Dramatic footage shows rugby-playing police officer tackle and arrest wanted man

Police camera footage shows the moment a rugby-playing police officer tackles a wanted man to the ground.

Lee Martin, 33, was wanted for a number of offences, and he was traced to the North Tyneside area on May 1.

Northumbria Police said Martin tried to escape from officers and ran along a rear lane in Wallsend to avoid being captured. Yet a plain-clothed officer used his rugby skills to intercept Martin and arrest him.

Martin, of Kings Road North, Wallsend, was jailed for 20 weeks after pleading guilty to burglary, theft and assault.

Detective Inspector Jonathan May praised the officer “who was determined to catch Martin before he had the chance to escape and managed to apprehend him”.