Northumbria Police have arrested a 22-year-old man on suspicion of burglary after a spate of burglaries in rural Northumberland.
It was reported that an ATV and various tools were stolen from a premises in Belford and, on the same night, police were also alerted to an attempted burglary after three men were seen climbing into a storage compound in the same area.
The man is currently on bail with enquiries ongoing.
An investigation was launched under Northumbria Police’s rural crime initiative, Operation Hawkeye, and officers tracked the suspects and located the stolen items, the team said yesterday (Monday, February 13).
Northumbria Police’s chief inspector, Phil McConville, said it was an excellent outcome after hard work from the force’s officers.
“I hope this swift outcome offers reassurance to those living in our most remote areas of the force,” he said.
“We are committed to tackling all forms of rural crime, and have a dedicated policing team who are tasked with detecting and preventing incidents, and ensuring anybody responsible is brought to justice.
“Significant work is ongoing in our rural communities as we look to build on recent successes, with the team having recovered more than £1 million of stolen equipment or machinery since being set up in 2020.
“Their work is, as ever, superbly assisted by our partners and Rural Crime Volunteers and a number of operations are lined up throughout 2023 to maintain this momentum.”
McConville said it was rewarding to reunite the ATV with its rightful owners and said the force will continue to use “every tactic at our disposal” to tackle rural crime and put offenders before the courts.
