Officers have made a number of arrests and have charged a number of people linked to burglaries in Medway, Swale, Dartford and Gravesham.

Police are one month into their burglary awareness campaign Operation Castle, which runs until Friday, January 13. It aims to teach people how to protect their homes from criminals.

Officers are also clamping down on people suspected of committing break-ins and several people have been charged in recent weeks.

Andrej Grisko, 32, of Raphael Road, Gravesend, has been charged with burgling a property in the same road on November 14. He has been bailed to appear before Medway magistrates on December 23.

Andrew Radford, 34, of The Fairway, Rochester, has been charged with burgling a business premises in Canterbury Street, Gillingham, on November 12. He has been remanded in custody to appear in court at a future date.

Kevin Coates, 37, of Cambria Avenue, Rochester, has been charged with burgling a business premises in Canterbury Street, Gillingham, on November 20 and a shed in Alexandra Avenue, Gillingham, between November 16-18. He has been bailed to appear before Medway magistrates on December 13.

George Bignall, 37, of Middletune Avenue, Sittingbourne, has been charged with burgling a property in the same road on November 24. He is due to appear before Medway magistrates today, Monday.

Krystian Czajewski, 20, of no fixed address, has been charged with burgling a property in Station Road, Sittingbourne, on November 15. He has been bailed to appear before Maidstone magistrates tomorrow, Tuesday.

There is usually an increase in the number of burglaries committed at this time of year, due to the evenings getting longer and people leaving their homes to go Christmas shopping or to visit family and friends over the festive season.

A number of people suspected of breaking in to people’s homes and businesses have been released on bail in recent weeks as inquiries continue.

They include:

A 32-year-old man from London suspected of attempting to burgle a property in Clandon Road, Chatham, on November 14. He has been bailed until February 10 2017.

A 37-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, both from Dartford, suspected of stealing three chainsaws from a farm in Longfield on November 9. Both have been bailed until early December.

A 20-year-old man from Minster, Sheppey, suspected of breaking into a garage in High Street, Eastchurch, on October 6. He has been bailed until January 5 2017.

Visit www.kent.police.uk for hints and tips on how to protect your home from burglars.