POLICE are using cartoon character Fred Flintstone's famous catchphrase in the fight against crime.

And the Cheshire Constabulary scheme has already gained national recognition after being highlighted in new weekly men's magazine Nuts.

The force's new criminal catcher - the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) unit - alerts officers that offenders are on the move by the sound of Fred's voice.

It hones in on car number plates and, if the registration matches that of an offending car on the police computer, it blares out his catchphrase 'Yabba Dabba Doo!'.

Except, of course, Cheshire police want criminals to 'Yabba Dabba Don't'.

Officers are using the ANPR system to target those in stolen cars, those without tax or insurance, and persistent crooks who are travelling into the county.

Once identified, their vehicles are all intercepted, stopped and checked thoroughly.

And the message to offenders is: Don't bother travelling on our roads as you will be caught.

Superintendent Richard Strachan, of the Cheshire police road policing unit, said: 'This is just one of many ANPR initiatives we are conducting on a regular basis throughout the county.

'The new ANPR team helps officers to identify persistent criminals who think they are anonymous travelling on a packed motorway.

'We're here to tell them they're not and they'll be caught.'

Police have reassured motorists that the ANPR does not monitor vehicle speed.

It works by scanning passing motor registrations and checking them against police intelligence.

This identifies vehicles of interest to the police, such as stolen cars or those involved in crime.

When a suspicious vehicle is recognised, it can be the focus of targeted interception and further enquiries.