The Pinch - Merseyside Police use movie posters to launch festive crime prevention campaign

Merseyside Police launched its annual campaign to reduce crime and keep communities safe during the festive period at The Plaza Community Cinema in Crosby. This year, the force  sought to grab the public's attention with a play on some of our favourite Yuletide films, like The Grinch, A Nightmare Before Christmas, and Gremlins.

Operation Shepherd aims to highlight the type of crimes members of the public may face during the Christmas period and raises awareness of ways to avoid falling victim to thieves and criminals.

This Christmas, Merseyside Police took a new approach as The Grinch morphed into the Pinch to get clubbers and shoppers to guard against pickpockets and Elf went from being an irresponsible mischief-maker to someone encouraging people to look after their 'Buddies'.

Despite the change in tack, the message remains the same. Chief Inspector Tracie Trubshaw, said: "Historically, we have seen a rise in crimes such as burglary, robbery, domestic violence, and drink or drug driving. It's also normal to see an increased police presence in busy locations, including shopping centres, Christmas markets and other popular attractions. Officers will be happy to explain what they are doing and answer any questions you have, so feel free to talk to them and find out how you can help keep people safe."

You can expect to see more officers out and about from now through to Christmas and into New Year. This will include uniformed and plain clothes officers, supported by specialist teams including the Dog Section, Mounted Section and Air Support.

• Watch the video above for more on Operation Shepherd and the film posters used to promote crime prevention this Christmas.