A new police squad is being set up to tackle a crime that has plagued Sussex for years.

Sixteen newly-recruited forensic examiners will be dedicated to catching car criminals, who last year accounted for nearly three vehicle break-ins and thefts every hour in the county.

Once trained, the new staff, roughly two per division, will be lifting DNA samples, fingerprints and other forensic material from crime-hit vehicles.

Until now, existing forensic experts have carried out some vehicle examinations along with their other duties but the new team will focus solely on the problem.

Just 13 per cent of vehicle thefts were solved by Sussex Police in 1998/99, the second-worst detection rate for vehicle crime in England and Wales.

Figures have since improved, and police have captured scores of car villains since the launch of Operation Hyena, a force-wide crackdown.

More than 50 people were arrested in Brighton and Hove during one Hyena campaign. The forensic examination of vehicles has already been piloted by scenes of crime officers in Brighton and figures for May showed 56 per cent of vehicles checked yielded DNA or fingerprint evidence.

Jon Ashe, principal scenes of crime officer and in charge of vehicle examination, said: "We have always known vehicles are a good source of forensic material and we have had some excellent successes in the past, but the extra staff will allow us to make this a priority.

"For this to work we also need to make sure officers attending crime scenes are 'thinking forensic'. They need to be able to look at a vehicle and assess whether it is worth examining.

"The high identification and submissions rates the force has been getting in relation to DNA is clear proof of the potential in solving vehicle crime if we have the resources to examine enough cars."

It is expected that the appointment of the new squad will have a knock-on effect by leaving existing scenes of crime officers to concentrate on other areas of crime, including burglary. The cost of the squad, including supporting equipment, will be £320,000. Its task will be to help increase detections to eight per cent and reduce car crime by five per cent.