THREE suspected carjackers were arrested by police within an hour of a robbery.

Shortly before 1.45am today, officers received a report of a robbery in the Shields Place area of Houghton-le-Spring.

It was reported that the victim was sat in his black Volkswagen when he was approached by a group of males who asked him for a cigarette.

One of the men then snatched the vehicle keys and assaulted the male, dragging him out of the car before the offenders then drove off.

An investigation was launched with a team of officers tasked with tracking the car and identifying those involved.

The vehicle was soon found abandoned and a member of the public reported seeing a number of males running in the area of Newbottle Street.

Within a matter of minutes, aided by the National Police Air Service helicopter, officers had detained three men on suspicion of robbery.

The men – aged 30, 25 and 20 – were yesterday in police custody, being interviewed by officers.

Detective Chief Inspector Sean Mcguigan, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was an excellent outcome following what must have been a very frightening incident for the victim.

“There is absolutely no place for offending such as this and we remain committed to ensuring whoever is found to be responsible is dealt with swiftly and robustly.

“I’d like to thank the victim for calling us so quickly, as well as the teams of officers who were on hand to track the car and search for the suspects who had later made off on foot.

“This type of outcome is only possible through excellent teamwork, which includes the fantastic NPAS who provided invaluable support by guiding our officers from above.

“Anybody who commits any kind of violent crime can expect to be pursued by police – and we will use every tactic at our disposal to ultimately bring them to justice.”