Police want to use the brains of Brighton to help crack car crime.

They are considering hiring criminologists from Brighton University to assist a new car crime taskforce costing more than £700,000.

The experts will help research offender behaviour and keep a check on what police are doing.

Superintendent Graham Cox, Hove police commander, said: "We are using public money and it is only right checks are made to make sure we are spending it wisely."

The force is bidding for £706,000 from the Home Office to pay for the taskforce, made up of an inspector and four officers.

The money would allow a dedicated team to focus on the small band of villains responsible for the majority of crimes.

Car crime is plaguing Sussex, particularly Brighton and Hove.

Latest figures show there were more than 25,000 thefts of or from cars in the county in the year up to March - almost one every 20 minutes.

They represent a fifth of all crime in the county - and a quarter of all car crime takes place in Brighton and Hove.

The plan for a Brighton taskforce is one of a string of recommendations to the Sussex Police Authority, which meets tomorrow.

It is part of Sussex Police's response to the Government demand that all forces cut car crime by 30 per cent in five years.

Sussex managed to cut car crime by three per cent between March and July, while the detection rate stands at six per cent.

To improve the figures, the force wants to spend about £600,000 on DNA tests from car crime scenes across Sussex.

Earlier this year the division earlier tried out a small team of four officers to target regular offenders.

They made more than 60 arrests in two months and vehicle crime declined by 30 per cent.

Mr Cox said there were several "hot spots" in Brighton including Regency ward, where the car crime rate is more than three times the national average.