For the voice of the 81-year-old is the latest weapon in the fight against crime.

The Jim'll Fix It hero has been recruited by Safer Leeds – a police and council crime reduction partnership – to make our streets safer.

The messages are to be relayed by laser trigger voice boxes, on crime-ridden streets in student areas, including Headingley and Hyde Park, where burglaries, street theft and drug-induced crime have reached worrying levels.

Sir Jimmy said: "I say things like "Oi! Have you locked your door? Have you locked your windows? Have you checked it out? If you haven't go back home, you'll have nothing left.

"I apologise to anyone of a nervous disposition who I might startle as they walk down the road, but it's all for a good
cause."

Another message reads "Excuse me. Safer Leeds is working for you. Open doors, open windows, burglars nick all
the gear, don't join that club, lock everything up."

The first talking sign is to go up at Lupton Flats in the next few days.

Chief Inspector Mark Busley, from Safer Leeds, said: "Muggings, burglary and vehicle-related theft are the common crimes that students are at risk of. Any message that we can give that reduces the likelihood of them becoming a victim has to be a positive step."