FIFE'S top cop hailed the capture of the suspected thieves who broke into Dobbies in Dunfermline and amassed a haul worth more than £100,000 of stolen goods.

Chief Superintendent Derek McEwan, the divisional commander for the Kingdom, highlighted the fine detective work in a report to Fife Council's environment and protective services committee last week.

He told councillors two men and a woman were charged after a string of thefts from a bike store and garden centres across the country, with the haul including bikes, Christmas trees, barbecues, lawn mowers, plants and statues.

Mr McEwan said: "A dedicated enquiry team, co-ordinated by Fife Division Reactive CID, conducted a wide range of enquiries which led to three suspects being identified.

"These enquiries also led to significant links being established for a break-in at Dobbies, at Fife Leisure Park in Dunfermline, as well as further dishonesties in Livingston, Paisley and Glasgow.

"Fife Division led an operation where warrants were executed at five addresses in the Glasgow area.

"This led to the recovery of over £100,000 worth of goods and three persons being reported to the procurator fiscal in relation to seven offences."

The Dobbies garden centre in Dunfermline was targeted in October last year, another garden centre in Broxburn was hit the following month and the Leslie Bike Shop was broken into in December, with Mr McEwan saying bikes worth more than £33,000 were taken in the latter raid.

All of the stolen items were recovered in May.

Mr McEwan told councillors it was a "significant investigation" for Fife police and a major success, with officers able to "return the property to its rightful owners".