A police helicopter was called in to help with the arrest of a suspected burglar who was spotted acting suspiciously on the rooftop of a cycle shop in Darlington. 

Officers attached to Durham Roads and Armed Policing were alerted to reports of a balaclava-clad suspect on the roof of the shop in the early hours of this morning (Tuesday, September 12).

A Durham Police spokesperson said: “In the early hours of this morning (September 12) Durham Roads and Armed Policing were called to reports of a man acting suspiciously on the rooftop of a cycle shop in Darlington.

“After searching the areas which they could access without any sightings of a suspect, officers were not prepared to give up and requested the assistance of the National Police Air Service (NPAS) who were hot off the mark.

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“They quickly spotted the balaclava-clad suspect. In his attempt to hide from the helicopter, the suspect made efforts to camouflage himself in the roofline as the helicopter watched from the sky.

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“Officers then made their way to the roofline and managed to safely detain the man after some negotiations.”

Once back on the ground, the 37-year-old was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary - he remains in custody.

A number of items were also recovered from the roof which will now be forensically examined.