Police filmed on zip wire during burglary investigation

Two police officers who took a ride on a zip wire while investigating a burglary at an activity centre in Torquay have been reprimanded by senior officers. Chief Inspector Jim Nye, of Torbay police, said the unnamed pair had realised that their actions — caught on film by a witness — were inappropriate. The duo were called to Barton Hall's PGL activity venue in Watcombe on August 23 to investigate the theft of a camcorder from holidaymakers' accommodation the day before.

Their zip-wire ride was snapped on the mobile phone of a member of staff. One officer can be seen disappearing into the distance on the wire. The cameraman claimed the officers involved ordered him to delete his damning footage. But the man, aged 22 and from Paignton, kept his shots by only pretending to get rid of them. The man later quit his job at the site and resigned from the agency which placed him at the holiday centre.



He revealed he was taking a late lunch break when he heard police were having a go on the zip wire. "I was gobsmacked at what I saw. They said it was 'community interfacing'. They are paid good money by taxpayers to investigate crime — not enjoy themselves on a fun ride," he said. Police were called to the location on the edge of Torquay to collect details about a break-in which was discovered on August 22.

"The other officer filmed the same sequence on his phone. But I was told to delete my stuff because they said it would look bad if it got out," said the former employee. Mr Nye said: "The officers have realised in hindsight that such actions on duty are not acceptable. They were offered a go on the zip wire and they accepted. They have realised the error of their ways. We now consider the matter closed — and it is time to move on and continue our work to make the Bay a better and safer place in which to live and work."

You can see the probably underwhelming video footage on this page.