RESIDENTS have been urged to safeguard their jewellery after a spate of burglaries around the county.

Officers have noticed an increase in the amount of times jewellery is being stolen when a property has been broken in to.

Advice includes investing in a good quality safe, taking pictures of the jewellery for reference in case it is stolen, marking expensive jewellery using a specialist DNA system and storing jewellery in a variety of places.

Anyone wanting more information on how to keep jewellery safe should contact the crime reduction officer for their local area by calling 101 or visit www.essex.police.uk