Sussex Police received a below-average end-of-year report from the public.

The force scored 4.1 out of a possible nine marks when it came to satisfaction with overall service.

The results came from people at 12 public meetings held across the county.

The majority had been in contact with the force prior to the meetings, with 52 per cent reporting crimes or incidents.

People in Arun gave the lowest rating - an average 2.4 - while those in Horsham gave 5.7.

Initial contact with police scored highly but it fell away as the investigation progressed.

People listed burglaries as their top concern, followed by anti-social behaviour and violent crime in the streets.

Residents in Crawley and Chichester identified drug use as a priority. People in Brighton and Hove cited violence in public places, anti-social behaviour, burglary, domestic violence, vandalism and graffiti.

The majority felt they should be paying more in council tax for an improved service.

The Sussex Police Authority is considering upping its demand on council taxpayers by a maximum £16 per annum next year to enable the force to hire more officers and police community support officers.

Authority chairman Mark Dunn said: "We will be conducting further consultation on the budget with the public to ensure we take their opinions into consideration when setting the final budget for policing in February."