Joyriders used radio scanner to ram police

THREE car thieves went on the rampage yesterday seeking out police vehicles and deliberately ramming them.

Six officers were injured and at least nine patrol cars were damaged during the three- hour incident.

A senior policeman said it was 'a miracle that none of his officers was killed' as the joyriders listened to police wavelengths with a radio scanner to find out where patrol cars were deployed.

The chase began after a patrol spotted a Range Rover being driven erratically in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

Chief Inspector John Reeve, of Thames Valley Police, said it soon became dangerous to continue the chase and a police helicopter was called in to shadow the stolen vehicle.

He said radio controllers had ordered crews of patrol cars to park out of sight, some in private driveways, but the joyriders sought them out and rammed them. 'It became apparent that the joyriders were using a radio scanner to listen in on what we were doing.'

The joyriders escaped after the helicopter began to run low on fuel and returned to base. The vehicle was eventually found abandoned in High Wycombe. A 27-year-old man was later arrested and was being questioned.