POLICE have had a major breakthrough in the latest crime spree across Tamworth, arresting three teenage boys.
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Police allege the teen is the third in a "core group of teenagers" behind the rise in break-ins and thefts across Tamworth in the past month.
He was arrested in Robert Street on Wednesday by Tamworth police, out in force as part of Operation Rapidus.
Now, the manhunt continues for a fourth teenager who police claim is being deliberately hidden by family and friends.
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"There is a juvenile outstanding, and we know who he is, he knows he is wanted by police and he is being harboured by certain members in West Tamworth," Oxley Detective Acting Inspector Jason Darcy told the Leader.
"We have had police out as part of Operation Southbreak, they have knocked on the doors of homes looking for him in Tamworth and Gunnedah, at all hours of the night, and that search will continue until we find him.
"We make no apologies for that because the protection of the community is paramount, and we need to apprehend him."
Some of the break-ins have been reported in streets like Bandalong and Petra Avenue, and several others in all parts of the city.
"No one has been injured in these break and enters, but we have residents who have woken to find intruders in their house which is not only frightening, but dangerous; and we have been throwing every resource at the hunt to apprehend this core group behind the offences," Detective Darcy said.
"We have had extra police out on the streets, at all hours; we have the dog unit, police on bikes, officers in marked and unmarked cars - we are determined to arrest these offenders and put them before the court, to keep our streets safe."
The juvenile, police say is wanted, cannot be identified because of his age.
"These offences are brazen; we know who they are, we have the evidence to put before the court but we need assistance from the West Tamworth community to track this teenager down," Detective Darcy said.
The latest arrest is set to front court in Tamworth on Thursday facing several property offences. It follows on from the arrest of a teenage boy tracked to Armidale this week, along with a 16-year-old in Tamworth, arrested at 4am last Friday.
On Wednesday, Operation Rapidus involved the Target Action Group (TAG), the crime management unit, detectives, Region Enforcement Squad (RES), highway patrol and general duties police, who were working in the Coledale and West Tamworth area.
The high-visibility operation is the Oxley force's proactive policing blitz, involving all police units working in one suburb at a time, on any given day.
Breanna Chillingworth
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
