A ONE-MAN crime wave racked up 145 offences in two years, re-offending figures have revealed.
The string of crimes makes the 20-year-old male from Durham the region’s most prolific offender.
He was closely followed by a 38-year-old female and a 45-year-old male who committed 130 crimes each between January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2012, say Durham Constabulary.
In total, the top nine offenders together were responsible for 702 crimes across the force area.
Freedom of Information requests to North East police forces revealed just 19 criminals were behind more than a thousand crimes in the region over the last two years.
The top offender in the Northumbria Police area – where figures were available only for the last year – committed 69 offences in a year, an average of five a month.
The force’s 10 most prolific offenders committed a total of 380 crimes last year, more than one a day.
Durham Constabulary said they were unable to provide details of the crimes the offenders committed as it would take “too long” for staff to find out.
Northumbria Police, whilst refusing under data protection to give details of the offenders age or sex, did disclose their offences.
The most prolific offender in the force’s area committed 69 offences during the year consisting of criminal damage and shoplifting.
Figures show that some of the offenders focused on certain types of criminal activity, with one carrying out 39 burglaries or attempted burglaries.
But the law-breaking of others was more varied.
One person wracked up 35 offences including criminal damage, breach of a non-molestation order, theft from motor vehicle, handling stolen goods, possessing an article of police uniform, breach of a civil injunction, attempted shoplifting, drug offences, breach of bail conditions, fraud by false representation, handling stolen goods, burglary and breach of an anti-social behaviour order.
Police chiefs said programmes were in place to tackle persistent offenders.
A spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary said: “We know that a relatively small number of individuals are repeat offenders and are responsible for the majority of crimes committed across the force area.
“The issues surrounding offending are complex.
“However, when a multi-agency approach is used to engage with prolific offenders, the success rate is extremely good for those offenders who are ready to address their offending behaviour.”
Chief Superintendent Gordon Milward of Northumbria Police said: “All of these people have been through the courts.
“And most have already been sentenced based upon all of the circumstances about the offence and any previous history known at that time.
“The vast majority have committed crimes such as shoplifting or criminal damage. Some have committed more than one offence in the same incident and have been immediately arrested.
“For instance, one of those listed committed all of their offending over the course of one night before being arrested there and then, and convicted.”
