Officers detain suspect on the A1 after theft of Land Rover in Northumberland

Shortly before 12.15am on Thursday, April 21, Northumbria Police received a report of a car theft from outside an address in the Berwick-upon-Tweed area.

The victim had returned home to find her Land Rover Defender had been stolen.

She called 999 and officers were immediately deployed to the scene, and they began a search for the vehicle in question.

Just over half an hour after the theft being reported, the vehicle was sighted in the Blagdon area of the county.

Officers from Northumbria Police’s operations department searched the area and followed the vehicle, before bringing it to a stop on the A1 near Tyneside.

A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and he was charged later that day.

Inspector Garry Neill, head of Northumbria Police’s Rural Crime Team, has praised the officers involved in the swift arrest and charge.

He said: “This was an outstanding piece of work by all involved, which has resulted in a suspect being charged and a victim being reunited with her vehicle.

“The victim absolutely did the right thing by contacting us as soon as she realised her car had been stolen and that swift reporting allowed us to deploy resources to the area within minutes and ensure our motor patrols teams were on the lookout for the vehicle and suspect.

“Sure enough, within little over an hour of the report, we had somebody in handcuffs and had located the stolen car.”

He added: “Work is ongoing nationally alongside partners and community FarmWatch initiatives to continue the fantastic work tackling rural crime. However, recent reports show a surge in thefts.

“The financial and emotional impact from these types of crimes is very significant for victims and officers across the force area remain committed to tackling this type of rural crime.

“By taking precautions, together with officers rural residents can help prevent crime and bring those responsible to justice.”