A 33-year-old man wanted in connection with a burglary was found hiding in a tent in a wooded area near Sankey Valley Park in Warrington after successfully evading police for 18 months.
The extraordinary discovery was made as part of a major county-wide policing operation which resulted in 25 wanted offenders being arrested across Cheshire.
Officers in Warrington located the man during Operation Crossbow, a day of intensified action by Cheshire Police targeting wanted and outstanding criminals.
Police say the man had been living in the tent in the wooded area for around 12 months, apparently in an attempt to evade law enforcement.
He had been wanted in connection with a burglary and a recall to prison and had remained outstanding for 18 months before officers tracked him down in Sankey Valley Park.
The arrest was one of a series made across Cheshire on Monday, September 14, when more than 100 police officers and members of the Constabulary’s senior command team were deployed as part of the operation.
The day began with an 8am briefing at Cheshire Police Headquarters, led by Chief Constable Mark Roberts, before teams headed out across the county.
By the end of the operation, 25 wanted offenders had been arrested.
Those arrested were wanted for a range of offences including recall to prison, stalking, theft and failing to attend court.
Arrests were also made in connection with serious sexual offences, domestic abuse, criminal damage and affray.
The operation also resulted in police locating a missing 14-year-old child from Wilmslow, who was safely returned home.
Meanwhile, officers from Cheshire Police’s Roads and Crime Unit carried out proactive operations on the county’s road network.
A total of 54 road traffic offences were recorded, with five drivers reported for speeding, three vehicles seized and a stolen vehicle recovered.
Detective Superintendent Adam Waller, of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said the operation demonstrated that people attempting to evade justice would eventually be caught.
He said: “Whilst Operation Crossbow is our opportunity to highlight to the public the great police work that is conducted across the county 365 days a year, it is also our regular reminder to those bold enough to assume they can escape justice that it is only a matter of time before our officers catch up with them.”
He added that Operation Crossbow was a major team effort which had involved months of planning.
The Warrington arrest provides one of the most unusual examples of the operation – with officers eventually finding their man living under canvas in woodland close to one of the town’s best-known parks.
Police have not released further details about the circumstances surrounding the burglary allegation or how officers identified the man’s hiding place.
