How Bognor Regis street sweeper helped catch a criminal

Steve Taylor, who has worked for Biffa for over ten years, was busy weeping the pedestrianised part of London Road when a police officer jumped into his cab and said ‘follow that man’.

The suspect he pointed to had assaulted a woman in the street, and was fleeing the scene on a bike, but he was no match for Steve’s 35mph vacuum sweeper, which cornered him a few hundred yards away, in William Street.

“We chased him into High Street and William Street, but there was no sign of him. The policeman got out to search a garden when I noticed the man in the next garden along. I pointed him out to the officer who then nicked him,” Steve said.

"I didn’t have to think twice about getting involved. It was a no-brainer, really. Although the chase only lasted a short time, it felt much longer. It was exciting but also a little scary. It certainly made an interesting break in the day!”

Cllr Amanda Worne, Chair of the Environment Committee at Arun District Council, said: “We’re very proud of our street cleaning team, and this is a brilliant example of public service in action! Steve’s courage – and a bit of horsepower from a vacuum sweeper – helped bring a wanted man to justice and the community is safer for it.”

Chief Inspector William Keating-Jones, of Sussex Police, said: “Pursuing suspects requires rapid decisions and sometimes creative ideas. We’re grateful to Steve for his help in capturing this violent criminal.”

Steve Usher, Biffa’s Senior Business Manager for Arun, said: “We’re all very proud of Steve, and I hope he feels proud of himself too. He’s a hard worker and an upstanding citizen. Not only does he make Bognor cleaner, he’s made it safer too.”

The criminal himself was a man named Peter Lock, 51, of Linden Road Bognor Regis. Appearing at Lewes Crown Court on Wednesday May 7, he pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm and was sentenced to 18 months in custody, according to Sussex Police.