The police force in the UK has a new weapon to fight crime: the cardboard cut-out.
Police forces have spent more than £20,000 on cardboard cut-outs of uniformed officers designed to confuse criminals.
It was billed as the latest police tactic to combat crime and now the idea has taken off nationwide.
Police figures show that forces across the country have spent more than £20,000 on the flat-pack PCs.
It must be a considerable relief to British taxpayers to know that two dimensional replicas are on the job terrifying would-be criminals, freeing up their three dimensional counterparts to pursue the criminal hard-cases:
Beach bobbies: Police officers use hand-held cameras to trap cyclists speeding along seafront
Police were today accused of wasting taxpayers’ cash by stopping cyclists accused of speeding.
Officers armed with hand-held speed cameras are catching bikers who exceed the 10mph limit on Bournemouth’s promenade.
A uniformed PC will hide behind a beach hut and, when he spots an errant cyclist, radio a council ‘seafront ranger’ waiting 200 yards down to request that they are stopped.
Several places in the states use plywood patrol cars on roadsides to scare speeders, buy one for yourself.
I’m sitting here wondering whether that’s a step up or down from “Bobbies” with push-bikes and whistles ?!