to the occupants the car was being tracked by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras – allowing pursuing officers from Operation Reacher to keep their distance and plan their next move.
The man was finally surrounded and arrested when he left the vehicle to buy a drink. He has now been remanded in custody.
Operation Reacher, now being expanded across the county, is an ongoing and assertive police initiative to target people involved in organised criminality.
Detective Chief Inspector Rich Bull said: “This was terrific example of policing methods old and new combining to keep the public safe. Police officers have been keeping their eyes open for suspects since the earliest days of policing, but only recently have we been able to track vehicles so effectively on camera.
“The last thing we wanted in this case was a high speed pursuit, and thanks to modern technology we were able to avoid one. The suspect in this case had no idea we were on to him until he stepped out of the car to buy a drink.
“He had nowhere to run and had no option but to give himself up. All in all this was a terrific bit of police work by numerous officers and staff, aided by modern technology. It’s also a timely reminder that keeping our streets safe is a real team effort.”
