Operation Red Eagle: 24 arrested as Leeds police swoop on burglary suspects

Police have arrested 24 people over the last two days as part of a pre-Christmas crackdown on burglary in the city.

More than 30 officers swooped on addresses across Leeds during Operation Red Eagle.

They arrested 22 male suspects and two women on suspicion of offences including burglary, robbery, theft, handling stolen goods, drugs and driving offences - and further arrests are expected as enquiries continue.

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A number of those arrested will now be spending the Christmas in prison after being recalled for breaching the conditions of their release.

The operation targeted suspects identified as being among the most active offenders following detailed analysis of the latest information on police intelligence systems.

At the same time, officers from Leeds District Crime Team have been continuing to proactively target known burglary suspects to track their movements and catch them in the act.

A 26-year-old man, from Leeds, who was arrested during the operation, appeared at Leeds Magistrates Court this morning charged with vehicle taking and dangerous driving, as well as drugs and other motoring offences.

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A 29-year-old man, from Leeds, was arrested yesterday on suspicion of burglary, theft of a motor vehicle and driving offences after a stolen car rammed a police car following a pursuit that ended in New Farnley. He was later bailed pending further enquiries.

Three males aged 16,17 and 18, from Bradford, were arrested in Horsforth in the early hours of yesterday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary when gloves and torches were found during a search.

Detective Superintendent Lisa Atkinson, Head of Crime for Leeds District, said: “This operation has been deliberately timed to spoil Christmas for those whose offending behaviour can have such a detrimental impact on the lives of ordinary families during the festive season.

“The trauma of having your home invaded by burglars is bad enough at any time of year but it is felt particularly hard at Christmas when people are buying gifts for others and focusing more on home and family life."

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She said the force traditionally sees an increase in burglaries in the run-up to Christmas and this year had been now different.

"We are continuing to do everything we can to target those offenders that are causing the most harm in our communities," she said.

“We will be continuing to conduct further instalments of this operation over the coming weeks and months, and we hope it will send a very clear message to burglars that they should expect to see us soon if they continue to commit offences."