Two drunken burglars stole police equipment after discovering the door of a rural police station had been left unlocked, it was revealed today.
Shane Bowkett, 22, and Matthew Goodchild, 21, turned up at the station in Newent, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, at 4am on August 23.
They had been drinking at a nearby pub and had gone to the police station because they thought Goodchild's brother had been arrested and was being held there.
They pressed the buzzer, but after getting no answer found the door was open and all the lights on, so went inside.
When they realised the station was unmanned, they stole two stab vests, two high-visibility jackets, two police caps and the key to a patrol car.
Bowkett, of Coleford, and Goodchild, from Newent, both admitted burglary on October 14 and were each given a 12 month conditional discharge by Gloucester magistrates and ordered to pay £30 each.
The stolen equipment was recovered by police.
Police have also apologised to widow Chris Harrison, 59, for mistakenly smashing in her front door when they were searching for the culprits.
Mrs Harrison, who runs an equestrian equipment shop, has made an official complaint and compensation claim.
Gloucestershire police said there was a fault with the door to the police station which meant that it could not be locked properly.
Security had been stepped up since the incident.
A spokesman said: "It is important that police stations throughout the county are accessible by members of the public and that during periods when the station is not manned, they can locate the help points which put them in direct contact with the contact centre.
"On this occasion the station had been left insecure due to a fault with the door and the offenders gained access into the building.
"We have now reviewed the security of this station and will be making sure that an incident like this doesn't happen again."
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