Warning to families in Northumberland town as 'opportunistic thieves' strike

Northumbria Police issued an appeal to the public in Ashington, after a spate of incidents in the town which the force says began on Thursday, June 11.

Police say the crimes have included thefts of fuel, power tools, wallets, cash and winning scratch cards, with reports of further cars being broken into or valuables being stolen when doors and windows have been left open.

Officers are urging families living in the town to stay vigilant and ensure they are taking extra steps to stop ‘opportunistic thieves’ in their tracks.

Vehicle owners are being reminded to lock their vehicles and shut all windows and doors to keep criminals out.

Neighbourhood Inspector Phil Patterson has also called on motorists to take their valuables into their homes and ensure nothing of value is on show.

In a statement, he said: “We see this a lot, thieves trying the doors of every car on a street, including those parked on driveways, in the hope that they find one unlocked.

“We need the public to not only take valuables inside with them and keep keys away from the front door, but also take extra time to check windows and doors are locked, as thieves will still try doors even if no valuables are on show.

“We are also asking all victims to report incidents to police as we believe some incidents may be going unreported.

“Even if nothing has been taken but you know someone has searched your car or taken spare change, it still helps us paint a wider intelligence picture and can help us proactively target suspects.

“We will continue to take action against anybody we suspect involved in this type of criminality and a visible policing presence will continue to patrol in targeted areas to offer reassurance to the public.

“Our message is simple – we will not tolerate it, and we are taking action – so thieves be warned.”

You can contact the force on 101 if you see anything suspicious, or use the Report an Incident section of the Northumbria Police website.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world.

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you.