Robbery, arson and stalking suspects among 26 arrested in 48-hour blitz, including crackdown in Sunderland and South Tyneside

Northumbria Police said teams of officers have taken part in a coordinated crackdown since Monday to find various individuals who the force said have been evading police.

Addresses have been searched across the full length and breadth of the force area – from Northumberland to South Tyneside and Sunderland – with police successfully catching up with a string of suspects.

The force said they were each arrested and will be interviewed in connection with a range of undetected crimes committed in the North East including fraud, robbery, arson and stalking.

Chief Inspector Nicola Wearing, who oversaw the arrest activity Sunderland and South Tyneside, has today welcomed the positive results and hopes it sends out a strong message across our communities.

She said: “We’ve been delighted with the results we have seen over the last 48 hours with a number of our longer-term wanted suspects being pursued, located and detained.

“They are wanted in connection with a range of crimes across the force, and this outcome has only been possible thanks to the ongoing support from our communities.

“Your information has helped us build an intelligence picture of these suspects’ movements and allowed us to identify a number of addresses where they have been thought to have been laying low to evade arrest.

“We will use every tactic at our disposal in order to locate wanted suspects, and anybody found to have been responsible for committing crime across the Force will be dealt with swiftly and robustly.

“If you know you are wanted by police, be warned – we are looking for you, and it might be your door that we turn up at next. We would also like to remind everyone that harbouring a wanted suspect is a criminal offence and could result in a jail term.”

Anyone with information about criminality in your area is asked to report it via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of the Northumbria Police website, or by calling 101.

In an emergency, or if a crime is happening, always ring 999.

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