THIEVES are targeting valuable bikes from garages and sheds in the Caldicot area.

Two motorcross bikes and a mountain bike were stolen from a secure shed in Caerwent and on the same night in June two mountain bikes were taken from a secure garage in Undy.

A Cube hardtail mountain bike worth £1,500 was taken from an unlocked shed in Caldicot.

The bikes were taken in thefts connected with 11 burglaries from sheds and garages in the Caldicot area, said Chief Inspector Jo Bull of Gwent Police.

She also told Monmouthshire Council's Lower Wye area committee that overall crime was down in both Caldicot and Chepstow.

Chief inspector Bull said: "Chepstow and Caldicot are showing falls of 13 per cent and 18 per cent in all crimes this year.

"In Monmouthshire this year there has been a 16 per cent drop in crime which is 800 fewer victims of crime.

"In Caldicot this year there have been 11 burglaries other than dwellings and in the course of some of those burglaries high value cycles have been stolen."

Latest Home Office figures show that Gwent achieved the largest reduction in crime in England and Wales.

In the 12 months to March there were 38, 879 crimes in Gwent compared with 45,593 in the year before, a fall of 7,000 crimes.

There were 1,654 fewer burglaries, a fall of 24 per cent and 1,659 fewer cases of vehicle crime, a drop of 27 per cent.

Criminal damage was down by 18 per cent with 1,659 fewer cases and there were 1,043 fewer instances of violence against people.

Operational Policing lead, Assistant Chief Constable Simon Prince said: "The figures are once again a ringing endorsement of our flexible and innovative approach to tackling crime, and the work we undertake with partners to prevent crime.

"Residents must also take credit for this continued drop, with people doing more to improve their own personal security, and taking on board crime prevention advice provided by us and our partners."