Police say six arrests made are part of an organised criminal gang

Six people have today (Wednesday, May 8th) been arrested as part of a Lancashire Constabulary investigation into an organised criminal gang. The gang is believed to be responsible for thefts and burglaries committed over the last year totalling more than £1million. The offences, committed across north Lancashire and northern England, include high value commercial plant theft, stealing ATMs and cash in transit thefts, as well as burglaries at domestic properties. Today Lancashire Police, with the assistance of Durham Constabulary and Cumbria Constabulary, arrested five men from the Bishop Auckland area of Durham on suspicion of Conspiracy to Commit Theft. Police have also arrested a woman from Morecambe on suspicion of Conspiracy to Commit Theft. She also remains in custody. Police are also currently searching a number of premises in the Durham and Morecambe areas in connection with the investigation. Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Smith, of Lancashire Constabulary, said: “Firstly we’d like to thank our colleagues in Durham and Cumbria constabularies for their assistance in the coordinating and planning of today’s activity. “Today’s arrests are the latest stage of a long running investigation into an organised criminal gang which we believe is responsible for a large number of thefts which have been committed across the north of England in the last year. “The activities of organised gangs can have a dramatic effect on our communities, causing fear in our neighbourhoods and causing businesses to suffer. We will not stand for this in Lancashire and we hope today’s activity shows our commitment to tackling this type of crime. “We’d also like to remind members of the public that we rely on their information to make us aware of this type of criminal activity, so that we can investigate and continue to disrupt organised gangs. I would encourage anyone who feels that they have information to get in touch.” Anybody with information about organised criminal activity in their area can contact us on 101 or independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org.