Drug dealers have been put at the top of a police hitlist aimed at tackling crime in Basildon over the coming year.

Supt Denis Sheppard, head of Basildon police, unveiled the 1999/2000 blueprint on Friday - and it spells bad news for the dealers.

They are police officers' number one target in a year that will also see them focus on car crime, increase help to repeat victims of crime and continue to further partnerships with groups such as Basildon Council.

Mr Sheppard said: "Last year we put a lot of effort into trying to identify who the kids with drug habits were, who were going out stealing cars and committing crimes.

"That had some success but from the feedback from the public people want to see more targeting of the dealers.

"We will be investing resources to professionally tackle drug dealers in the town and are determined to give extra emphasis to target them.

"I don't care what it takes - if you deal in drugs in Basildon we will be after you and you will be locked up for a long time."

The plan features a series of statistics outlining police targets for the coming year.

They include reducing burglaries by 2.3 per cent, lowering motor thefts by 5.6 per cent and increasing detection rates.

Increasing the percentage of non-999 calls answered within 30 seconds and the time taken for case files to be prepared are also featured.

Mr Sheppard said that despite a 182-officer cut in police numbers across Essex, numbers at Basildon would not be reduced.

He said: "Traditionally Basildon has been under-resourced and I'm certain that by the end of the year I will have more resources working here than at the beginning."

He added: "The targets are always ambitious but we are the prime division in the county and we will achieve them.

"We are moving in the right direction and I hope we will continue to move in that direction."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.