A TEENAGER was chased over fences and through back gardens by a special constable in the middle of the night after homeowners disturbed a burglary.

Officers were alerted to a burglary taking place at about 2.30am on Thursday in Flint Close, Langdon Hills.

The occupants of the home had raised the alarm after hearing burglars breaking into their home and ransacking the kitchen downstairs.

Officers from the dog unit, who were nearby, attended along with local response officers to search for the suspect - and fortunately stumbled across him.

Special constable Dan O’Connell, from the dog unit, said: “I was en route back to the police station to finish my shift when the incident was called in, so I decided to join the regular officers to help.

“It didn’t seem as if the burglars knew that they had been disturbed so we absolutely swamped the area.

“The first road we went into, I saw him and he was on a bike that he then dumped.

“He ran off and was jumping over garden fences.

“I ran after him and at one point fell into a pond. I didn’t realise it was there. Eventually I caught him.

“As a special constable, it’s great to be involved in keeping my local community safe.”

Stolen property was recovered, including a bike and a kitchen knife.

The suspect was also in possession of a balaclava.

Police arrested a 17-year-old boy from Barking on suspicion of burglary and took him to Basildon police station for questioning.

He was later bailed to appear at the station on Tuesday, March 14 pending further enquiries.

Det Supt Kevin Baldwin, South local policing area superintendent, said: “Suspects gained entry to a house, we are not sure exactly how.

“Items were removed from the kitchen and hallway and two push bikes had also been taken from the garage.

“There was a Samsung mobile phone stolen and cash.”

Although Mr O’Connell is a voluntary police officer, he is equipped with full policing powers and has the same uniform as regular officers to help protect his local community.

Special constables spend a portion of their voluntary hours working in specialist roles such as the online investigation team, roads policing, the dog section and crime scene investigation.

For more information on becoming a special constable, visit https://www.essex.police.uk/join-the-police/special-constabulary.