Suspected thief arrested following seven reports of shed burglaries across South Tyneside

A 20-year-old man has been arrested after seven similar reports of break-ins involving sheds, outbuildings and garages across South Shields were filed in the early hours of yesterday morning, Monday, February 15.

An investigation was launched after a range of items were stolen from the Marina Drive and Salisbury Street areas of the town which included pedal bikes and garden tools.

Shortly after 1am this morning, Monday, February 16 police received reports of a man acting suspiciously in a garden of an address on Broughton Road.

The offender made off on foot before officers caught up with the man with the assistance of the National Police Air Service (NPAS) and was arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Detective Sergeant Chris-Raper Smith, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was an excellent outcome following some outstanding police work between officers from different departments, as well as our colleagues at NPAS.

“We were made aware of the spate of shed break-ins overnight between Sunday and Monday which all occurred in the same area of South Shields, and officers set about following a number of lines of enquiry.

“But in the off-chance that the suspect would brazenly try his luck again the following night, we increased patrols and were on hand to respond if anything similar came in.

“So when a member of the public picked up the phone and reported a trespasser in her garden, we were at the scene within four minutes and managed to place a suspect in handcuffs.

“He will be interviewed by detectives in connection with the various burglaries throughout the course of today, and I hope this swift and positive action offers reassurance to our communities.

“We will not tolerate this type of criminality and will use every tactic at our disposal to ensure thieves and burglars are identified, caught and ultimately brought to justice.”

The 20-year-old man remains in police custody at this time.

Northumbria police urge anyone who sees anything suspicious in your community to report it to police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of their website or if a crime is happening to ring 999.

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