Sussex Police will step up patrols in Hove’s main shopping streets from the weekend to try to deter shoplifters and bag snatchers.
They will also be ready to issue fines to cyclists using the pavements.
Extra police officers and community support officers are expected to be working in and around George Street, Church Road and Blatchington Road.
Police Community Support Officer Ross Alderton said: “PCSOs and police officers in uniform and plain clothes will patrol streets in the central Hove area speaking with residents and shop staff, maintaining an ongoing, enhanced police presence to deter crime.
“Police will also carry Shopwatch radios and will be on-hand to speak with those acting suspiciously or believed to be involved in shoplifting.
“We will also pay attention to car parks, advising people to put any valuable goods away from sight, as well as giving out information regarding burglary and crime prevention advice.
“People in the central Hove area will notice a marked increase in police presence which in turn will hopefully lead to a decrease in shoplifting and handbag thefts.
“In addition, police will also be concentrating on a local neighbourhood priority – cycling on the pavement – and will be advising cyclists and issuing fines where necessary.”
According to Sussex Police, about 50 people were stopped during the run-up to Christmas last year.
PCSO Alderton said: “The operation was a huge success and made a real impact in the town centre by providing a highly visible police presence.
“The feedback we got from local businesses, residents and shoppers was very positive.
“With the recession having hit people hard and some businesses struggling, it is important that we rise to the challenge as a neighbourhood policing team to tackle such impactive crime.”
Concerns about PCSOs stopping people have been raised again, with The Argus reporting the case of a professional photographer who was stopped under anti-terror laws for taking photographs.
Andrew White, 33, from Kemp Town, Brighton, was stopped shortly after taking pictures of the Christmas decorations in Burgess Hill town centre.
The two female PCSOs demanded his personal details, including his name and address.
Mr White told The Argus: “I had nothing to hide so I just provided the details. Now I’m concerned about where those details are going to end up.
“I only took one or two photos but even if I had taken more, who are they to say what is too many?
“I don’t think taking too many photos in the street warrants being considered some kind of terrorist threat, which is what they were suggesting.
“I think the money spent on getting PCSOs to waste my time and harass me in the street could be better spent elsewhere.”
According to The Argus, a Sussex Police spokesman said that the officers spoke to Mr White because they were concerned that he was taking “too many photographs” in a busy shopping area.
He said: “They were acting in good faith, balancing individual liberty against the need to ensure public safety.”
On Sunday, BBC staff photographer Jeff Overs told The Andrew Marr Show that he was stopped by PCSOs last week for taking a picture of a sunset.
Former Tory MP Matthew Parris told the same show that he had been stopped for using a Dictaphone in Trafalgar Square, London, while recording a programme for broadcast.
