CLEVELAND Police hope hand delivered festive cards will help Christmas shoppers enjoy a crime free Christmas.

Chief Constable Sean Price joined neighbourhood police teams mingling with shoppers at the Teesside Retail Park to personally deliver the message.

The front of the card features a festive design by seven-year-old Joshua Hall-Young from Ingleby Barwick, a winner in the force’s recent Art of Safety competition.

Inside there is a list of simple steps shoppers can take to beat the criminals this Christmas.

Mr Price said: "Crime can ruin Christmas but there are a number of ways in which shoppers can reduce the chance of becoming a victim.

"Connecting with local people at a street level, finding out what their concerns are and offering advice is at the heart of neighbourhood policing."