1:30pm Saturday 20th March 2010
Just a few hundred people are committing as much as half of all the crime in Sussex.
Figures obtained by The Argus show that 282 prolific offenders who repeatedly steal, take drugs and commit antisocial behaviour cause the most distress to residents.
Sussex Police said the majority of repeat criminal activity came from offenders hooked on drugs.
The Government estimates the worst 10% of the active offender population are responsible for half of all crime but the latest Home Office figures show that the number of prolific and priority offenders (PPO) in Sussex has been steadily dropping.
Police said their scheme to tackle the causes of offending had led to a steady drop from 323 people identified as the worst career criminals last spring to just 282 last month.
It is thought that up to 40 career criminals in each of the county's major towns and cities are responsible for the biggest nuisance to residents but officers say weaning them off drugs is reducing the crime rate.
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