A HIT list of serial bike thieves are being targeted in a new police operation using undercover officers to try and catch the culprits red-handed.
Officers will be issued with photographs of repeat offenders operating in the Capital in a bid to identify them as they prowl the streets.
Professional gangs are among those cashing in on the city's cycling boom, but police have mugshots of many o
f the criminals who have been caught before.
Plain-clothed officers will carry out patrols on foot and in unmarked cars during Operation Adapt over the coming weeks.
Police analysts have identified "hotspots" where thieves have been active in recent years, which will be covered by officers in pairs.
The crackdown is focussed on the south of Edinburgh with its high student populations in areas like Marchmont and Bruntsfield, as well as accommodation at Pollock Halls.
Figures published earlier this year showed that thieves steal five bikes a day from cyclists in the city, with the number of thefts climbing to a four-year high.
Top-of-the-range models, costing up to £5000, are particularly attractive to criminals eager to turn a quick profit by selling them on.
During Operation Adapt, the plainclothes officers will also stop "suspicious" cyclists and ask for proof of ownership.
Pc Tom Hopper, who is based at St Leonards police station, said: "In this operation, we'll be on patrols rather than staking out any specific locations. We know from our analysis which areas have been hit before.
"We know who the offenders are who have been caught in the past. That informs who we will be looking out for in these areas.
"But this operation is also about promoting safety. Unfortunately, many people still use poor quality locks to chain up their bikes."
Officers have noticed a new pattern of thieves leaving stolen bikes, or bike parts, in a specific location to be picked up again later by themselves or their associates.
Organised gangs have been blamed for an increase in thefts from streets, common stairways and sheds. They often steal bikes in the city before selling them in places like Glasgow. A total of 1748 bikes were stolen in the Capital between April last year and March, compared with 1688 the year before.
A spokesman for cycle lobby group Spokes said: "We very much support the police in this operation to act as a deterrent.
"Bikes are an easy target and a determined thief with time operating in an undisturbed location can break almost any lock. That's why owners must take care where they leave them."
Between 60 and 70 bikes are found discarded each month after "joyriders" have finished with them, and they are left piled up in a police compound at Fettes HQ.
