Car crime is far too high in nearly every part of Sussex but particularly in Brighton and Hove.

Home Office figures show there were 25,000 thefts from or of cars in the county last year, nearly a third of them in the new city.

The figures in Brighton and Hove are far higher than the national average and the detection rate is woefully low at just more than five per cent.

Car thieves strike so often in parts of Sussex because they know the likelihood is they can get away with it if they're careful not to leave obvious clues such as fingerprints.

But not any more. Police are spending cash on a team of forensic experts specially trained to take DNA samples from stolen cars which should lead them to the villains.

A special team based at Hove will tackle the car crime hotspots and look at other new ways of dealing with the problem.

The new city doesn't want low-level crime to anger local people, deter visitors and ruin its good image.