Watch as Nottinghamshire Police track down runaway car thief as Police Interceptors returns to Channel 5 tonight

Police track down a stolen car and a runaway driver who takes a turn for the worst as Police Interceptors returns to television screens.

The brand new episode sees PCs Ky and Lee out in the city when they were alerted to a car which was reported stolen from Bedale Road, Sherwood, the previous evening.

Sirens and lights on, they hot-footed it to where the car was believed to have been seen and tracked it down on the junction of Mapperley Road and Woodborough Road just after 2am on Sunday, October 11 2020.

After attempting to pull over the driver, he failed to stop, and the highly trained armed pursuit officers got set to keep their eyes on the Renault Kadjar.

The driver, found to be Oreece Francis, led the officers onto Mansfield Road, where he reached speeds of 100mph in the 30mph speed limit zone.

As well as this, he drove on the wrong side of the road, including on blind bends, and ran a number of red lights along Mansfield Road and Woodthorpe Drive, narrowly missing a pedestrian at the junction of Valley Road.

He subsequently lost control of the car and crashed into a lamp post near Thackeray’s Lane, Woodthorpe.

However, this didn’t stop him.

Following the crash, he took off on foot and into the darkness of a nearby park.

Suspecting he was in the park, officers and units, including dog handlers, surrounded the park and shortly after he was arrested.

As Francis was detained, officers were preparing to conduct a number of tests, including a breathalyser, when he became faint and suddenly collapsed.

Officers provided immediate first aid, making sure he was getting air and checking for any injuries, and paramedics were called.

Police remained with Francis as he received treatment at hospital.

A few hours later, he was recovering and was released from hospital so officers were able to continue their investigation.

The 29-year-old, of Canal Street, Nottingham city centre, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and driving without insurance or a licence.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on November 25, 2020, he was sentenced to 14 months in prison.

Superintendent Claire Rukas, who leads the force’s Operational Support Department, said: “It is great to once again see our officers’ work, efforts and the vast range of situations they come across showcased as Police Interceptors returns to our screens, including this particular arrest and sentence.

“Deciding to take off when officers try to stop you can not only make potential consequences more serious and raise our suspicions, but it can also cause a significant risk to the public and other road users.

“The road was wet from previous rainfall and we were in a heavily built up, 30mph section of the area.

"Driving in such a dangerous manner as Francis did is unacceptable and when this is the case it is important to bring the pursuit to a stop as soon as possible to stop him causing a danger to anyone else.

“Thankfully, it was the early hours and the roads were light on traffic.

"He lost control of the car and, arriving at that scene shortly after, the first thought is always for the driver’s safety.

“After realising he had ran off, officers continued their efforts on foot, and with some help from further units from across the force, we stopped Francis in his tracks by a nearby park.

"It was such a relief for the officers to get him off the roads. However, this quickly turned to concern after he appeared to become quite unwell. Despite him being a suspect in a serious incident and pursuit, we have a really important duty of care to anyone we came in to contact with, so it was imperative that we were able to get him the care he needed and ensure he was well.

"Thankfully, after being seen to by paramedics he made a swift recovery.

“He has since appeared before a court and the custodial sentence he received was really pleasing to hear. I hope this sends a strong message to anyone who drives dangerously or drives off from us in such a manner that we are committed to keeping our roads safe.

"Pursuit drivers are highly trained so it is only a matter of time before our resources and skills catch up with offenders.”

As well as this, spotting agitated passengers in a car leads to a class A haul from the Knife Crime Team and the Interceptors break down the door of a suspected cannabis farm.

You can watch the show from 8pm on Channel 5.