A regional daily has revealed its local police force paid out more than £13,000 on cardboard cut-outs of one of their officers in an attempt to reduce thefts from shops.

The Freedom of Information request by the South Wales Argus showed that Gwent Police spent £255 on each cut-out and the force ordered 52 of them over two years.

A seven foot image of Newport PC Rhydian Jones, with a message to deter criminals stealing from stores, was first introduced in November 2011 with the last one being produced in March.

The cut-outs, which cost £13,260 in total, were introduced when Gwent Police found shoplifting was increasing as other crimes were falling.

Sandra Swan (left) and Hannah Shingler from the Co-op store in Somerton with the cut-out

A Gwent Police spokesman told the South Wales Argus: “They have been distributed throughout our force area and teams use them tactically to deter shoplifting.

“We are not prepared to say where they are at this moment as they are often moved about to tackle a particular problem.”