Alnwick Good Samaritan praised for vital work in detaining suspected thief

A suspected thief was caught on Monday night thanks to the help of a Good Samaritan in Alnwick.
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A Good Samaritan in Alnwick has been praised by police for helping detain a suspected thief following a robbery in Northumberland.

Shortly before 9:30 pm on Monday officers received a report of a robbery at the Nisa Local store on Bondgate, Alnwick.

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It was reported that an offender threatened staff and stole a quantity of money from the till before making off. Nobody was seriously injured but the shop staff were left shaken by the incident.

Police were immediately deployed to scour the area and locate the suspect – with response officers and the Force’s Dog Section on the scene within a matter of minutes.

And it wasn’t long before a member of the public approached officers and said he believed he had seen a suspicious man entering a nearby property just moments after the robbery.

Officers accessed the upstairs flat and arrested a 26-year-old man who matched the witness’ description – with the suspected stolen cash found scattered all over the bedroom floor.

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Detective Inspector Sally-Ann Pallace, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was an excellent outcome as we arrested a suspect and retrieved the suspected stolen cash all within an hour of the offence itself from taking place.

“Our immediate priority when this was reported to us was securing the scene and making sure we seized vital early evidence in order to tighten the net around those involved. After carrying out enquiries at the scene and in the local vicinity, officers were approached by a member of the public who stated he believed somebody suspicious had entered a nearby address – and that information proved crucial.

The incident happened in Alnwick on Monday evening (Image: Google Streetview)The incident happened in Alnwick on Monday evening (Image: Google Streetview)
The incident happened in Alnwick on Monday evening (Image: Google Streetview)

“This is another excellent example of how the public are our eyes and ears, and off the back of your information, we were able to successfully detain a suspect and retrieve the stolen money.

“I would like to thank everyone involved and hope this offers reassurance to the community. Criminality will not be tolerated and anybody found to be responsible can expect to be dealt with swiftly and robustly.”

The arrested man remains in police custody at this time.