Travelling criminals caught after targeting vulnerable people in South Shields

Officers from Northumbria Police tracked the duo to Newcastle following a spate of offences in the North East and elsewhere in England.

The charges are the latest result to contribute to a fall in the number of crimes committed in South Tyneside.

“We’ve had two really good arrests for burglary and residential offences by my team [in South Shields], resulting in charges and those offenders being taken off the street,” said Inspector Phil Baker, who is responsible for the West Shields and the Riverside areas of South Shields.

“A tremendous result which impacted nationwide, it was two travelling criminals who committed a number of really emotive offences targeting vulnerable people in South Shields.

“The team did a tremendous job and managed to pick these two up in Newcastle.

“They also linked them to offences in the West Mercia area and they ended up being charged with six offences.”

Insp Baker was speaking at this morning’s meeting of South Tyneside Council’s Riverside Community Area Forum (CAF), which was held by videolink and broadcast via YouTube.

He also told the panel that crime in the CAF area, which covers Beacon and Bents, Simonside and Rekendyke, West Park and Westoe, had fallen by 22%, with burglaries down more than a quarter.

But he also raised the prospect of a new rise to come with the onset of darker nights, Bonfire Night and the impending national coronavirus lockdown.

Northumbria Police had braced themselves for a spate of trouble in the run up to Bonfire Night, with November 5 also being the day the second national lockdown comes into force.

With organised displays cancelled and people banned from mixing from midnight into the 5th, officers feared people would “celebrate” the occasion early.

Halloween and Bonfire Night are some of the busiest nights of the year for officers, with 2020 presenting a different set of issues.

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