Police have hailed an offensive against car crime an outstanding success after it also caught a number of drug dealers.

Crack cocaine with an estimated street value of £5,000, ecstasy, cannabis and £4,000 in cash were seized during Operation Reserve.

The initiative lasted a week and was so effective that it will be repeated once a month in Hove, Southwick and Shoreham.

Police arrested 25 people for alleged offences which included possession and supply of drugs, car theft, drink-driving and driving while disqualified.

The high-profile operation involved officers setting up checkpoints and stopping motorists during evenings and into the early hours. It reduced the number of car crimes in Hove and Shoreham from 42 a week to 32.

The operation also had a knock-on effect on other types of crime with 155 offences reported against a weekly average of 190.

Sergeant Paul Furnell, of Hove Police, said: "It was a great success as far as we are concerned and well worth repeating.

"We now plan to do this once a month for as few as a couple of nights or for as long as a week.

"The reaction from the public was fantastic once we explained to those we stopped what it was all about.

"We were not looking to catch someone with a bald spare tyre or an expired tax disc.

"We were targeting people who may have committed serious offences.

"We also saw a drop in other types of crime during the week because of the high-profile nature of the operation.

"Violent crime was down by almost half from 15 offences to just eight, and public disorder offences in places like Western Road and Church Road were also down."

A new operation code-named X2001 begins on Wednesday next week which will target crime hotspots in the division.

Uniformed officers will be on patrol 24 hours a day in target areas including George Street, Sackville Road and Western Road.

Trap cars, deliberately left to snare villains, which were used during Operation Reserve will continue to be used in areas targeted by car thieves.

Particular attention will be paid to car parks at superstores following a rise in the number of thefts from vehicles while the owners were shopping.

The trap cars are fitted with special sprays which release a fine mist of water which marks a suspect with an unique DNA signature which can still be detected long after an offence has been committed.