A 16-year-old boy is among 16 people who police have spoken to or arrested in regards to stolen bikes in Worcester this year. 

West Mercia Police's city and cathedral neighbourhood teams have been carrying out plain-clothed patrols to clamp down on bike thefts and caught the boy "two weeks ago".

The boy was street bailed but admitted to stealing five different bikes in the city and he has now been referred to the Youth Offending Team. 

Tanya Beckett, safer neighbourhood inspector for Worcester city centre, said: “Working with our city centre partners, we are continuing this focused operation to target bike thieves operating in the area.

“While we are pleased with the results so far, we will not stop there as we continue to try and make stolen bikes ‘too hot to handle’ going forward.

“The public, as ever, can help us both with our surveillance of the city centre by reporting anything suspicious to us and being vigilant, and by working with us to protect their bikes when parked."

Since the start of the year, 16 people have been spoken to or arrested and most have been charged with theft.

Police have reiterated their warning that they will continue to crackdown on bike thieves, supported by their partners at Worcester BID, the Safer City Network, Worcester Community Safety Team, and the CrownGate Shopping Centre.

PCSO inspector Beckett said: "Make sure you use a good quality lock or two locks, and, where possible, always leave it one of the city’s bike racks, preferably in an area that’s in good public view and covered by our network of CCTV cameras.

“We are also aware of the new ‘Beryl’ bike and e-bike scheme now operating in the city centre which is a partnership between Beryl and the city council.

"We would like to remind all cyclists to remember the Highway Code around their use, and in particular not to use them in the pedestrianised areas of the centre.”