More than three homes a day were burgled in Brighton and Hove in just one year.

Between April 2012 and the end of March this year 1,143 homes were raided in the city – an increase of 45% on the year before.

During the same period in 2011/2012 791 homes were targeted.

Police said they thought people travelling from outside Sussex to the city could be partly responsible for the huge spike.

Detective Chief Inspector Jez Graves admitted he was “disappointed” with the huge number of burglaries.

He vowed to make the city a “no go” area for burglars and told how roads policing officers were now in the process of setting up a “dedicated campaign” aimed at tackling people coming to the county with the sole intention of burgling homes.

The campaign will include officers patrolling the county’s main roads.

"Disappointed"

DCI Graves said: “Burglary has a huge impact on the community and we are disappointed that there was a rise in Brighton and Hove towards the end of 2012.

"Although it is not immediately apparent why this happened we are committed to tackling it and several measures have been put in place to target those responsible.

“This includes officers and staff from across the division working closely together and sharing intelligence.

“Dedicated patrols have also been increased in hot-spot areas and numerous warrants have been executed at the addresses of suspects.

“One of the more innovative ways to respond to burglary in Sussex is the launch of a dedicated road policing
campaign in the coming months in order to target those who travel into Sussex to commit burglary and we
will also be pursuing those who handle and sell stolen goods using a market reduction approach.

“The public has a key part to play in ensuring that Brighton and Hove is a 'no go' area for burglars and we would
always encourage people to phone us if they see anything suspicious and to make sure their homes are not
appealing to an opportunistic burglar.”

People are being urged to make sure their homes are secure, as there has also been a spate of burglaries in
Moulsecoomb.

 

  • See how many burlgraies have been in your area by using our street-level crime map

 

A Sussex Police statement said: “A majority of the burglaries have been student properties whereby the property has been left insecure via the rear doors or windows.

“It is not believed that students are specifically being targeted as not all the victims have been students.”

If you suspect a burglary is taking place at your home call 999.

Otherwise call Sussex Police on 101.