Paddy wagon bogged during beach pursuit
A police pursuit on a beach north of the Swan River ended with a paddy wagon getting stuck in soft sand, requiring a rescue operation, according to reports from 7NEWS Australia and PerthNow.
The vehicle became bogged after officers took an unexpected turn onto the beach during the chase, necessitating it to be dragged from the sand. Westside Recovery, a Two Rocks-based towing and recovery business, reported that the mishap did not prevent police from apprehending their target.
"This police vehicle found itself well and truly stuck after a police chase took an unexpected off-road turn without a chance to air down," the recovery business said.
"Thankfully, getting bogged didn’t stop the chase and the boys in blue still managed to catch the bad guy."
The recovery operation
Photos from the night-time operation show recovery boards placed under the police car and a silver four-wheel drive towing it backwards up the beach.
"A bit of recovery work and we had the police vehicle back on solid ground and ready for duty again," the business said.
Westside Recovery owner Reece Anderson said the rescue was performed in the past few months on a Perth beach north of the Swan River.
WA Police response
WA Police acknowledged that vehicles occasionally get into trouble in beach sand while carrying out work.
"Police vehicles operate in a range of environments across the State, often in challenging terrain and weather conditions while responding to incidents and carrying out operational duties," a spokesperson said. "On occasion, vehicles may become bogged or otherwise immobilised and officers take appropriate action to safely recover them and continue their duties."