FIVE men have been arrested following a cross-county police car chase from Bournemouth to Ringwood, culminating in a crash outside a school.

A silver BMW vehicle was crashed and abandoned in Parsonage Barn Lane by Ringwood School following a high-speed car chase, with several police vehicles and a helicopter involved on Thursday.

A Dorset Police spokesperson said: “[We] received a report at 2.50pm on Thursday September 23, 2021, that a man attempted to steal a Rolex watch from Arcade Jewellers in Bournemouth Arcade. It is reported that a vehicle believed to be involved in the incident made off from the scene.

“Officers attended, carried out a search of the area – assisted by the NPAS helicopter – and followed the vehicle before it came to a stop in Parsonage Barn Lane in Ringwood.

“A full investigation is underway. Five men have been arrested in connection with the incident and are currently assisting officers with their enquiries.”

Ringwood eyewitness Karen Brooks said: “We were travelling through Ringwood picking up my son from school and about 12 police cars (normal and undercover) went past us.

“As we got to the corner, we saw a crashed silver BMW by the junction with a police car and a man was handcuffed with a couple of policemen around him. We then went back through and saw some more police cars and officers everywhere, clearly looking for someone.

“The helicopter was circling practically above the school. My 14-year-old son said it all happened in front of him, the police car forced the BMW to crash and three men ran out of the car. They caught one straight away and were chasing the other two.”

Prior to the crash, witnesses stated that the front of the vehicle was “bashed in” and the bumper was “dragging along the ground” during a pursuit on Southampton Road – which is just off Parsonage Barn Lane.

Another witness, Leila Smith, said that the police helicopter turned up “almost immediately” and that the “amazing” police “acted swiftly”.

The Dorset Police spokesperson added: “Anyone with information or relevant dashcam footage is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 23:382.

“Alternatively, to stay 100 per cent anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or call Freephone 0800 555 111.”