WATCH: Police dog takes down thieves after they steal van in Shropshire

The pursuit involved a police helicopter, several cars and a dog handling team.

All three men were jailed for their part in a series of thefts.

One was arrested when he was brought to the ground by a police dog after fleeing a van that had earlier been stolen from Market Drayton

Police camera footage shows Scott Parker wincing in pain as he is held in the jaws of alsatian Jax.

He and his co-defendants toured the streets of Shropshire and Staffordshire looking for vans to break into.

Parker, 36, of Emerson Road, Wolverhampton was joined by Gregory Simpson,30, of Hatherton Gardens, Wolverhampton, and Craig Mason, 43, who is currently serving a sentence following a recall to prison for an unrelated offence.

They stole vans in Market Drayton, Codsall, Milford and Brocton over a two day period in January. They stole the contents, including £6,000 worth of tools and parcels.

The van stolen in Brocton had a tracker attached, leading police to the Staffordshire village of Tixall. When officers arrived they saw a white Vauxhall Vivaro, displaying false registration plates, which had been stolen from Market Drayton, leaving the area at a high speed.

This led to a 40 minute pursuit through residential streets in Stafford and outlying roads before finally stopping at Hixon airfield.

Parker was detained at the location by the police dog and Mason and Parker were detained later.

Pc Craig Beardsley, from Staffordshire Police's Road Crime Team, said the men deliberately operated away from their homes in areas like Shropshire and Staffordshire, adding: "These three men are career criminals, who travel across the county to commit crime. They have no regard for the victims."

Mason was convicted at Stafford Crown Court of theft and motoring offences including driving whilst disqualified. He was jailed for 15 months and disqualified from driving for three years.

Parker was convicted of aggravated vehicle taking and sentenced to six months imprisonment, as well as two counts of theft from a motor vehicle, carrying six months for each offence. The sentences will run concurrently and he was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.

Simpson, was convicted of aggravated vehicle taking and sentenced to six months imprisonment, as well as two counts of theft from motor vehicle, carrying six months for each offence. The sentences will run concurrently and he was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.