Police and court staff are finally winning the battle to serve swift justice on young criminals.

New figures released by the Lord Chancellor's department show that, in the first quarter of this year, the average time for sentencing young offenders was slashed to 81 days.

The national average was 67 days, with Sussex now having the seventh worst record in England and Wales.

This compared with last year's figures, which gave Sussex the second worst record in England and Wales with an average time between their arrest and being sentenced of 96 days.

The Government has set a target of reducing the figure to 71 days by the end of the second quarter of this year.

The 71-day pledge was a key plank of Labour's 1997 General Election victory, with ministers stating the benchmark would be reached within five years.

The Government praised improved performance of the criminal justice agencies in Sussex.

Home Office minister Hilary Benn said: "This brings real benefits to the public.

"By reducing the time taken to bring young offenders to justice, the chances of their reoffending are reduced and the effectiveness of the system as a whole is increased."

Yvette Cooper, minister for the Courts at the Lord Chancellor's Department, said: "The courts have made a major contribution to the acceleration of youth justice and I pay tribute to all those concerned."