Police were sent on to the streets of Sussex with guns 204 times in the past year, new figures reveal.
The number of authorised firearms incidents was down 20 per cent on 2001/2, when 248 cases were recorded.
The number of times armed response vehicles were sent out fell from 189 to 171 while the number of police officers authorised to carry guns went up from 120 to 141 last year. The new figures were released in a written ministerial statement.
Earlier this year, the Home Office revealed the number of firearms offences had fallen from 155 to 136.
There are now nine gun crimes for every 100,000 Sussex residents, compared to an England and Wales average of 20.
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