Six boys arrested after Durham officer injured in Sunderland crash

Officers were called to the Burdon area of Sunderland just before 6.45am on Wednesday (August 12) after reports of a suspected burglary. 

A vehicle had reportedly been taken from a property and driven in the surrounding area before heading into the Durham force area.

When Durham Police officers were trying to locate the vehicle, it was spotted in the Cooperative Terrace area of Sunderland just after 8.30am. 

While an officer approached on foot and attempted to secure the suspected stolen vehicle, it was driven away and collided with an unconnected parked vehicle.

An officer was injured in the process and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Northumbria Police has confirmed that six boys, aged between 13 and 17, have been arrested in connection with the incident and are currently in police custody.

Enquiries are ongoing to locate anyone else believed to have been involved.

The road is currently closed to traffic, and officers are expected to remain on scene for a number of hours.

Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Fenney, of Northumbria Police, said: “Firstly, we’d like to extend our thoughts to the officer from our neighbouring police force who has been injured in this incident.

“Police officers attend work with the sole intention to help people – not to be hurt in the line of duty.

“We wish this officer a speedy recovery and we’d like to thank him and his colleagues for their assistance with the response to the initial report.

“Our investigation remains at an early stage, however we already have got six suspects in custody.

“We’re aware this incident will have caused concern and disruption in the local community.

“As this is a live investigation, we ask the public not to speculate on the circumstances or comment on social media.

“Officers will remain in the area, and we would ask anyone with further concerns, or information to report, including CCTV, dashcam, or mobile phone footage, to get in touch with us.”

Assistant Chief Constable Richie Allen, from Durham Constabulary, said: “Our thoughts are with the officer who sustained injuries during the incident. Thankfully, he has since been discharged from hospital and we wish him a speedy recovery.

“We are working closely with our neighbours at Northumbria Police as they investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. 

“We would encourage anyone with any information that could assist their enquiries to get in touch with them as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information which could help should send Northumbria Police a direct message on social media, or use the live chat and report forms on the force’s website, or call 101 quoting reference number: 26000422478.