Six people have been arrested on suspicion of burglary offences during a police crackdown in the district.

Police have recorded a spike of 34 per cent in burglaries across St Albans City and District.

Beqa Esen, 26, of no fixed abode, was arrested in Radlett on Wednesday, November 18, on suspicion of going equipped to commit burglary.

He was later charged and remanded into custody following an appearance at Hatfield Remand Court.

He will appear at St Albans Magistrates on Monday, November 30.

Five men were also arrested at Luton Airport on Monday, November 23, on suspicion of burglary following information received from a member of the public.

The arrested men included:

• A 31-year old man from South Shields. He currently remains in custody for questioning.

• A 29-year-old man from South Shields. He currently remains in custody for questioning.

• A 31-year-old man from South Shields. He currently remains in custody for questioning.

• A 35-year-old man from St Albans. He has been released and no further action will be taken.

• A 26-year-old man from South Shields. He has been released and no further action will be taken.

St Albans City and District has now had 76 burglaries where homes have been targeted, compared to 50 burglaries over the same period last year.

In most of the burglaries, offenders have gained access to properties through gates to back gardens at the side of homes that have been left unlocked and through UPVC rear or side doors and windows that haven’t been double locked.

Detective Inspector Peter Frost from the St Albans Police Station is leading the investigation into these burglaries.

He said: “We have been working hard to apprehend those committing burglary in St Albans City and District as demonstrated by these arrests.

“However the offences are still on-going at a higher rate than we would expect them to be for this time of year and we will not relent until we put a stop to them. Heavy police resources are still being directed to deal with the situation.

“Our message to residents is still the same: To help us in the fight against this burglary spike please ensure homes are properly secure through taking simple precautions such as securing gates and fully locking doors.

“I would also ask members of the public to continue be vigilant - if you see someone acting suspiciously in the area or notice an unfamiliar car in your street that seems out of the ordinary, please contact us on the non-emergency number 101 or 999 if you believe you have witnessed a crime taking place.

“To tackle the rise of burglaries we are continuing to increase our high visibility patrols across the St Albans City and District. In addition we continue to use ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) to track and put a stop to criminals crossing our boarders to commit crime."

Police officers and volunteers will also be at St Albans market on Wednesdays and Saturdays until Christmas to sign people up to Neighbourhood Watch and offering crime prevention advice and the chance to get property security marked.

Anyone with information about burglaries or any other crime in the area should call the Herts Police non-emergency number 101. Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.