A CLAMPDOWN on young "bail bandits" in Sussex was launched today.
More than £300,000 is being pumped into supervision schemes to stop teenage criminals re-offending while on bail.
Home Secretary Jack Straw also announced that courts will have new powers to remand offenders as young as 12 to local authority secure accommodation.
The cash is part of a national £13 million in grants from the Youth Justice Board for bail supervision schemes.
Brighton and Hove Council will receive £66,000 to employ a bail support worker for its Final Warning Scheme.
This is likely to result in more young offenders appearing in court and a rise in remands.
East Sussex County Council has been allocated nearly £70,000 to recruit a bail support co-ordinator, whose job will be to minimise the risk of young people re-offending while on bail.
In West Sussex, the county council will receive £180,000 to fund assistance in court proceedings, support for young offenders and their families, and specialist remand foster care.
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