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This US police force has an ingenious plan to stop thieves from stealing people’s festive packages

They call themselves the Santa Squad.
They call themselves the Santa Squad. They call themselves the Santa Squad.

A US police force in a suburban town in Utah is attempting to thwart parcel thefts over the festive period with what appears to be a foolproof solution: allowing residents to use the station’s address for deliveries.

The Woods Cross Police Department near Salt Lake City is operating what it calls the Santa Squad programme, where police will secure packages for safe collection, throughout December.

Packages sent to the department are directed to the Santa Squad and can later be picked up by the residents with matching IDs.

Woods Cross Citizens. In an effort to make your Christmas safer and more enjoyable we are offering for the month of Dec…Posted by Woods Cross PD on Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Police chief Greg Butler told KUTV-TV that package thefts can be difficult to solve, so the department decided to take a different approach.

Officers can deliver packages to residents who are elderly or have special needs.

For those sneakily looking to fake their identity to steal packages, Butler said it won’t work.

He said: “I would be very surprised if somebody tried to pull a fast one on the police department and tried to get a package here that wasn’t for them.”