In 'Operation Disrupt', Dorset Police sends postcards to criminals

Dorset Police's tongue-in-cheek cards feature jails including Guys Marsh in Shaftesbury and Dorchester Prison.

The initiative is designed to cut the number of house burglaries in the county by warning criminals of their fate if they re-offend.

The message on the reverse of the cards reads: "If you don't want to end up here... stop offending!"

Acting Deputy Chief Constable Adrian Whiting said the postcards - either sent through the post or delivered face-to-face - sent out a clear message.

The initiative is designed to cut the number of house burglaries

"We are also working with other agencies to provide rehabilitation programmes," he said.

Bobby Cummines, advisor to the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee for Rehabilitation of Prisoners, said: "I think it is excellent that police are spending their time preventing crime rather than picking up the pieces.

"This gives offenders a wake-up call and lets them know that the police are on to them."