Police are urging members of the public to call police when 

they see suspicious activity after a number of vehicles were stolen in 2-in-1 burglaries overnight, Wednesday 16th August into Thursday 17th August.

Reports were received of two incidents in the Middlesbrough

area, the first reported on Hall Drive in Acklam around 4:35am this morning whereby a Volkswagen Golf was stolen and the second on Fox Howe in Coulby Newham reported around 5:45am whereby a Mercedes-Benz CLA and a Nissan Juke

were stolen.

A 2-in-1 burglary is when someone gains access to a property and steals the car keys and subsequently a vehicle.

There have been other incidents reported across the Force area and officers are working to identify those responsible.

Yesterday, Wednesday 16th August, two men aged 34 and 46 were arrested on suspicion of burglary after a stop

of a suspected stolen vehicle in the Hartlepool area.

Officers would continue to advise people to keep doors and windows locked even when at home, use key safes or use anti-theft key pouches to help prevent keyless thefts. Please also store keys away from mail boxes, as some criminals use hooks to try to reach keys via letter boxes to steal vehicles.

Anyone who witnesses suspicious activity is asked to contact police straight away, by calling 101.

Anyone with information or CCTV footage regarding the incidents in Coulby Newham and Acklam overnight are