Suspected burglar arrested after spate of city centre break-ins
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of burglary as part of an investigation into several commercial burglaries in Sunderland city centre.
Police have revealed that since Thursday, October 21, they have received seven separate reports of commercial burglaries which have been businesses targeted by thieves.
Officers say they are keeping an open mind as to whether the offences are linked.
They also confirmed on Tuesday, that a 50-year-old suspect was arrested overnight on suspicion of burglary.
Northumbria Police said he remains in police custody and will be interviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.
Detective Sergeant Chris Raper-Smith,whospearheads the Southern Burglary Team, said: “We have seen a spike in commercial burglaries in the city centre over the last few days and I would like to reassure all business owners that we are committed to taking robust action against anyone involved.
“A full investigation is well underwayandwehavealready identified and detained one suspect in connection with our enquiries.
“This type of criminality simply will not be tolerated.
"As ever, we are working closely with our neighbourhood teams to deploy dedicated patrols in hotspot areas – and we have a number of lines of enquiry to follow as we
look to bring effective justice against perpetrators.”
The arrest comes just 24
hours after Geek Retreat, on JohnStreet,wasforcedtotemporarily close due to thieves
breaking in, causing damage before making off with money and items of stock.
Det Sgt Raper-Smith added: “While we have seen a recentincrease,wehaveactually seen a drop in reports of commercial burglaries over the course of 2021 so far.
"Between March and June, we saw a 7% reduction specifically in the city centre.
“However,thisrecentspike shows that we can not be complacent.
"We are doing everything we can to put a stop to this trend, and I hope the recent proactive activity offers reassurance to business owners and residents.
“Please continue to report any incidents to us, so we can look for trends and ensure the net tightens around those responsible. By working together, we can continue to ensure the city remains a safe place to live and work.”