Police say violent crime has dropped over the past year

The St James's Street Action Group, which represents traders in Kemptown, met on Wednesday to discuss what to do about violent attacks and street crime in the area.

According to residents, homophobic assaults have become a frequent occurrence in what is generally a bohemian area with a strong sense of community.

They blame the police for not doing enough to keep the problems in check - and say most people living and working there feel threatened most of the time.

There's an underlying subculture of violence David Radtke, restaurant owner

The meeting was attended by more than 130 people, including members of Brighton and Hove City Council and Sussex Police.

David Radtke, owner of a restaurant in Kemptown, said: "There's an underlying subculture of violence - of beggars, aggressive beggars and street drinkers.

"It happens to such an extent that during the summer months, we like to have the doors open of this restaurant but we can't because the customers get intimidated by these people."

But the police claim that the incidence of violent crime has gone down by 22% in the past year.

Chief Inspector Lisa Pearcey, of Sussex Police, said: "If it's about the fear of crime and the reassurance factor, that's actually quite different to looking purely at the hard crime statistics.

"If those are the areas that we need to work quite closely with this community on, then I'm really happy to be at the meeting today."

The force has enlisted the help of a team of Police Community Support Officers, who started work last week.

They will patrol the city centre but have no powers of arrest.