Police put stolen sheep in ID parade so farmers can reclaim them Police crackdown on rustlers in Cumbria recovers 150 stolen sheep But officers had to hold a line-up to reunite sheep with their owners Six suspected sheep rustlers arrested in connection with thefts When police think a suspect is trying to pull the wool over their eyes, they hold an identity parade. But when officers in Cumbria carried out a crackdown on sheep rustlers they used the tactic for a very different reason. Instead of lining up people to catch a criminal, officers lined-up around 100 sheep they had recovered in a bid to reunite them with their shepherds. Line-up: Police in Cumbria held an identity parade as part of a crackdown on sheep rustlers The flock were stolen from an auction mart in the market town of Kirkby Stephen, Westmoreland, last Friday and their owners needed reclaim them. The animals were among 150 ewes recovered following thefts from hill farms across the north Pennines. Six suspected sheep rustlers have been arrested in connection with the thefts in recent months following the joint operation by Cumbria and Durham constabularies. The ewes were worth £100 to £150 each and stolen mainly from Cumbria and Teesdale. PC Roly Earl, from Appleby Neighbourhood Police Team, said: 'Sheep rustling is a problem year after year and the financial blow for farmers is huge.' Farmers have been blamed for some of the thefts. Harry Hutchinson, one of the farmers at the event, said: 'It's a disgrace to the farmers concerned but, to me, it's also a disgrace on the farming community. The whole thing is based on trust. You turn sheep on to a common and you expect to get them returned because you trust everyone.