Six people were arrested on suspicion of the below offences and are all in police custody.

• A 19-year-old man on suspicion of five counts of theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a class A drug.
• A 15-year-old boy on suspicion of three counts of theft of a motor vehicle.
• A 17-year-old boy on suspicion of three counts of theft of a motor vehicle, conspiracy to steal, possession of a class B drug and possession of an offensive weapon.
• A 16-year-old boy on suspicion of two counts of theft of a motor vehicle, conspiracy to steal and possession of a class C drug.
• A 16-year-old boy on suspicion of two counts of theft of a motor vehicle and conspiracy to steal.
• A 16-year-old boy on suspicion of two counts of theft of a motor vehicle and conspiracy to steal.

From March of this year, the neighbourhood policing team set up a dedicated operation in response to a recent increase in motorcycle theft across the city of Manchester.

It is believed the offending group worked together to break locks and steal motorbikes.

During the investigation into one of these offences, a social media account was identified where photographs and videos of stolen motorbikes were being posted.

Enquiries into this device identified a group chat with other people who are believed to be involved in a conspiracy to steal motorbikes and involved in the commission of numerous thefts of motorbikes in the city centre.

A coordinated multi-unit response was implemented involving response teams, the dog unit, firearms officers, road policing patrols, the drone unit and the National Police Air Service.

Inspector Emma Allpress, of our City of Manchester Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We have listened to our community who raised concerns around this type of criminality and our investigation has led to the execution of seven warrants, resulting in seven arrests.

“Our investigation has uncovered a web of criminality where the group have stolen several motorbikes and posted images of them on social media.

“We are committed to doing all we can to tackle this type of criminality. Crime prevention advice can be found on our website – Protect your motorcycle, moped or scooter from theft | Greater Manchester Police

“Results such as these are not possible without the information and intelligence we receive from the public. If you have information about thefts in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

“You can do this by contacting us on 101 or via the ‘Live Chat’ function on our website. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”