David is arrest hero in paradise island heist

DAVID BAINES: an OBE and an arrest...

A FORMER Oldham police chief arrested two robbery suspects after ramming his car into a getaway vehicle - on the day he was awarded an OBE.

David Baines (53), who has been Commissioner of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service in the West Indies since 2009, received the award in the New Year Honours List in recognition of services to policing.

On New Year’s Day he was meeting a friend outside a jewellery store in the Cayman Islands capital George Town when it was targeted in a $1m raid by armed men.

The former Oldham chief superintendent spotted three men running to a getaway car and rammed the getaway car with his own - capturing two of them.

Mr Baines said: “I was in George Town to meet my friend and former colleague, Bob Helm, a former chief detective with Lancashire Police.

“I was outside a store waiting for him. I saw a security guy running out of Diamonds International looking concerned and as I looked in the shop I could see at least two masked men.”

He spun his car round and saw three men running from the store and getting into a getaway vehicle.

“I rammed the car to try and block them. They climbed out and started running so I went after them and hit two of the guys up against a fence.”

Members of the public grappled with the men pinned by David’s car.

Shots were fired during the robbery but no one was hurt.

Forty display cases were smashed during the robbery and gems worth $1m stolen but recovered.

Mr Baines said: “I did my job; it’s as simple as that.”