Police have launched a tough crackdown on known burglary suspects in the district.

Braintree officers said there has been a fall in the number of burglaries since they launched Operation Alaska two weeks ago.

Sergeant John Reynolds said the initiative is being spearheaded by local officers from neighbourhood crime teams in Braintree, Witham and Halstead and is running alongside the Essex-wide initiative, Operation Nemesis.

He said: “We are using overt and covert patrols and are frequently targeting known burglars.

“We have seen a decrease in burglaries as a result, with three last week.”

Mr Reynolds said officers were following approximately a dozen suspects.

The Times asked Essex Police how many burglaries there had been prior to and during the operation.

However they did not provide these before our deadline.