Number of bike thefts in Dublin declining

The number of bikes being stolen in Dublin has dropped for the first time in years, with around 400 fewer bicycles taken so far this year.

That represents a 7% drop, compared to the same time last year.

It is a reversal of the trend of recent years, in which there has been huge growth in the number of bikes being stolen - up 167% between 2008 and 2014.

Gardaí say 100 people have been arrested for stealing bikes over the past four months in Dublin.

Inspector Liam Geraghty said that some of those detained were as young as 14.

"Over 100 people have been arrested in the city for bike theft over the last three to four months - which is a significant number of people - some of them for multiple offences," he said.

"That ranges from people as young as 14 years of age up to 47 years of age; so it's a wide range of people that we're dealing with."