RURAL officers recovered a £40,000 vehicle and arrested a suspect believed to be responsible for several incidents within 24 hours.

An investigation is ongoing following burglaries in rural Northumberland reported earlier this month.

It was reported an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and various tools were stolen from premises in Belford, while on the same night, police were alerted to an attempted burglary after three men were seen climbing into a storage compound in the same area.

An investigation was launched under Operation Hawkeye, Northumbria Police’s initiative tackling acquisitive rural crime, and officers were deployed to carry out enquiries.

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Officers tracked suspects and located the stolen items within 24 hours of the burglary.

A 22-year-old man was subsequently arrested, and is on police bail with enquiries ongoing.

Chief inspector Phil McConville, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was an excellent outcome after some brilliant work by a number of officers – and I hope this swift outcome offers reassurance to those living in our most remote areas of the Force.

“Significant work is ongoing in our rural communities as we look to build on recent successes, with the team having recovered more than £1 million of stolen equipment or machinery since being set up in 2020. 

“We are delighted to have been able to reunite the victim with the ATV so quickly, and will continue to use every tactic at our disposal in order to tackle rural crime and put offenders before the courts.”

Report suspicious behaviour to police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ website page or call 101.