Two teenagers arrested on suspicion of burglary in South Shields after victim found intruders in her garage

The brave victim was awoken by noises downstairs in her home and found two teenagers in her garage.

Officers were called to an address on Grotto Road, in South Shields, at 5.40am on Saturday, July 25.

Nothing was stolen and the offenders quickly made off from the scene.

After being notified about the break-in, officers swarmed to the street and carried out a search of the local area – with two 17-year-olds detained in a nearby bus stop within just six minutes of the 999 call coming in.

The male and a female were subsequently arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken into custody for questioning.

They have both been released under investigation as inquiries continue.

Chief Inspector Phil Baker, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was a fantastic piece of teamwork that resulted in two suspected intruders being arrested – just a matter of minutes after the emergency call came in to police.

“The victim showed amazing bravery in disturbing the teenagers before quickly contacting police and passing on detailed descriptions.

“That allowed us to deploy cops to the area quickly, and from then our officers trusted their instinct while searching the local area, where they found a male and a female at a nearby bus stop who matched the description given by the caller.

“I would like to thank all the officers involved for their quick reactions – this was community policing at its best.

“There was no good reason for two teenagers to be inside that garage and we will continue to respond quickly to offences of this nature as we understand the impact home invasions can have on victims.

“I would ask homeowners to always pick up the phone and contact police if you see anything suspicious in your area, and please make sure you take an extra second to ensure your doors and windows are locked to deter opportunistic thieves.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact us via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting log 258 250720.”

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