19 April 2023 , 08:55
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A suspected burglar had a not so bright idea when he tried to disguise himself as a solar panel in a bid to evade police.
Footage shows the bungling suspect lying on the roof of a building following a high-speed getaway attempt.
Despite the originality of the 'ruse', it did not fool police who immediately rumbled the suspect in Wandsworth, south-west London.
Photos taken by the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter's thermal imaging device show a figure next to a solar panel.
The force tweeted some 'friendly advice' on their Twitter account following the bust.
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"They’ll never find me if I just lay here and pretend I’m a solar panel! Wrong!!" it joked.
"Friendly advice for any burglars that use Twitter – pretending to be solar panel on a roof will not fool us or our camera!!… you're welcome!"
Thermal images show the suspect hiding on the roof of a building in London (@NPASLondon/Twitter)Followers found the incident hilarious and shared their reactions.
"Given that police helicopters have thermal imaging that's a terrible attempt at hiding you'll pick that up in seconds," one person commented.
"They don't appear to be as 'bright' as the solar panels it seems," another joked.
A third echoed their sentiments, writing "not the brightest spark".
The burglary suspect was caught pretending to be a solar panel on the top of shops (@NPASLondon/Twitter)In a second post, the force shared another image of a similar incident where a suspect tried to disguise himself on a roof by hiding under a plank of wood.
"This is not the first time someone has tried to hide from us on a roof. 'If I can’t see them, they can’t see me'," the force joked with one follower writing "what a plank."
Another comment, potentially posted by an ex-law official, shared a similar account of a man fleeing police.
They wrote: "He was easily 6’ tall. He ran into the garden of a house and hid under a doormat.
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Police could see the suspect from the helicopter despite him laying across the panel (@NPASLondon/Twitter)"A normal size doormat. Absolute lemon. He was similarly spotted by 99 and detained."
Another person suggested how else the force could prepare for suspect trickery.
"Do you ever do any training exercises where during the training a colleague tries out different heat absorbing or heat shielding materials?" they asked.
"I’m thinking of say a thick survival reflective heating blanket might reduce a heat signature and act as an invisibility shield."