The Eastbourne Herald has launched a campaign for more police on the town’s streets.

The 30,000-circulation weekly has launched a petition which it plans to send to Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Within four days of the launch, more than 150 readers had pledged their support by returning a form published on the paper’s front page on Friday.

The campaign follows the Herald’s revelation that eight officers had been transferred from Eastbourne to nearby Hastings and another seven unfilled posts had been axed.

News editor Alastair Monk said that Eastbourne was like many provincial towns on a Saturday night, with people pouring out of nightclubs at 2am and trouble breaking out.

“Whereas 10 years ago there were coppers all over the place who would ensure that nothing untoward happened, they are just not available now and anti-social behaviour in the town centre is worse than it has ever been.”

Editor Peter Lindsey said the paper needed support from readers in their thousands if it was to make an impact.

Launching the campaign, he wrote: “There simply aren’t enough police to cover Eastbourne and the surrounding villages.

“Last week. I spoke to four senior police officers. All of them are totally disillusioned.

Sussex Police has just carried out a survey and decided that Eastbourne is now a much more violent town than in previous years.

“And that’s not me talking – that’s what the police themselves tell us.

“We have to make our mark. We have to tell Sussex police we are getting a raw deal.”

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