A police officer has been taken to hospital after being hit by a car which then allegedly left the scene on a South Australian rural highway, the state’s force has said.

SA Police said a suspect has been taken into custody over the incident, which happened when police were trying to stop a vehicle on the Barrier Highway about 3pm.

The officer was struck and injured by the vehicle at Ucolta, a locality east of Peterborough in the state’s mid north, and has been taken to the Peterborough Hospital for treatment.

“The officer is in a stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries,” police said in a statement.

A police helicopter tracked the vehicle as it continued south.

Police said the suspect was “safely taken into custody without further incident” about 3:45pm, near the Barrier Highway, about 1.5 kilometres north of the town of Hallett.

They have advised drivers to expect delays on the Barrier Highway.

“Traffic flow at the crime scene is restricted to one lane for north and southbound until Major Crash investigators can attend and examine the scene of the collision,” police said.