CRIMINALS will be paid a special visit from someone important on Christmas Day... and it won’t be Santa Claus!

Police officers will be dropping in on crooks for the first time on December 25 to check they are safely at home and not up to mischief.

The idea is the brainchild of the man in charge of policing in the Vale of White Horse, Chief Inspector Andy Boyd, who said the visit is designed to remind criminals they are being watched.

The police commander proved to be a fan of home visits last year after revealing he likes to hand-deliver birthday cakes to criminals on their special day too.

He believes the personal touch has contributed towards falling crime rates in the district. Between April n Continued on page 32009 and March 2010 5,076 crimes were recorded in the Vale of White Horse, which includes Wantage, Abingdon and Faringdon. This is down 16 per cent on the year before, when 6,064 crimes were logged.

Between April and October this year, 3,059 crimes were logged, compared to 3,197 the year before.

Chief Insp Boyd said most of the people on his Christmas list had committed burglaries and robberies.

His officers will call on a handful of hardcore regular offenders.

He said: “You don’t expect to see a police officer at 10am in the morning in the middle of opening your presents. The impact will be powerful.

“We are enjoying a second year of significant reductions in crime. The majority of offences are committed by a small number of people. If we can manage and monitor them we can reduce crime.”

Police will visit 21 criminals in Abingdon, 12 in Wantage and eight in Faringdon on Christmas Day.

Last night, Inspector Ian Money said: “The officers will go and wish them a Happy Christmas. They will be asked about their plans over the Christmas period. It’s about reminding offenders that we are still watching them. It’s important that we are monitoring offenders consistently.”

Chief Insp Boyd admitted the visits did not go down well with all families last year, and he received some complaints. He said: “I’m not aware of any officers being offered mince pies.”

Officers also send Christmas cards out to less prolific criminals in the area, two weeks before the big day.

They also visit elderly and vulnerable people over the festive period, often taking food hampers.

Chief Insp Boyd said: “We are trying to make sure they have a nice Christmas too.”