A suspected burglar was arrested after eagle-eyed residents raised the alarm after they spotted suspicious activity taking place on a street in South Tyneside.
In the early hours of Tuesday, June 14, officers were made aware of a man acting suspiciously in Cleadon. At around 2.10am, it was reported that a man was using a torch to look in a number of parked cars in the East Boldon Road area.
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Wary of this bizarre behaviour, a number of witnesses contacted the police. Within minutes, officers were deployed to the scene and found that a garage at one of the properties had been left open.
Believing their suspect was still in the area, officers scoured the surrounding streets and quickly located a man who matched the witnesses' description. A 40-year-old man was subsequently arrested and has since been charged with a string of offences including burglary, attempted burglary and vehicle interference.
Detective Sergeant Angela Lewis, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was a fantastic response with officers acting quickly on the concerns of the community. Thanks to their information, we were able to get to the scene swiftly and locate a suspect.
“It was a brilliant piece of team work and information sharing between the public and our officers. As a result, we interviewed a man in custody and he has since been charged in connection with not only this incident, but a number of others committed in the area that we suspect he was involved in.
“We would always encourage anybody who sees anything they believe to be suspicious to get in touch as soon as possible. That way, we can continue to work together to ensure our region remains as safe as it possibly can be.
“We will continue to work closely with the public, businesses and partners to ensure any burglars and thieves are identified, arrested and brought to justice.”
Based at Southwick Police Station, Det Sgt Lewis leads a dedicated burglary team that are tasked with reviewing every break-in across South Tyneside and Sunderland. They work closely with neighbourhood officers to monitor trends and hotspots to assist in pursuing offenders.
Anybody who sees anything suspicious in their area is asked to report it by using the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101. In an emergency, or if a crime is taking place, always ring 999.
Are you interested in making a difference and helping to fight crime? Find out more about police officer recruitment by visiting our careers website today.
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