NOTHING says ‘thank you’ for a job well done better than a bottle of wine or a box of chocolates.

But the hard-working officers of Cambridgeshire police have been lavished with a whole array of weird and wonderful gifts from members of public, appreciative of the work they do to solve crime and make the streets safer.

According to a freedom of information request published by Cambridgeshire police, officers have received everything from juggling balls and bags of dog food to circus tickets and even four tins of lobster bisque.

Every time an officer receives a gift from a member of the public, it has to be declared in a force register, with details of all gifts received from January 2008 – February 2011 recently released by the constabulary.

In that three-year period, officers across the entire force were treated to 71 boxes of chocolates, 100 bottles of wine and countless bunches of flowers and tins of biscuits from grateful residents and social groups.

Not all members of the public were quite so conventional however, with records of officers receiving eight pheasants, two bags of potatoes, a dog chew, 24 free range eggs, a single can of beer, a portion of chips and a stress ball among the more bizarre gifts.

And an American Diner even saw fit to treat officers to a plate of six doughnuts as a thank you.