CHRIS BISHOP Burglaries have fallen by a quarter across Breckland and West Norfolk as police step up their campaign against persistent offenders. Five people have been arrested in the last week as police undercover work, intelligence gathering and tip-offs from the public paid off.

CHRIS BISHOP

Burglaries have fallen by a quarter across Breckland and West Norfolk as police step up their campaign against persistent offenders.

Five people have been arrested in the last week as police undercover work, intelligence gathering and tip-offs from the public paid off.

House break-ins have fallen from around eight a week to six a week across the Norfolk force's western area since early December, when senior officers launched an initiative codenamed Operation Watch'em. Arrests over the last seven days include:

A 20-year-old arrested in connection with three house burglaries in Jubilee Close, Stearne Close and Station Road, Thetford, plus the theft of a handbag from the town's Bell Hotel. He has been charged with burglary and bailed to appear before Thetford magistrates on January 29 with conditions that he lives at his home address, observes a night time curfew, does not enter Thetford town centre and reports daily to police.

A 30-year-old man arrested after an attempted burglary in Gaywood Road, King's Lynn, on January 8. He was later charged with a passport offence.

A 39-year-old man from Downham Market who has been charged with a burglary on the High Street, along with a drugs offence. He has been bailed, with conditions of residency and a night-time curfew, to appear before magistrates on 19 January.

Two women, aged 32 and 24, arrested on suspicion of burgling a flat in Hillington Square, King's Lynn, and bailed pending further enquiries. The 32-year-old has since been arrested and charged with breaching a bail condition not to enter King's Lynn town centre.

Det Chief Inspector Neil Firm said: "The recent arrests have come about through a variety of forensic technology, information from the public and proactive police work and shows that we are committed to targeting and prosecuting those individuals who cause upset and misery to those people whose homes are broken into."

Anyone with information can call police on 0845 456 4567.