London: At least one woman or girl is travelling from Britain to Syria every week to join Daesh after being “carefully prepared” for the journey to ensure they do not stand out, a senior counter-terrorism officer has disclosed.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said that at least 60 females had travelled to Syria over the past year. Scotland Yard’s national counter-terrorism coordinator said 22 were young women, including 18 under the age of 20.

The last five to travel to Syria were aged 15 or 16.

She made the disclosures after new surveillance footage emerged apparently showing three London schoolgirls travelling to Syria. The CCTV images appear to show the trio passing through a coach station in Istanbul, on the way to southeast Turkey.

Turkish authorities said that the girls were believed to be the missing Bethnal Green Academy pupils Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16. The images were captured in the early hours of February 18. The three missing teenagers arrived in Turkey on February 17 after flying to Istanbul from Gatwick and are thought to have crossed into Syria shortly afterwards.

To the apparent dismay of Scotland Yard, neither Turkish Airlines, nor the UK Border Force reported that the girls were intending to travel unaccompanied to the region, despite it being a well-worn route to Syria.

Shamima is thought to have travelled with the passport of her 17-year-old sister Aklima.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ball told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show that the rise of Daesh has had a “galvanising” effect on extremists, with the number arrests for Syria-related offences rising six-fold from 25 to 165. Last year Yusra Hussain, described as a grade-A pupil who wanted to become a dentist, fled her home in Bristol for Syria after being “brainwashed” online. Twin sisters Zahra and Salma Halane, 16, left their Manchester home in July without their parents’ knowledge to follow their brother to Syria. Both are reportedly now married to Daesh fighters. In December, it was revealed that a 15-year-old girl had been prevented from joining Daesh after police dramatically stopped her flight on the runway at Heathrow.

The Daily Telegraph