The cracking crime-solving at Oxford's St Aldate's police station has been officially recognised with a plaque.

Unfortunately it's not for any of the city's real-life crimefighters.

The Inspector Morse Society has erected the plaque to mark the station's importance in the fictional super detective's career which has brought thousands of tourists to Oxford.

Many of them have trod a path to the nick and asked to see Morse.

Inspector Morse author Colin Dexter unveiled the plaque on Sunday in front of a small crowd of fans, while Morse's distinctive red Jaguar was parked outside.

Supt Jim Trotman, the Oxford Police commander, welcomed Mr Dexter and Anthony Richards, founding member of the society, to the ceremony.

Mr Dexter joked: "The police at St Aldates and at the Kidlington headquarters would not have had very much to do since 1975 if I had not been responsible for making this lovely city of ours the murder capital, not only of the UK, but of the European Community as well.

"There have been 89 body bags. All of the murders were solved and this is a wonderful tribute to the force."

The author praised the police for their "skill, expertise, dedication to the job and physical courage".

"This city is full of culture but it has a small proportion of yobbos who can cause mayhem on a Friday and Saturday night," Mr Dexter added.

Supt Trotman said the society approached the force a year ago for permission to erect the plaque, which did not need planning permission.

He added: "Officers used to put a notice up in the window which said 'Inspector Morse's office' but they won't have to do that any more.

"St Aldate's police station has been on the tourist trail for a long time and it is nice that we now have this plaque to remind people of the links with Morse. In the past, we have had tourists coming in to speak to Inspector Morse."

Mr Richards said the four other plaques were at The Randolph Hotel in Beaumont Street, at the Victoria Arms in Marston, at the Lyme Bay Hotel in Lyme Regis, and at the former Brakspear's Brewery in Henley, which is now a hotel. "The plaque at the brewery seems to have been stolen, which is the kind of mystery Morse would have been able to solve," Mr Richards added.