recovered as part of a major Police investigation that is still underway, a spokesman said yesterday.

Most of the bikes were found at a dump site in Warwick where they were apparently taken to be stripped for parts, Police Insp. Roseanda Jones told The Royal Gazette .

The break came when a 15-year-old Pembroke youth was arrested on Tuesday for riding a cycle while disqualified because of age, she said.

"As a result of that arrest, Police were able to recover a total of 24 cycles, all in the Warwick area,'' she said.

Only six of the cycles had not been stripped. But among them was the Yamaha Peewee motocross cycle belonging to seven-year-old Aaron Cannonier that was stolen from a garage in Smith's Parish on Sunday.

Another motocross cycle taken from the garage, a Yamaha 80 belonging to 13-year-old Howard Paynter, is still missing.

In addition to the 15-year-old, two 14-year-old boys have been arrested by Police, Insp. Jones said.

"It's a major investigation, and it's ongoing at the moment,'' she said.

Insp. Jones called for more public cooperation as Police strive to stem a steady increase in the number of cycle thefts.

"The majority of these cycles were in a dump site in Warwick,'' she said.

"There will have been several people who go across this area on a regular basis, because of the location. But no one has mentioned anything to Police,'' despite the fact the cycles were stolen and dumped over a period of several months.

The other cycles were recovered from a second site nearby, she said. "It's time for the general public to realise the problem of stolen cycles is a major problem,'' she said.