Pennywell, Pallion and Silksworth: three Sunderland areas named among North East's worst for vehicle crime

Three Sunderland central policing districts are in the top six worst offending areas for vehicle crime in the North East, according to Home Office figures.
By faye.dixon
Published 29th Jun 2019, 06:00 GMT
Updated 29th Jun 2019, 07:00 GMT
The worst places in the North East for car thefts have been revealedThe worst places in the North East for car thefts have been revealed
The worst places in the North East for car thefts have been revealed

Sunderland West including Pennywell, Pallion and Silksworth recorded 463 offences throughout 2018 ranking it second to Byker and Walker in Newcastle.

Sunderland central including Ashbrooke and Millfield came fourth at 421 recorded crimes. It suffered a spike of 65 offences in October – the second highest monthly figure of any Northumbria Police area. Sunderland North is in sixth place at 371.

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The best place to own a car on Wearside was Sunderland East which recorded 144 offences.

Inspector Marie Pollock, of Northumbria Police, said: "We would like to reassure the public that we take these types of incidents very seriously and actively investigate all reports made to us.

"Many reports involving this type of criminality involve opportunistic thieves going street to street trying car doors searching for a quick win. If the door is locked, they will move on to the next vehicle.

“We would therefore ask members of the public to take an extra moment to ensure their doors are locked, and that any items are not left on display.

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"Over the last few months, we have arrested a number of people suspected of carrying out car crime offences in the area and we will continue to investigate crimes and target offenders."

Motorists in the rural Alnwick district of Northumberland, which includes Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Rothbury, Amble and Otterburn, fared best of all.

The top 10 areas worst car crime in the North East from January to December 2018 were: 1 - Byker and Walker: 479, 2 - Sunderland West: 463, 3 - Jesmond and Heaton: 442, 4 - Sunderland Central: 421, 5 - South Gateshead: 411, 6 - Sunderland North: 371, 7 - Houghton: 329, 8 - West Shields and Riverside: 325, 9 - Benwell and Elswick: 307, 10 - Central Gateshead: 295.

Ranjen Gohri, director of 24|7 Vehicle Rescue said: “Owners should be able to leave their vehicles at home, car parks or in streets without risk of being broken in to, damaged or stolen, but that is not always the case.”