POLICE are looking for people to act as a community look-out on every street as part of a crackdown on burglary.

Residents will be selected from streets across South-end, Rochford and Castle Point and given a hotline number to call if they spot any suspicious behaviour.

The initiative is possible thanks to a £34,000 Home Office grant to tackle the rise in house burglaries in the South East.

Chief Insp Paul Eveleigh, of Castle Point police, said he hoped the community would galvanise itself against crime. He said: “If there is anybody, or vehicles, in a community people are not happy with, they will be able to phone this hotline and officers dedicated specifically to the operation will be able to come and check them out.”

Mr Eveleigh said: “We can blanket a hotspot where we’ve got problems and almost ask someone to provide sentry duty.” The money will also be spent on targeting vulnerable areas, giving crime prevention advice and marking property.

Officers will also be using automatic number plate recognition cameras in an attempt to find burglars who who escape by car.