Police forces splash out on fake constables

London: It was billed as the latest police tactic to combat crime - life-size cardboard cut-outs of uniformed officers used to confuse criminals. Now the idea has taken off.

Police figures show that forces throughout the country have spent more than £20,000 (Dh107,224) on the flat-pack constables.

West Midlands police said it had ordered 80 cardboard officers at a cost of just over £10,000. In Derbyshire, £6,650 was spent over two years on a "substantial number" of cut-outs. Commercial cardboard cut-outs cost between £12 and £30 each.

"The theory is that it creates the impression at first glance of a capable guardian being on site, which hopefully also reduces the perception of fear of crime," said a Derbyshire police spokesman.

A survey using the Freedom of Information Act revealed that 13 forces in England and Wales have used cardboard officers. Essex police said it spent £760 on eight cut-outs.

They have been deployed in petrol stations, to deter drivers from speeding away without paying for their fuel, and also in shops to discourage shoplifting. Some forces plan to recoup costs from the shops that benefit, but it is not known if any money has yet been received.

Cleveland police spent £1,760 on cardboard officers. The other forces that have used cut-outs are North Wales, South Wales, Greater Manchester, Durham, Humberside, Lancashire, Avon and Somerset, Norfolk and Surrey.