A police helicopter, a van, two panda cars and five officers – all for thieves trying to steal a motorcycle helmet.
The bizarre incident took place on Wednesday morning when police officers were called to King Street in Potton following a report of a man trying to break into a garden shed.
Officers turned out in force with the helicopter hovering above at around 10am after they received a call from a neighbour who had seen someone climbing over a fence.
Beds Police yesterday defended its actions saying that three burglars were arrested and the police were just doing their job.
A spokeswoman said: "Our officers do not have crystal balls and on the way to the incident the officers called in for the force helicopter because they believed that the offenders had moved location.
"They had already tried to break into the house and it looked like they were going to carry on elsewhere.
"We do not believe that it was excessive, we received reports of an attempted house burglary and we sent out the resources we have."
An eyewitness said: "Just as I was driving past Tesco I saw the helicopter hovering above very loudly and then I saw a police wagon and two police cars parked up on the road. I thought something really big had happened."
Former policeman and current Biggleswade town councillor George Wilson said he was amazed that so much money could be wasted on such a minor crime.
He said: "They have gone to excess for nothing and seem to have used a lot of money and resources. To send the helicopter is very costly and then the fuel on top of that to get there would be in excess of thousands of pounds.
"It just strikes me as completely mad and a huge waste of police resources."
Beds Police said it was the normal response the public would receive when there is a threat of a house being burgled.
The spokeswoman added: "Had it not been reported to us and we had not attended, the man may have returned home to find the contents of his shed and even his house, gone."
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