Suspected thief arrested after woman reported suspicious man loitering in her South Shields garden

At about 4.15am on Saturday, April 18, Northumbria Police received a report from a woman on the Ridgeway in South Shields who reported a man in her garden.

She reported that he was trying to gain entry to her shed.

Officers were at the scene in less than five minutes and promptly found the man.

He was then arrested on suspicion of going equipped to commit burglary.

The 39-year-old man has since been released under investigation pending further inquiries.

Chief Inspector Paul Walters has now praised the member of the public who made the call and the quick response of officers.

“The caller did absolutely the right thing by calling us when she saw someone acting suspiciously in her garden and our response was fantastic,” he said.

“Response officers have been on scene just five minutes after the call was made and so they have been able to make a really quick arrest.

“This is a prime example of the community working together with police to safeguard property and crackdown on suspected criminality in our neighbourhoods.

“But this is also a timely reminder, as we enter Spring time, to keep your doors, windows and outbuildings locked and secure.

“Opportunistic thieves will not be deterred by the Government restrictions and so it is really important to take that extra bit of time to lock up.”

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