Moment plain clothes police officer puts in hefty rugby tackle to stop fugitive fleeing arrest on his bike as he is hailed a 'proper copper'

By OLIVIA DAY, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 15:15, 26 June 2026 | Updated: 15:16, 26 June 2026 This is the moment a plain clothes officer rugby tackles a runaway fugitive as he tries to escape police in a crowded city centre.  The wanted man was knocked off his bike after CCTV operators spotted him and alerted Cambridgeshire Police over the radio on Tuesday.  Seconds later, dramatic footage shows the quick-thinking officer swooping in and catching the man off guard before both crash onto the pavement.  An officer in high-vis then rushed in to assist with the arrest. The man has since been charged with theft, assault, burglary, failing to appear and public order offences. A Cambridgeshire Police spokesperson said: 'CCTV operators in Cambridge initially spotted this wanted man and alerted officers over the radio. 'Moments later, a plain-clothes officer swooped in, catching him by surprise and taking him off his bike before colleagues in high-vis arrived to assist. This is the moment a plain clothes officer rugby tackles a runaway fugitive in Cambridge The plain-clothes officer leapt into the air and grabbed the wanted man by the shoulders The pair then crash onto the pavement in the packed city centre  An officer in high-vis then rushed in to assist with the arrest 'A great example of how our teams work together to keep the city safe.' Viewers were quick to praise the fast-acting officer.  One viewer said: 'Quality take down. Proper copper should be well pleased with that.  Another said: 'That plain clothes police officer should teach the others some moves, that was very skillful.' A third added: 'Old fashioned policing. Brilliant. Do the crime, do the time.' The Daily Mail has contacted Cambridgeshire Police for further comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.