Three suspected thieves have been admitted into custody following a police-deployed stinger as part of a cross-border rural crime operation, Northumbria Police has said today (Monday, November 28).
The suspected thieves were caught during the latest ‘Operation Checkpoint’ crackdown, which was staged last week.
On Thursday (November 24), Northumbria Police were joined by Cumbria Constabulary, Durham Constabulary and Cleveland Police for the operation, as well as Forestry England.
Northumbria’s police force was also joined by rural crime volunteers, a team of more than 50 rural residents who feed directly into on-patrol officers about anything that roused suspicion in their areas.
In total, more than 75 suspicious vehicles were proactively stopped by police during the operation – including a VW Golf that was spotted travelling in the East Denton area of Newcastle.
Officers tracked the car after they suspected it was associated with rural crime and said that the occupants seemed unwilling to pull over.
“As a result, a stinger device was deployed to burst the vehicle’s tyres, with three occupants subsequently fleeing on foot,” Northumbria Police said.
“A short time later, three men were all detained inside a property and arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle.”
Sgt. Calum Meikle, of Northumbria Police’s rural policing team, said: “We know that Operation Checkpoint regularly delivers results and last week was absolutely no different.
“It is a fantastic initiative that sees forces across the North of England and Scotland work together as one, along with many local partners and our brilliant rural crime volunteers.
“It was a real team effort, as ever, and operations like this should send a strong message to anybody who thinks about coming to Northumbria to try and target those living in our rural communities.
“We have eyes and ears across these communities and will spot anything that doesn’t look right. You will be caught – and you will be brought to justice.”
Sussex tractor theft
In other rural crime news, Sussex Police’s Rural Crime Team has arrested a man in connection with the theft of a tractor, trailer and bailer.
The team announced the arrest today (Monday, November 28) on Twitter, and said it estimates the stolen goods to be worth over £100,000.
The machinery was reported stolen from the Hailsham area in east Sussex in September of this year.
“He has been baled whilst we continue our investigation,” the force said.
