A police crackdown on professional burglars has been hailed a success after seven people were arrested during a two-day operation.

The arrests were made by Burglary Action Teams (BATS) set up by the Senlac Division of Sussex Police.

The teams' aim is to reduce the number of burglaries in Bexhill, Hastings, Rye and Rother.

The arrests were made as a result of Operation Pulley, which was launched in St Leonards last week.

Insp Mike Fagan, of Hastings police sector, said: "This is a good example of the BATS initiative working. Further proactive operations are being planned to disrupt the burglars.

Worried

"It is apparent we are having some effect and we believe that those involved in this type of crime are worried that they will be the next to get a knock on the door."

Each BATS team is headed by a CID officer who collects intelligence from officers throughout the division.

Police believe their efforts will be more focused, less time will be spent on paperwork and more time will be available to catch criminals.

Police said 1,304 burglaries were committed between January 1 and September 30 this year.

Chief Insp Robin Smith, from Hastings Police, said: "We are confident the initiative is working and now we intend to channel our resources into the

project to make it a long-term

success.

"Burglaries in St Leonards have fallen by 26 per cent since last year and we want to see crime statistics reduced across the division."

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