A POLICEMAN who tackled two burglars during a raid on his wife’s pub says the incident has affected not just his family but also the staff and wider community.

PC David Schofield, 46, was returning home after a night shift to the Dolphin Inn in Mold town centre, run by his wife Lisa, when he was confronted by the raiders.

He was punched in the jaw as he chased the pair before pulling one of them to the ground.

It emerged they had stolen nearly £900 in cash.

PC Schofield, a response officer based in Flint, told the Leader: “It is horrible what they have done to our property.

“They totally trashed the place. Our home was violated and the family and the community have been very upset by it all.

“My wife is distraught by it all and I hate to see her that way.

“It affected our six staff members too. Lisa couldn’t pay the staff wages on the Friday and they couldn’t do their food shopping. The damage was quite substantial.”

He added: “You don’t expect, after finishing a night duty with North Wales Police to be fighting with two criminals.

“I do that anyway and then I come home to find this.”

PC Schofield recalled: “I parked up behind the pub and noticed the cellar doors were open.

I looked in and two figures came flying out. I was still in night mode. I was thinking ‘is this really happening?’.

“The first one was off like Bambi, shouting ‘it’s him, it’s him’.

“I caught the second one and we were scuffling in the beer garden.

“Then he got away and I started chasing him up the High Street.

“He threw the cash bags at me in St Mary’s churchyard. I ran down and we got into a scuffle.

“There was a struggle. He struck me twice and I hit him back in self-defence.”

Last week at Mold Magistrates’ Court, Ben Maddocks, 24, of Bromfield Park, Mold, admitted burglary and assaulting PC Schofield in the execution of his duty on May 13.

Police are trying to trace the other man involved in the raid, whose identity is not known.