A policeman who has proved a thorn in the side of criminals is to step down after 30 years' service.
Sgt Bill Butcher
Sgt Bill Butcher's crime-busting strategy of defensive planting -- surrounding gardens with dense prickly foliage -- has received coverage on BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time.
His career highlights include escorting Princess Anne and driving former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Condon's armour-plated car.
Sgt Butcher, 55, began patrolling Woodstock and Kidlington in 1992 after working in Oxford and High Wycombe.
He said: "I'll miss the teamwork and camaraderie and getting involved with problem solving and dealing with the community."
In 1997 he designed posters to discourage children from harassing residents during Hallowe'en.
He has been credited for his imaginative approach to crime prevention, a quality he will continue to use in his new civilian post as a crime reduction officer.
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