Officers travelling on the A249 Maidstone-bound near Bobbing around 3.45am on Monday 13 March 2023 noticed a car parked close behind an HGV in a lay-by.
As the patrol vehicle approached, two men fled the scene, prompting Police Dog Ciara and her handler to assist in a search across fields.
Both suspects, one aged 30 and the other 21, were apprehended and later released on bail pending further investigation.
A number of fuel cannisters were also seized at the scene.
‘Theft of fuel from lorries can be hugely damaging to business owners who already spend thousands of pounds keeping their vehicles on the road,’ said Inspector Steve Dunnett of Swale’s Local Policing Team.
‘We look down on people who help themselves to fuel or other goods that do not belong to them, and we will use every resource at our disposal to bring them into custody.’