THE Chief Constable of Essex Police has sent a message to residents across the county expressing his and force's intent to make burglaries a priority.

CC Ben-Julian Harrington said he wanted to reiterated the force's commitment to respond to burglary reports across the county – but added: "We don't stop there, we catch burglars and stop them reoffending."

The region's top cop says the number of burglaries reported in Essex has fallen by about 50 percent in the last five years with 6,856 break-ins reported in the year to the end of April, compared to 12,776 in the 12 months to the end of April 2018.

When looking specifically at house burglaries, there have been 5,000 in the last year compared to more than 9,200 five years ago.

Mr Harrington continued: "We know that is still 5,000 households affected by a really invasive and violating crime and we're determined to do all we can to catch those responsible.

"Investigating burglaries and supporting victims is a priority for us and we know the impact having your home broken into can have.

"There will be a lot written and spoken today about attendance at burglaries. In Essex, we have had a presumption of attendance at burglaries in the home for some time.

"I want to reassure the communities that you're really unlikely to be a victim of burglary in Essex. The number of burglaries in Essex is down by about 50% in the last five years. But if you do need us, call us; we will respond and help you."

Mr Harrington added: "Although there have been 5,000 burglary reports in Essex in the last year, there are not thousands of burglars. A small amount of people will be responsible for a number of burglaries and by catching one person, we can solve quite a number of crimes. Crucially, that means when they're in jail, they can't re-offend.

"We aren't reactive, we're proactive in catching burglars. We regularly review hotspots, linked offences or repeat victims and where we see repeat suspects or have known burglary offenders wanted for other matters, we pursue them.

Mr Harrington added: "We're also investing to put more officers in communities. This investment means we are a bigger force than we have ever been and we're starting to see the impact of that with crime falling and more crimes being solved.

"A large element of the falling number of burglary reports is people protecting their property really well and there a few simple things we can all do.

"This includes getting good quality CCTV and alarm systems, as well as securing doors and windows with high quality locks – even when it might be tempting to leave them open as the days and nights begin to get warmer."

Visit Crime prevention advice | Essex Police for more information.