A TEENAGER arrested after a 14-year-old boy was assaulted and robbed was among 39 people to be detained by police in Brighton over the weekend.

Police made the arrest on Saturday in connection with reports that a youngster had been attacked and had his phone taken in Vale Park, Portslade, two days before.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of robbery and has been bailed while enquiries are ongoing.

This was one of 39 arrests made by Brighton and Hove Police over the weekend.

Five of these, including the arrest of the 16-year-old, were made on Saturday as part of Operation Safety, which aims to tackle knife crime and violence in the area.

The first arrest came at noon when officers spotted a black Mercedes behaving suspiciously. They stopped the car in Whitecross Street, Brighton, and uncovered 20 bags of a substance believed to be cocaine during a search of the vehicle.

Rosen Marinov, 39, of Horton Street in Lincolnshire was arrested and charged with possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply.

Just an hour later, officers were again called into action, this time stopping a vehicle in Upper Hollingdean Road after "the occupants were seen to be behaving in a suspicious manner".

The driver, a 57-year-old man, failed a roadside breath test and was arrested on suspicion of drug-driving.

He has been released under investigation pending further enquiries.

Next, at about 4.20am, Brighton and Hove Police officers carried out an arrest in connection with an attempted robbery reported in Eaton Place at 4.20am, in which the victim was assaulted and told to hand over their money.

A suspect was identified, leading to the arrest of a 27-year-old man on suspicion of attempted robbery.

He has been released under investigation pending further enquiries.

And, finally, at about 6pm, officers stopped a car in Hollingdean Road.

The driver, a 42-year-old man, refused to take a roadside drug test and was arrested on suspicion of drug-driving.

A Swiss army knife, tyre iron and screwdriver were seized from the vehicle.

He has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

PS Barrett said: "Our teams continue to work hard to protect local communities so Brighton remains a safe city.

"If you have information about knife crime or violence, we want to know about it. Report crime online or by calling 101. In an emergency always dial 999."