A 26-year-old man was arrested Monday morning after leading Kent Police on a pursuit through dense woodland in Edenbridge. The suspect, wanted in connection with an attempted burglary, was apprehended with the assistance of a thermal imaging drone and a specialized canine unit.
Officers arrived at a location in Mill Hill on the morning of December 22 as part of an investigation into a reported break-in at a local farm on October 30. Upon arrival, a male suspect ignored police commands to stop and fled on foot into a heavily vegetated area.
Due to the thick brambles and difficult terrain, officers deployed a drone to track heat signatures from the air. Simultaneously, Police Dog Boss and his handler were brought in to track the suspect’s scent on the ground. The coordinated search resulted in the suspect’s capture within 15 minutes of the pursuit entering the woods.
The suspect, identified as a man of no fixed address, was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted burglary. Authorities confirmed he has since been released on conditional bail. He is scheduled to return to police custody on March 21, 2026, pending further investigation.
Kent Police Inspector Martin Stratford said:
‘Officers from different teams will often work together to ensure that all efforts are made to disrupt criminality and detect crime. On this occasion, by using the drone which gave a great birds eye view of a large area to search, and when teamed with officers on the ground and the superb tracking skills of PD Boss and his handler, a suspect was found, despite the difficult terrain, and promptly arrested.’