Shocked cops caught a 12ft-long python slithering through their station in Thailand.

The police officers noticed the large serpent in front of the Buddhist altar at the Nong Khao District Police Station in Saraburi province.

They tried to secure it with poles - normally used to subdue suspects - before calling in animal handlers on January 3.

Footage shows a policeman and a reptile handler using steel poles to pin the snake down to the ground.

They evaded the python multiple times as it tried to lunged at them while their colleagues stayed at a safe distance.

One of the rescuers said: ‘We received notification from the police station that the python entered their building. They helped us catch the reptile.

'Normally we are called to catch snakes in people's gardens. This is the first time we have needed to go to the police station for a snake.'

The python was safely evacuated from the police station and released unhurt back into nearby woodland.

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.