A SPECIALIST police task-force set up to crackdown on motorcycle crime in the region have arrested ten people in a series of dawn raids.

Detectives from Northumbria Police’s Operation Benelli team also seized a haul of stolen property in the ‘Day of Action’ held across Newcastle and Gateshead on Tuesday.

They had spent weeks gathering intelligence and carrying out covert surveillance before executing search warrants at nine addresses.

Eight men and two women were arrested as part of a number of ongoing investigations while a number of suspected stolen motorcycles were also recovered.

Officers also found a number of weapons, stolen number plates, stolen motorcycle helmets and a quantity of drugs.

In one address searched by police in Gateshead, officers also found a room that was rammed full of suspected stolen car parts.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Knox said: “These arrests are the product of a lot of hard work by a team of detectives dedicated to tackling this type of criminality.

“They need to know that if they get involved in motorcycle crime then they should expect a rude awakening, a team of police officers coming through their door.

“Ten people are now in custody and a haul of suspected stolen goods have been seized that will prove to be vital evidence in our investigation.”