British Christmas card holds special message for criminals

A police force in Britain has chosen the medium of the traditional Christmas card to warn would-be criminals to be on their best behaviour over the festive period - or face the strong arm of the law.

Police in the West Midlands, in central England, will be sending out the cards to known "career criminals" in the hope that they will be deterred from carrying out burglaries, robberies and theft.

For those with families, the card's cover features the face of a young child, with the message: "All I want for Christmas is for you to be there."

Criminals who are single will receive a cover showing an empty setting at a dinner table, reading: "All we want for Christmas is for you to be here."

The cards include contact details for police officers working to help criminals with previous offences move away from a life of crime.

"The people we deal with are given a very simple choice. Work with police and partner agencies to help them break free from crime, or we will work to catch and convict them, resulting in them spending time in prison," said chief superintendent Neil Evans.

There was no immediate information on the success of the card method, used previously by other police forces in Britain.