People have a tendency to believe that a child’s life consists mostly of having fun with their toys, getting together with their friends, and generally making the most of the time they have left in their more innocent years. However, children are more than that, as shown by the events described in this narrative, in which a group of children assisted the police in locating criminals.
The Guardian reported in a story that was published in April 2016 that a group of more than 30 children and adults were spending Easter Day in Capel, Surrey, participating in the annual Easter egg hunt that is held there.
The parents were standing close to watch their children as they explored the fields in quest of eggs while the youngsters were having fun searching for treasures laden with treats. Later on, though, a police helicopter circled the area, which first provided the folks on the ground with some amusement.
“Initially, the presence of the police helicopter was enough to entertain both the children and their parents,” a spokesperson for the force said at the time.
Because the Surrey Police Department had received a tip of someone breaking into an abandoned building, they decided to send a helicopter to the area to investigate the situation.
When everyone understood “they were witnessing a police pursuit,” the mood of the once-joyous gathering suddenly and abruptly shifted.
Later on, the youngsters who had taken part in the egg hunt came up with a useful idea right away and formed an arrow to aid the police in their search for the two intruders who were attempting to get away.
“The children quickly formed an arrow on the ground in the middle of a ploughed field to guide the helicopter in the direction of the fleeing pair,” the official continued. “The arrow guided the helicopter in the direction of the fleeing pair.”
The quick thinking of children in the neighborhood allowed them to assist the law enforcement officers in their pursuit of the two fugitives.
One of the youngsters gave an interview to BBC News in 2016 and said that she was the one who came up with the concept of forming a human arrow with the assistance of another kid called Phoebe.
“I said, ‘Come on guys, let’s all get in arrows so they can see us,’ so Phoebe got everyone together and she said, ‘Let’s all get on the floor and slide down,'” the youngster recounted. “Come on guys, let’s all get in arrows so they can see us.”
It is to everyone’s good fortune that the crew of the helicopter did not disregard the efforts made by the youngsters, and they were able to relay what they saw to the cops who had been sent to apprehend the thieves on the ground.
According to the statement made by the spokesman, “the crew of the helicopter relayed this information to officers on the ground,” which led to the subsequent arrest of two suspects.
Later on, two guys who were 28 and 27 years old at the time were detained on suspicion of burglary in connection with what they allegedly did in the empty building.
“I’m sure the last thing the group of daring Capel residents expected when they set out on Friday afternoon was to abandon their Easter egg hunt to assist us in a police search,” Sergeant Paul Sochon of the NPAS stated in reference to the event. “But the initiative they demonstrated proved to be invaluable.”
Later on, Sochon mentioned the tales that were written by the well-known English children’s author Enid Blyton about what had taken place.
“The prompt action taken by the group of parents and their children was the sort of thing you would normally associate with an Enid Blyton adventure,” he added. “However, their inventiveness proved to be a great help for our crews.”
The acts of the youngsters were greatly appreciated by the NPAS team, who flew the helicopter to a nearby location so that they could personally congratulate the children for their participation to the investigation.
In addition to the joyous recollections of participating in the egg search, the children were rewarded with chocolates for their efforts.
“The NPAS crew landed nearby to thank the children for the role they played in the incident, and the children even shared a few chocolate treats with the team, which was an added bonus after a busy shift,” Sochon observed. “The children even shared a few chocolate treats with the team, which was an added bonus after a busy shift.”