Sussex Police: 'Crime back to pre-lockdown level'

Chief Constable Jo Shiner said patrols were being stepped up in rural areas

Crime in Sussex is now back at pre-lockdown levels, according to the Chief Constable of the county's police.

Jo Shiner said despite the second lockdown, her force was busier than at any other time this year.

Specialist units have been increased to deal with county lines drug dealing, with five organisations claimed to have been disrupted in the last four weeks.

"They bring misery to communities and prey on vulnerable young people", she said.

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne recently tweeted, with crime back to pre-Covid levels, every officer diverted to a lockdown rule-breaker was being taken away from frontline policing.

Ms Shiner said an offence on the rise while people are isolated and lonely is so-called "romance fraud", with Sussex Police planning an awareness campaign.

She added that patrols in rural areas were also being stepped up to stop thefts of farm machinery.