A police superintendent has admitted what we have known all along - that there just aren't enough bobbies on the beat in Sussex.

All too often the only time residents see officers is when they are speeding past in a squad car or visiting their home to pick up the pieces after a burglary.

If there were more uniformed officers on the beat, many of these burglaries and other crimes would probably not happen.

A Sussex Police superintendent has acknowledged the problem and believes an extra 200 recruits by 2003 will go some way to reducing crime and the fear of crime.

That's all well and good, but in the intervening three years the force needs to take even more measures to provide the people who pay their salaries with that all-important "comfort factor".

This means more uniformed patrols and officers perhaps stepping out of those squad cars once in a while to increase their visibility.

The powers that be might be surprised to learn that taking these steps has a major impact on crime.

Having our fill What can anybody say about Sita which hasn't already been said?

The firm which is being paid £6.7 million a year to keep the streets of Brighton and Hove clean has failed spectacularly in its first few months.

In fact, living in the towns has, for some residents, been like living on the fringes of a landfill site.

Now we hear things are likely to get worse before they get any better and it has been claimed senior councillors have not helped the situation by refusing to meet union leaders to discuss this fiasco.

Most people in the town have grown weary with Sita's inability to do its job and with a council which awarded the company the contract with such a fanfare just a few months ago.

The whole situation is a complete and utter mess and needs to be sorted out immediately. The time for excuses is long gone.

Oh, so Sheik Residents of Coolham near Horsham may be surprised to hear they have a Sheik living in their midst.

The unlikely bearer of the title is 44-year-old Steve Dover, who has discovered an untouched paradise in a remote part of the country which may become a world heritage site.

The site has more environmental treasures than anybody ever dreamed off - in fact, more than you could Sheik a stick at.