Two men appear at court following multiple ram raids and burglaries in Middlesbrough.

Two men (34 and 38) were arrested and suspected stolen goods were recovered on Friday (23^rd May) as Middlesbrough CID continue their enquiries into high levels of acquisitive crime in the town. 

For weeks Cleveland Police has received reports of vans being broken into every single night in Middlesbrough.

And over the past two months town centre areas have seen numerous house and commercial burglaries and thefts of vehicles with tools and plant equipment potentially worth tens of thousands of pounds reported stolen as well as vehicles believed to be being stolen to order to be cloned and used in ram raids

Detectives drew up a targeted operation - called Operation Shadow - to develop intelligence and co-ordinate enquiries, whilst looking into ram raids across Middlesbrough and into the wider Cleveland Police force area and North Yorkshire.

Their enquiries also include a report of a burglary at a school where 30 laptops (valued at £20, 000) were taken, an alleged theft of £10, 000 worth of pharmaceuticals from a van, and burglaries at Co-Op and Asda stores where large quantities of cigarettes were stolen.

With the help of specialist teams from across Cleveland Police, as well as support from external partner agencies, enquiries have been ongoing and on Friday detectives deployed into the Grove Hill area of Middlesbrough. 

They were supported by NPT and Community Action Team colleagues as well as police drone operators and specialist search and entry teams.

The two men were arrested and the suspected stolen tools recovered.  The men interviewed and subsequently charged with four counts of burglary.

They appeared at court and were further remanded until their next appearance.  Enquiries are on-going.