Carjacking suspects quizzed more

Detectives have been granted more time to question two men over a series of carjackings across the South East in which two police officers were held up at gunpoint.

In one incident a female police officer had her patrol car stolen while in another an officer was handcuffed and had his mobile phone and radio taken.

The men were arrested on Friday evening on suspicion of armed robbery, and Reading magistrates granted the order to allow further questioning on Sunday morning.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said the pursuit began just after 1200 BST on Friday when the woman officer stopped a Ford Sierra in Iver, Buckinghamshire.

"She was confronted by two men with a shotgun, who made off in her marked patrol car, which was abandoned nearby shortly afterwards," the spokesman said.

Officer handcuffed

About 10 minutes later a female motorist had her BMW estate stolen at gunpoint by two men and it was driven along the A4 towards Slough, Berkshire.

At 1715 BST a Ford Escort was stolen in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and was later found abandoned in Finmere, Buckinghamshire.

Then at 1940 BST a police officer stopped a Nissan Sunny in Bletchley, near Milton Keynes, but was handcuffed and had his mobile phone and radio stolen.

About 20 minutes later two men broke into a house in Great Brickhill, Milton Keynes, and robbed a woman of her car keys.

Pursued along M1

A shot was fired but no one was injured. The offenders took a BMW 523 and made off.

The BMW was pursued along the M1, M25 and M4 by officers from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and finally stopped at 2140 BST in Cherry Lane, off the M4 in the Metropolitan Police area.

"Two men have now been arrested on suspicion of a number of firearms offences and are currently being questioned at a police station in the Thames Valley region," the spokesman said on Friday.

"As these men are under arrest proceedings are active and there will be no further details about the incidents at this time."