BRITISH Transport Police (BTP) is calling on members of the public to help track down suspected cycle thieves in the region.

Bicycles are a popular target for thieves, with railway stations often in their sights.

BTP officers regularly patrol and target hotspot locations, with 67 people have been arrested in the last 12 months.

Officers also regularly conduct cycle crime awareness surgeries at stations to provide crime prevention advice and cycle tagging to passengers and the excellent and extensive CCTV systems at stations and across the rail network regularly catches thieves in the act.

As part of the latest crackdown on the crime, officers are releasing a gallery featuring more than 25 images of people caught on CCTV who they want to speak to in connection with a number of thefts from stations across the UK.

People suspected of involvement in thefts from Darlington, Middlesbrough and Newcastle stations are included in the gallery.

Chief Inspector Derek O’Mara said: “Officers investigating each of these cases have followed multiple lines of enquiry and circulated these images on police intelligence systems to try and get names for these people, but to no avail so far.

“We’re now asking for help from members of the public to identify them. If you know any of these people and can tell us who they are, we want to hear from you.

“Our intelligence shows that cycle thieves will travel to commit a crime, so please look at these photos carefully, although the theft may not have taken place at your local station, you may know the person who has committed it .”

Anyone who recognises anyone pictured in the CCTV images is asked to call British Transport Police on 0800-405-040.