Children are known for having big imaginations, but a group of kids in Surrey, UK, used their creativity for something very real – helping police catch two suspected burglars from the sky.
The children, along with some adults, were taking part in an Easter egg hunt in a ploughed field near the village of Capel. At first, the loud noise of a helicopter circling overhead was just an exciting distraction from the event.
What they didn’t know right away was that the aircraft belonged to the National Police Air Service.
Officers in the helicopter were helping Surrey Police search for two men who had reportedly broken into a disused building nearby. During the chase, the suspects split up and one of them was hard to track from the air.
From their position on the ground, the children spotted two men running across the field. Realizing that the helicopter crew might not be able to see what they were seeing, they came up with a simple but brilliant idea: they lay down on the ground together, arranging their bodies to form a huge human arrow pointing in the direction the suspects were heading.
At first, the officers in the helicopter were unsure what the group was doing. But as the aircraft circled again, it became clear that the children were deliberately pointing them somewhere. Following the direction of the “arrow,” the helicopter crew guided officers on the ground straight toward the fleeing men.
Shortly afterwards, two men aged 27 and 28 were arrested on suspicion of burglary. Both were later released on bail while further inquiries were carried out.
Police later said that the quick reactions and initiative shown by the group had been a big help in the operation.
Sgt. Paul Sochon from the National Police Air Service compared the moment to something out of an Enid Blyton adventure story, praising the “daring” Capel residents for abandoning their Easter egg hunt to assist in a real police search.
As a thank you, the helicopter landed nearby so officers could personally meet and thank the children – and share a few chocolate treats with them after their unexpected afternoon of crime-fighting.
What started as a simple holiday activity turned into a clever act of teamwork between kids on the ground and officers in the air – all thanks to a human arrow in a muddy field.
