The suspected ringleader of a gang which targeted a series of post offices, including one near Bristol, has been arrested in Birmingham, police say.

The man, a Romanian national, was detained by West Midlands police last week. Police have linked him to at least a dozen post office raids from Bristol to Merseyside.

The gang are understood to have targeted smaller, rural post offices and their method was to trick staff into leaving their counter.

One of the first to fall victim to the robbery was Wick Post Office, near Bristol, back in October 2002.

The postmaster at the time, Howard Greenman, said: "They used a woman with a baby to distract the staff. She asked for help and the staff, in their kindness, left the counter and went to help her when to their horror, a gang of men rushed in and raided the post office."

A total of £34,000 was taken – more than half of which was money Mr Greenman had to bear personally. The Post Office's policy is to refuse to reimburse the sum because staff had left their positions.

Other raids following a similar pattern took place as far apart as Slough, Gloucestershire, the Wirral in Cheshire and the Midlands over the next few years.

But on June 6, a man was arrested by Birmingham police and a link was found to 12 raids, including the Wick one. Mr Greenman, who sold Wick Post Office three years ago, was impressed that DC Dai Nicholas, from Staple Hill police station, traced him to tell him about the arrest.