Street robberies are on the increase nationally but the trend is being bucked in Brighton and Hove.

The total from April to December last year was 285 - down almost 20 per cent from the same period in 2004.

Police put the success down to drug dealers being targeted and users encouraged into treatment programmes.

Chief Superintendent Jeremy Paine, city police commander, said most robberies were carried out by drug users.

He said: "Dealers prey on the vulnerable and many users have to steal to feed their habits.

"The crime and visible signs of decay associated with illicit drugs are a drain on the city and its people and we will work tirelessly to get rid of them."

People in Sussex are also less likely to witness gun crime than anywhere in the country after levels halved in two years.

Firearms offences fell to 67 in 2004/5, from 82 in 2003/4 and 135 in 2002/3. There are now just four offences per 100,000 residents, compared to a national rate of 21 per 100,000. Only Norfolk and North Yorkshire have lower levels.

The Home Office also disclosed that killings rose from 15 in 2003/4 to 20 in 2004/5. There were 13.3 homicides per million people last year - just under the national average of 15.5.