A bait bike strategically placed by police in areas of Kitchener believed to be frequented by bike thieves has led to eight arrests over the course of a three-day sweep.

The seven men and one woman face a total of 37 charges in connection with allegedly trying to steal the bait bike, which range from possession of drugs or stolen property, to breaking a court order.

Waterloo Regional Police say Kitchener has recently experienced an uptick in the number of reports of bike thefts in the city, with 1,372 bikes reported stolen so far this year.

That's more than the 1,199 reports of bike thefts in 2015 and 1,145 reports in 2014.

Guelph too has seen a recent surge in reports of bike thefts, with police saying the number is well on track to exceed 400 this year.

Guelph police have seen a steady rise in the number of reported bike thefts over the last three years, from 226 in 2013, to 381 in 2014 and 459 last year.

Investigators in Guelph have linked the rash of bike thefts to the city's meth trade, saying the thieves are ether selling the bicycles in whole or in parts in order to get cash to buy more drugs.