Policeman 'critical' after thief chase

The suspect was first spotted in a stolen car

A policeman is critically ill after he was thrown from a car as he tried to stop a car thief.

The 42-year-old officer - who suffered serious head injuries - was thrown from a taxi as he tried to cling to the door.

Police say the driver deliberately crashed the vehicle in an attempt to remove the officer.

The incident came at the end of a pursuit of the suspected car thief who had dashed across a golf course and broke into a pensioner's home to evade capture.

Women arrested

Officers were alerted when they spotted a stolen vehicle parked in Bulwell, Nottingham, at about 1300 GMT on Tuesday.

Three people - a man, woman and girl - returned to the white Vauxhall Astra and police tracked them.

The man realised they were being followed and parked the car, escaping into a nearby golf course.

The woman and girl were arrested at the scene.

The fleeing thief was watched by several golfers as he escaped and he later broke into a house at an adjacent old age pensioners' complex, from where he called a taxi.

When the taxi arrived, the man forced his way into the driver's seat.

The police officer arrived and grabbed the car door in an attempt to stop the thief.

However the thief drove off at speed and deliberately swerved in an attempt to shake off the police officer before crashing into bollards.

Vehicle halted

The police officer lost his grip and suffered head injuries.

The taxi driver eventually grabbed the keys and halted the vehicle before the thief fled.

Police have appealed to any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward and have described the incident as "attempted murder".

The married officer is still in a critical condition at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.