Learner driver gives Kingston police a lift to 999 call Published duration 14 October 2016

image copyright Kingston Police image caption The suspect was eventually arrested

A learner driver in south-west London stopped to give a lift to two police officers running to an arrest.

The officers from Chessington Safer Neighbourhood team were sprinting to the aid of colleagues who were pursuing a suspect.

They are now trying to trace the female learner to thank her for her help.

At around 20:00 BST on Thursday two officers were on foot patrol in Merrett Gardens when they spotted a man acting suspiciously.

As they approached, he decided to run and a lengthy foot chase began.

In a post on Facebook, Kingston Police said that about 500m into the chase the officers lost sight of the suspect as he went round a corner.

Flag down cars

A passing member of the public pointed out where the suspect was hiding and the officers closed in.

They attempted to arrest the suspect but struggled and called for assistance from their colleagues.

Two police officers who were on foot patrol answered the call and began to run the 1.2 miles to reach their colleagues.

While running they attempted to flag down passing cars.

The first car that stopped was a learner driver, who along with the instructor kindly offered to help.

The female learner driver dropped the officers off near to the scene of the attempted arrested and they ran the last part.

The officers arrived in time to help with the arrest, preventing any further injuries.