Russians are outraged after police made civilian motorists act as a human shield to stop a fleeing criminal.

The drivers were made to park their cars across the motorway and remain in their vehicles. They were not told why.

The suspect, who the police believed was armed, smashed through the cars at high speed and escaped. He was suspected of stealing a woman’s handbag.

No-one was injured, but the cars were badly damaged. On YouTube one of the drivers, Stanislav Sutyagin, asks “Are our lives really worth nothing in this country?” He called the police action “complete lawlessness”.

The scandal comes a month after President Dmitry Medvedev ordered sweeping reforms in Russia’s interior ministry.

YouTube is increasingly being used to highlight bad police tactics. In a similar case two years ago, the police officers involved receive a 2-year suspended sentence.

Russian newspapers are calling the police action scandalous. The police have apologised to the motorists. President Medvedev has ordered an investigation.