Three suspected burglars arrested following police dog chase through Northumberland woodland

PD Raven has been praised for her work helping arrest three suspected burglars

At about 10.20pm on Sunday, May 17, police received a report of intruders inside Oakland Hall in Wylam.

It was reported that men had smashed a window to gain access to the building, which was derelict and unoccupied.

PC Rob Burn attended the area but was unable to get to the scene in his car - so he and his police dog Raven decided to make their way to the location on foot.

As they approached the property, three suspects fled from the scene and it was down to a good old-fashioned police chase.

PC Burn and Raven tracked the three males for 1.5km while being guided to their location by the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter.

They were led to thick woodland but the helicopter was unable to locate the suspects – but three-year-old Belgian Malinois Raven wasn’t ready to give up the chase.

PC Burn notified the males of their presence and Raven made her voice heard before the suspects surrendered themselves to police.

The three suspects, aged 18, 17 and 17, were arrested and now Raven’s handler PC Rob Burn has praised the team work between officers.

“This was a very rural location and so it can be difficult for us to locate suspects once they have fled the scene,” said PC Burn.

“It was late at night and we were tracking on foot so it was really only down to the support of NPAS that we were able to make our way to the woods.

“That is when Raven came in handy and when she started to bark I don’t think the three males fancied taking any chances with her.”

The three males were arrested on suspicion of burglary and have since been released under investigation.

Anyone who notices anyone acting suspiciously is asked to contact police on 101 or report it online at the Northumbria Police website.

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