Here’s a nice little “human interest story” from The Daily Mail:A quad bike thief who was trying to make a speedy getaway took an unlucky turn – into the path of a crack squad of airborne* soldiers.The Dutch paratroopers caught the suspect, who was being chased by an angry farmer, and knelt on his back until the police arrived.Nick Walker, 26, was working at the 500-acre family farm in Satley, Tom Law, County Durham, on Monday when he heard the roar of a quad bike being fired up.He saw a thief speeding away, so gave chase on another 450cc machine.They reached speeds of up to 50mph before the suspect lost control after hitting a kerb and the £5,500 bike flipped over, wrecking it.He then tried to escape on foot but was tackled to the ground by Mr Walker.A busload of Dutch soldiers heading towards Otterburn, Northumberland, for a training exercise, saw the fracas and intervened.They grabbed the suspect and waited for officers to arrive.Acting Inspector Peter Dawson thanked the soldiers for their help in detaining the suspect.’He would not have expected to run into a group of airborne* soldiers,’ he said.’It just wasn’t his day and goes to show the bad guys do not always get away with it.’Mr. Walker expressed his thanks to the Dutch forces, and said the suspect knew he was being followed, as he kept turning round during the chase. He added: ‘It was quite a relief to see them to be honest.’I was very grateful and I would like to thank them all for giving me a hand.’Sergeant Major John Spithoven, of the Royal Netherlands Army’s 11th Air Mobile Brigade, said: ‘At first we thought there had been a traffic accident, then we saw two men fighting in a field next to the road.‘We thought they might kill each other, so the men ran over and pulled them apart.’Then we heard one say the quad bike had been stolen so I said to the boys “Hold that man”.’The police were called and they came very quickly.’He kept trying to escape all the time.’It is good to think we were doing our jobs and helped someone.’A 25-year-old man has been charged with theft and driving without a licence or insurance and will appear before magistrates next week.11th Airmobile Brigade Wikipedia page.*original story incorrectly identfied the soldiers as special forces.

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