Police staged a high-visibility blitz day to tackle the fear of crime.

Every Adur sector officer on duty patrolled Southwick town centre and surrounding streets on foot and bikes, with some in plain clothes.

The blitz was codenamed Operation Ruda - Adur spelt backwards - and was the first of its type in the area.

New Adur sector commander Inspector Paul Amoo promised similar operations would be held regularly in the sector.

Officers in high-visibility uniforms visited pubs, shops, businesses and schools on Monday from 12.30pm to 7.30pm.

Mr Amoo said: "We had officers outside schools to deal with rowdy behaviour and illegal parking.

"We were joined by staff from Adur District Council, who dealt with untaxed and abandoned vehicles.

"The purpose of the operation was to deal with quality-of-life issues such as anti-social behaviour and vandalism. These concern people most.

"We also visited post offices to reassure staff after three recent robberies in the area.

"The idea was to be out there where people could see and speak to us."

The operation included officers from Lancing and Shoreham working together to patrol different areas of the town.

It was organised by Mr Amoo but future operations will be organised by community beat officers in each area.