Police officers spend their lives combatting crime, but this didn’t stop some especially brazen thieves stealing items ranging from a Taser to anoraks and a top hat from Gwent Police.

New figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show 93 thefts from the force between 2008 and 2012. The total value of the items stolen came to more than £15,799.

One Gwent Police Taser worth £1,022 was lost near Maindee in May 2011 when it became dislodged from an officer’s equipment vest as they pursued an offender.

A Gwent Police spokesman said: “Parts of the Taser (some of the casing) were recovered from the road as it appeared to have been run over. All spare cartridges were accounted for and the only outstanding items are the actual Taser and the one cartridge it contained. The low battery level of the Taser meant that following its loss, if it was still functioning, the Taser would only have been operational for a very limited time.”

Stolen items also included four laptops, diesel fuel and 22 satellite or GPS navigation systems (Sat Navs).

A police spokesman added that Sat Nav thefts “tend to occur when officers are on patrol and have to leave their vehicles (both marked and unmarked) to pursue suspects on foot.”

Thieves also targeted police stations to steal metal including aluminium and copper from locations such as roofs and pipes.

Three anoraks were stolen from Gwent Police along with three mountain bikes, two pairs of sunglasses and a breathalyser.

Cash to the value of £700 was taken from Newport Central police station as well as a security camera from Bettws.

One of the more unusual items stolen from police was a top hat taken in Cwmbran. The well-dressed thief was not found.

Of 93 thefts recorded, 44 went undetected while the remainder resulted in a caution or a charge.