TWO men have been charged after police targeted bicycle thefts in Swindon.

Jamie Loveridge, 25, of Stenbury Close, was charged with theft of a pedal cycle from Swindon Town Centre. He has been bailed to appear at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, September 1.

Leandro Pinto, 18, of no fixed abode, was charged with theft of a pedal cycle, again from Swindon Town Centre. He has been bailed to appear at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, September 15.

This comes after officers from the Swindon Central South Neighbourhood Police Team recovered  number of stolen machines.

Sgt Richard Fay, of the Swindon Central South Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “These arrests are just the start of our response to the increase in theft of bicycles currently being experienced across the town.

“As well as dedicated operations to target cycle theft, we have a number of crime prevention events taking place in the near future focusing on cycle security, during which we will be providing advice on how to keep your bike safe and also offering a bike marking service.

“These events are taking place at Swindon Train Station, Swindon town centre and Swindon North Orbital on Thursday, August 26 as well as a further cycle crime prevention event taking place at the Buckhurst playing field in Walcot on Saturday 28 August

“Please come along to these events and learn how to minimise the risk of your bike being stolen and discuss any concerns you have with our officers.

“We hope that by working with the community, we can tackle this issue together.”

To find out more about upcoming cycle crime prevention events, visit the Swindon Police Facebook page.