A crime-fighting family took on two burglars and helped send them down for two years.

Brothers Omar Williams, 35, and Michael Craig Shah Williams, 36, met their match in the form of Claire Dunwell and her sister-in-law Kristina Ingram who hunted them down with the help of Ms Ingram's sons.

Ms Dunwell spotted the brothers acting suspiciously outside a property near her home in Bridgewood Road, Worcester Park, on August 15 at about 1pm, and called 999.

She teamed up with her sister-in-law to follow the pair – even taking photographs of them and helping to direct police officers as to where they were last seen.

The women followed the burglars towards Sandringham Road and saw one of them turning into Dalmeny Road.

When they got home they found an address in Bridgewood Road had been broken into after its back door was smashed and made sure to call the police to update them on the suspects’ location and the burglary.

Soon a police search was underway including a dog unit and the police helicopter. Ms Ingram’s two sons, aged 12 and 14, went off to look for the two burglars.

The boys found one of men hiding in bushes in Cuddington Recreation Ground and later found the same man lying in the front garden of a house in Bridgewood Road.

The Police Dog Unit arrested Omar Williams in Bridgewood Road and a laptop, hard drive, mobile phones, cameras and jewellery was found tucked behind a paving slab in a garden in the street.

Michael Williams was arrested the following day at his home address where police recovered clothing matching items worn by one of the burglars.

On Monday, November 18, Omar Williams, of Trevelyan Road, Tooting, and Michael Craig Shah Williams, of Linton Close, Mitcham, were sentenced at Croydon Crown Court to two years jail after pleading guilty to burglary.

Detective Sergeant Nicola Peace, of Sutton Police Station, was the officer in charge of the investigation and said they would not have solved the case so quickly without the help of the family and neighbours.

She said: “Claire and Kristina have demonstrated amazing community spirit in watching out for their neighbours and in helping police.

“They not only provided vital information shortly after the burglary, but also willingly gave up their time as the investigation developed to attend an ID parade in Tottenham which required them having to make childcare arrangements for most of a Sunday.

“We are extremely grateful to them in helping police to catch these individuals and to put them before the courts.”