TWO Kent officers have helped their Spanish colleagues by foiling a pickpocket on a trip to Barcelona.

PC Jason Maitland, based at Canterbury, and his girlfriend, Thanet patrol officer PC Anne McLaughlin, were watching a street festival in the city on September 22 when they noticed a man acting suspiciously in the crowd in front on them. He was using a mobile phone when it would have been impossible to hear anything other than the noise of the show.

PC Maitland said: “We watched as he attempted to pick pocket a man who had a small child in a pram. As the man bent over to tend to the youngster, he put his hand in the man’s pocket.

“Anne and I grabbed the male, an arm each, then attempted to locate a police officer. The offender was Spanish, but he understood the word police on my warrant card.

“He tried to get away and we struggled with him before the Barcelona police came and handcuffed him.”

The couple gave statements to the local police about what they had seen.

PC Maitland added: “The police were brilliant. Even though there was a language barrier, we conveyed what had happened to the officer on the street through hand signals and he immediately assisted with the detention of the man.

“At the station, an officer spoke English and explained they were happy that two police officers had seen the act and would charge and send the case to court.”