A man trying to break into his own flat with a sledge hammer after locking himself out was surprised to come face-to-face with police officers - one of whom had a Taser.
A neighbour of the man had called Essex Police, concerned that a crime was being committed.
The caller had seen a man, armed with what they thought was an axe, smashing into a boarded up window in Hawthorn Avenue, Colchester, at about 11.20pm on Friday night.
However, rather than a burglar, when police officers arrived they found a frustrated man armed with a sledge hammer - borrowed from another neighbour - trying to get into his home.
An Essex Police spokesman said the officers were "very shortly made aware" that it was his own property and gave "words of advice" to the man.
The spokesman commended the neighbour for making the call and added: "We will still rather have the call and attend to find out what is going on then miss the opportunity to catch someone in the act of committing a crime."