When UFO Sightings Made The News: A 1967 Police Encounter

This archive footage from October 1967 captures police constables Roger Willie and Clifford Waycott recounting their sighting of an unidentified flying object while on night patrol near Okehampton, Devon. The black-and-white ITN news clip shows the officers standing beside their patrol car, sketching out the shape of the object they had seen.

The incident took place in the early hours of the morning as the officers patrolled the A3072, the Hatherleigh to Holsworthy road. At precisely one minute past four, they spotted an object hovering at treetop level, approximately 400 yards away. They reported the sighting to Okehampton police station and drove towards it.

PC Roger Willie, who was driving at the time, described the object as "like unto a cross, although the inner parts were somewhat similar to the points of a compass, and they were quite blurred." His partner, PC Clifford Waycott, added that it emitted a "brilliant... brilliant white, brilliant light." Despite their attempts to get closer, the object moved away at a high speed. "The acceleration away from us was terrific," Waycott stated. "So really, we didn't get under it to hear any sound."

The officers noted the complete absence of any noise from the object. "There was no noise," PC Waycott confirmed. "The first time we saw it was when it was just above treetop height and ahead of us. And from then Constable Willie just said, 'Here we go then,' and we drove off after it."

When asked whether they could be sure of what they had seen, PC Willie responded, "Oh, yes. It was just in front of us." PC Waycott agreed: "There was no question whatsoever that this was a figment of the imagination. It was definitely there, it was definitely either manned by some sort of being or remotely controlled."

The officers also believed the object was observing them. "It was definitely being controlled to view our car," PC Waycott stated. PC Willie added, "Definitely. Yes."

This footage is an interesting snapshot of a time when UFO sightings were a regular part of public discourse. Whether the object was an experimental craft, a natural phenomenon, or something else remains unknown, but the interview provides a nostalgic look at a notable police sighting from the era.