Cop stops criminals with cake

Chief Inspector Andy Boyd delivers the cakes personally to the Thames Valley region's worst offenders on their birthdays.

Boyd, who pays for the u00a31.50 (Rs 120) Victoria Sponge cakes himself, launched the programme to let offenders know that police are closely monitoring them.

Sweet Truth: Chief Inspector Andy Boyd

Each cake is accompanied by a card that reads, "On your birthday we wish you well, we would hate to see you in a cell.
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Time to change your ways, go straight, if you don't, you know your fate."

Figures released this week showed that the overall level of crime in the area has fallen by 18 per cent over the past five months.

Figures compared to the same period last year show a reduction of 418 crimes, from 2,289 to 1,871.

Boyd, who buys the cakes from a local supermarket, and makes the cards at his police station, said he believed the personal touch had contributed towards the fall in crime rates.

He said, "We are robustly policing these offenders. They are visited almost daily andu00a0 when it is their birthday I go to their houses and give them a cake and card.

Their reaction is one of surprise, but the majority accept it in the spirit in which it's delivered. They recognise that we are there to assist in helping them overcome any issues they may have.
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"I believe that giving these offenders birthday cakes and cards has helped to significantly reduce crime. This is only one of a large number of measures that we are trying."

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