Two stolen vehicles have been recovered after neighbourhood officers received a tip-off from the community in Gateshead.

Just after 7pm on Friday (September 13), officers received a report of suspicious activity at an address in the Deckham area.

Officers attended and discovered a stolen motorbike and a stolen scooter which were linked to various reports of antisocial behaviour in the area.

Police seized the vehicles – one of which has since been returned to its owner – and enquiries are ongoing to better understand the circumstances surrounding the thefts.

The recent activity forms part of Northumbria Police’s Operation Capio – a force-wide crackdown that aims to disrupt anti-social motorcycle use across the region.

The dedicated operation builds upon ongoing work carried out by police and partners to tackle pockets of disorder and act on the concerns of residents.

Praising the efforts of the team, Sergeant Andrew Hyde, of Northumbria Police’s Neighbourhood Policing team in Gateshead, said: “This is an excellent example of police and the community working together to help put a stop to nuisance riders.

“As well as causing significant unrest, anti-social motorcycle use puts a lot of people’s safety at risk and can result in residents being scared to leave their homes.

“That’s why we’re acting on any information shared with us to disrupt this type of activity for the benefit of the local community.

“We’d encourage anyone who has information about motorcycle-related crime in their area to get in touch and report it.

“Your information could prove key to our ongoing operation as we all strive to ensure our communities remain a safe and hassle-free environment for all.”

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth, added: “My office secured funding specifically to target these reckless riders because we know communities have had enough and through Operation Capio, Northumbria Police is dedicated to taking action.

“I know it’s a real concern for some people and I hope results like this highlight we’re responding with tough, robust policing to catch those responsible and keep people safe.

“Anti-social motorbike use is not just a nuisance, it’s dangerous and we are taking it very seriously.”

Anyone with information can get in touch with Northumbria Police by sending a direct message on social media, using the live chat function on the Force website or submitting a crime report HERE.

For those unable to contact the Force via these ways, please call 101.

In an emergency, or if a crime is taking place, always ring 999.

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A note from the editor:

Please consider making a voluntary financial contribution to support the work of Aaron & his team here at Kearney FM and allow it to continue producing independent, news stories that focus on everything to do with the North East

Please do not contribute if you cannot afford to do so, and please note that Kearney FM is not a charity. It is run and owned by disabled journalist Aaron Kearney and has been from its launch. For transparency KFM get its money from adverts, subscriptions and donations.

Everything we do here at Kearney FM is in the name of the late Catherine Kearney