Four arrested after attempted store burglary in Sunderland city centre during lockdown

Burglar hunters in Sunderland have swooped on four suspects after a city centre business was targeted by raiders.
Police in Sunderland city centrePolice in Sunderland city centre
Police in Sunderland city centre

Officers were deployed to Waterloo Place shortly after 11.30pm on Tuesday, April 28, after a group of men were spotted on CCTV attempting to break into a technology store under the cover of darkness.

The offenders made off empty-handed, but eagle-eyed cops found a pair of bolt croppers at the scene and found considerable damage caused to metal bars covering one of the windows.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They then carried out a search of the local area and spotted four men matching the description given by witnesses.

The four men – aged 33, 34, 35 and 50 – were subsequently arrested and brought into custody. They have now each been charged with attempted burglary and are due to appear before the courts in the coming weeks.

Chief Inspector Paul Walters has praised all officers involved and hopes the robust response helps reassure businesses in the city.

“We know this is an uncertain time for many business owners, some of whom will be concerned about the security of their premises while in isolation,” he said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I would like to reassure them that we continue to carry out proactive patrols across the region and we will continue to act quickly and decisively whenever suspicious behaviour is reported to us.

“While nothing was stolen in this particular case, officers were able to get to the scene quickly and locate vital evidence, before carrying out a search of the local area where four suspected thieves were placed under arrest.

“I would like to thank the response cops who followed their instincts to locate the four suspects, as well as the team of detectives who have allowed us to pursue charges against those individuals. They will now appear before the courts.

“We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour at any time, and we will continue to put suspected thieves before the courts.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Northumbria Police is asking those needing to report a crime to use online forms on its website instead of calling 101 if possible to help cope with call volumes. But officers say in an emergency, always dial 999.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

How to subscribe to the print edition

It’s easy to subscribe to your local newspaper. We have arranged a special 20 per cent off subscription offer for people to take advantage of. Visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk, choose the newspaper title, the type of subscription and enter your details.