Police officers are being invited into schools as part of a bid to combat a wave of vandalism.

Latest figures show there were 569 reports of criminal damage in the Arun district during April and May.

Officers are considering making culprits sign good behaviour contracts.

In the majority of cases, damage was caused to cars during the evening and overnight.

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said there were 14 incidents in Ham Road in the last two weeks, with similar cases in Courtwick Road, Joyce Close and Greenfields.

Inspector Liz Walker, of Littlehampton's neighbourhood policing team, said: "We are very concerned about the bad behaviour of a small minority of individuals and their impact on our community.

"This is the reason why we are looking at ways of refocusing resources so we can tackle this problem more effectively."

Police and community wardens employed by Arun District Council are concentrating their patrols in problem areas.

Neighbourhood Watch members have also been asked to be extra vigilant.

Bill Minton, head of external liaison for Arun District Council, said: "The community wardens have already proved extremely valuable in providing an authoritative presence in key areas."

Police are asking West Sussex County Council to keep street lighting on later in the evening in vehicle crime hot spots.

Adur's Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, the district council and Sussex Police say they are considering issuing acceptable behaviour contracts for teenagers responsible for car crime.

The documents oblige a young person to agree to curtail their behaviour.

If they breach their contracts and continue to offend, they risk the more serious antisocial behaviour order.