Rodent run-in: Angry squirrel ransacks Vancouver Island home

Nutty intruder: Squirrel ransacks Oak Bay home Police were called to investigate after an Oak Bay family discovered their house had been completely ransacked.

Two Victoria police officers have added a towel and a broom to their crime-fighting arsenal.

The officers were called by a homeowner in Oak Bay, who returned after a five week absence to find someone had torn through her home, leaving a significant mess, but taking no obvious valuables.

It didn't take Constable Sheri Lucas and her partner long to identify the culprit as a squirrel -- since a bowl of nuts had been emptied, shells were strewn everywhere, other food had been gnawed -- and the rodent was angrily demanding to be released from the home.

The two officers cornered the suspect with a broom and then immobilized it with a towel before setting it free and suggesting the homeowner block several vents to ensure the brazen burglar couldn't return.