The paper PCs are being used to deter thieves across the county and force chiefs say they are having the desired effect. They claim the slimline static cops have helped slash crime by up to 50 per cent in some areas where they have been deployed.
The life-size cutouts of a uniformed officer, cost £25 each and senior officers have ordered a new batch of 280 – costing the force £7,000. Forty are being held in reserve, with the rest now providing a visible ‘police presence’ across the county.
The slim crimefighters are being displayed in shop doorways or foyers where shoplifting is a problem and the force say they are responsible, in conjunction with other police tactics, for reductions in crime of up to 50 per cent.