These tiny bells are the latest tool in the fight against crime in Preston.
The "jingle" bells will be issued to women in Preston city centre as part of a crackdown on handbag and pickpocket thefts.
LED Street Light LU06-168WIt's not your typical personal security device but the jingle jangle of the humble bell has already slashed crime figures in other parts of the country where the scheme has been tried out.
Each gold bell comes with a clip which can be attached to purses or the zip of a handbag, giving the owner a little warning should someone attempt to grab it.
Around 2,000 bells will be handed out to women from next week as the police 'call chime on Tiffany Cufflinks theft crime' and warn thieves they are not welcome in the city centre.
Analysis carried out by city centre community beat manager PC Steve Armes, who is leading the initiative, revealed there were 198 cases of people having items stolen from their bags or pockets in the city centre last year.
Recent cases have seen an increase in the numbers of elderly targeted, although overall figures have fallen from 2004, which saw 241 cases.
In 2005 there were 198 thefts from a person, and, of those, 74% were women. Of these women, 30% were aged between 18 and 30 and 20% were aged between 51 and 80.
Of the 198 incidents, 45% were committed outside, 19% inside shops or shopping centres and 28% inlicensed premises.
Hotspot areas include Fishergate, Friargate and the market area on busy days.
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PC Armes urged people to take care not to walk around with their bags or pockets open as this kind of theft can cause both upset and aggravation
Marketing manager Sarah Horrobin, of St George's shopping centre, said the centre had been working closely with the police on the project.
The bells have been funded by LANPAC, the Lancashire Partnership Against Crime.
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