Officers reuniting owners with suspected stolen property in Monkseaton area

Two suspected thieves are now in custody, after a rapid response by officers.

In the early hours of Monday morning (March 27), police were contacted by a concerned member of the public who reported seeing two men attempting to gain access to vehicles on Grosvenor Drive in Monkseaton.

Within 11 minutes, officers arrived at the scene and had two men, aged 31 and 37 in handcuffs. Both were arrested on suspicion of vehicle interference. The pair remain in police custody at this time.

Police are now making enquiries to reunite owners with suspected stolen property, which was recovered upon arrest.

Chief Inspector Phillip Mcconville, of Northumbria Police, said: “These were fantastic arrests from our teams who were swiftly in the area and located two suspects nearby.

“I hope this offers some reassurance to those living in the community that we will not tolerate this type of criminality.

“Quite often thieves try the doors of every car on a street, including those parked on driveways, in the hope that they find one unlocked.

“As ever, we’d encourage the public to not only take valuables inside with them and keep keys away from the front door, but take extra time to check if windows and doors are locked as thieves will still try doors even if no valuables are on show.

“We’d always ask anybody who is a victim of crime to report it to us, as we believe some incidents may be going unreported. Even if nothing has been taken but you know someone has searched your car or taken spare change, it still helps us paint a wider intelligence picture and can help us proactively target suspects.”

Anyone who sees anything suspicious in their area is asked to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website. In an emergency always dial 999.

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