Suspected thieves arrested in Washington after neighbour raises alarm

A senior officer at Northumbria Poliec has praised the person who reported seeing the now-arrested men acting suspiciously in the Borrowdale area of Washington on Tuesday, January 28.

They were reported to be trying car doors on the street – but were confronted by a neighbour who had been watching their movements.

The occupant called Northumbria Police when the two suspects - both dressed in dark clothes – walked down the road shortly before 11pm and attempted to break into another parked vehicle.

Officers were deployed to the area and located two men, aged 18 and 30, matching the resident’s descriptions.

They were both arrested on suspicion of vehicle interference and taken into police custody.

Inspector Nick Gjorven hailed the incident as an example of how the public and police can work together effectively.

“This was a case of a resident spotting something that did not seem right and taking quick and appropriate action,” Insp Gjorven said.

“It would have been easy for them to ignore what they had seen, but by contacting police and passing on detailed information of what they had seen and the movements of the two suspects, it allowed officers to quickly arrive at the scene and detain the individuals.”

He added: “The resident deserves great credit for acting swiftly and decisively and I would always encourage anybody who sees anything suspicious in their area to pick up the phone and give us a call.”