A SUSPECTED North East thief that was caught with the help of a police helicopter has been charged with a string of motoring offences after he was allegedly tracked by officers riding a stolen motorbike through the centre of Newcastle.

Earlier this week, officers from Northumbria Police received information from a man who reported his motorbike had been stolen from a garage on Waterloo Road.

The emergency crews immediately began investigating and made contact with the company responsible for fitting the vehicle with its tracking device and were soon able witness its every move – watching as it made its way through Newcastle’s West End.

Read more: HGV drivers banned from Great Aycliffe truck stop after problems

After deciding that road officers could be a little out of their depth, a crew from the National Police Air Service (NPAS) was deployed and monitored the bike from above, making regular contact with officers on the ground to help them navigate their way to a premises on Condercum Road - where a man allegedly abandoned the bike and made off.

Within the property, officers arrested a 23-year-old man, who they took into custody, where he was later charged with a string of motoring offences, including theft and driving without due care and attention.

The man appeared at Newcastle magistrates’ Court yesterday (February 8) and will next appear on March 22.

Read more: North East branches of Wilko that are pet-friendly from today

Following the “positive result” for the police force, chief inspector Ian Cutty of Northumbria Police’s Operations Department, praised his officers for their speedy response to the theft.

He said: “This is a great example of how officers are able to use their initiative to tackle reports of crime quickly and swiftly.

“From the initial call being taken, it wasn’t long before an officer was able to link in with the tracking company direct and broadcast the information provided across the airwaves, enabling officers from across the Force to react in real-time.

“With the help of our colleagues from NPAS as well as support from our dog section, and first-rate directions and local knowledge offered by the Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT), a positive outcome was achieved within a matter of hours and shows just what can be achieved when we work together.”

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054