Police said car crime in the area has fallen from 90 a week to 48

Operation Dorchester has targeted vehicle crime in the Hastings and Rother area over the past three weeks.

Police said on Thursday the number of vehicle crimes in the area had fallen from 90 to 48 a week by the end of the second week of the operation.

Officers said they had arrested 11 people in connection with the operation and also recovered stolen property.

Active criminals are being caught and sent to prison Supt Nick Bennett

Police said the aim of the campaign was to track down and catch those responsible for crimes such as vehicle theft and breaking into parked cars.

They said they have been targeting known main culprits and also increasing high-visibility patrols.

Police in the area have also been targeting burglary in a separate crackdown called Operation Salvo.

Supt Nick Bennett said: "These successful operations have brought crime down and detection rates up.

"Active criminals are being caught and sent to prison.

Sussex Police said at the end of the first week of Operation Dorchester car crimes in the Hastings and Rother area had dropped to 55, falling to 48 in the second week.

Thefts from vehicles accounted for about 80% of the crimes.