A top cop has praised a police dog after helping to hunt down a burglary suspect who allegedly threatened his victim with a knife.
At about 8.20 am on Saturday police received a 999 call from a member of the public who was reporting that an intruder had forced his way into an address on Ashfield Park in Whickham after being spotted on a CCTV camera.
The suspect was challenged by the occupants who chased him out of the address before the burglar pulled out a knife and threatened them.
Response team officers, firearms teams and the Dog Section were deployed to the area to try and track down the suspected thief.
Police dog ‘Boo’ was deployed to try and pick up a scent and within minutes had located stolen property, a purse and a handbag nearby in Swalwell.
The officers who had flooded the area then had multiple sightings of a man matching the description of the armed intruder.
The suspect jumped over fences and ran through gardens in a bid to avoid police and try to make good his escape.
But the foot-race came to an end when the suspect jumped over one fence near to the Lidl in Swalwell – and came face to face with PD ‘Boo’.
The suspect initially refused to surrender himself to police before a combined effort of a response officer, and the snarling police dog placed him under arrest.
The 26-year-old man has since been charged with the burglary and a string of other outstanding offences of a similar nature.
Chief Inspector Sam Rennison, of Northumbria Police’s Operations Department, has praised the teamwork of the officers involved in the response.
“This was a fantastic piece of teamwork that all started with the victim of this home invasion providing us with a detailed description,” she said.
“That allowed us to swarm the area and within minutes the net began to close in on a suspect who it later emerged was already wanted for outstanding offences.
“Every officer involved played their part, and ultimately this man was left with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
“I want to pay a special mention to PD Boo who not only sniffed out the stolen property but also played a part in bringing this suspect into custody.
“I hope this quick and effective response reassures our communities that we will do everything we can to put suspected burglars before the courts.”
The 26-year-old suspect has been charged with burglary, attempted theft from a motor vehicle and a public order offence.
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