A TOTAL of 121 wanted criminals have been rounded up by police in Cheshire as part of a Christmas crackdown.

Operation Jingles ran throughout December and was part of the county force's ‘All We Want For Christmas’ campaign.

Its primary focus was on burglary, drink-driving and robbery.

With the help of social media, officers from across the county managed to locate offenders and captured 21 individuals wanted on recall to prison, 44 wanted on fail to appear warrants and 56 wanted for outstanding offences.

Chief Inspector Karen Jaundrill said: “Christmas is a lucrative time for criminals, who also like to ‘shop’ at this time of year. I’d like to thank all those who have helped us to identify some of our outstanding offenders who are wanted - it demonstrates the power of social media and the positive effect that everyone can have when we all pull together to help keep our communities safe.

“I hope this reassures the public that those who commit crime will always be pursued and victims will always be a priority. Now that the operation is over, it doesn’t mean those who know they are still outstanding can breathe a sigh of relief.

“We will continue to make arrests regardless, into the New Year and onwards and show that in Cheshire, we will find those evading the law and denying victims the chance to see justice being done.”