Overall crime in Eastbourne has fallen by three per cent in the past 12 months, it emerged today.

Officials on the resort's Crime Reduction Partnership (CRP) said the drop bucked a national increase in offences.

They pointed to projects introduced to counter crime, including the appointment of school intervention officers.

Street wardens in Shinewater, Hampden Park and Old Town dealt with more than 4,200 tasks such as removing graffiti and resolving street lighting problems.

More than 90 per cent of abandoned vehicles were cleared from streets within 21 days of being reported, while arson fell by five per cent.

Councillor Neil Stanley, Eastbourne Borough Council spokesman for community safety, said progress had been marked.

He said: "This has been a year of significant progress in reducing crime, disorder and the fear of crime with a three per cent reduction in total crime.

"The work of the CRP shows how much can be achieved when all organisations and agencies work together to make Eastbourne an even safer place."

CRP bosses said there had been a 58 per cent increase in useful calls to Crimestoppers in Eastbourne between 2001 and 2002.

And police have made notable successes in the fight against drugs.

In one of the biggest drugs operations mounted in the town, 50 properties were raided in Operation County in May last year.

More than 185 officers helped disrupt dealers across the resort, resulting in 37 arrests and the discovery of drugs worth more than £3,000.

In August last year, a drugs factory capable of producing thousands of pounds worth of cannabis was shut down in Whitley Road.

In July, more than 65 people were arrested in the biggest drug-related crackdowns ever launched in Eastbourne.

And five arrests have been made following a series of morning drug raids yesterday.

Up to 40 police officers and dog units were involved in Operation Fracture, targeting suspected drug dealers across Eastbourne.

Three arrests were made in relation to allegations of possessing cannabis, one for cultivation of cannabis and one of handling suspected stolen goods.

Chief Inspector Peter Mills, the resort's new district commander, said: "Since April, we have removed more than a quarter of a million pounds' worth of drugs from the streets of this town."