Mark Brown
@m-j-bro.bsky.social
Former Associate lecturer in Criminology at University of Soton. Also did a bit of policing in the past
This details the cost of the 2016 elections…£49m plus change…there’s been 4 in total since the introduction of PCC’s…so add on another £200m here in the last 13 years!
November 20, 2025 at 7:42 PM
This details the cost of the 2016 elections…£49m plus change…there’s been 4 in total since the introduction of PCC’s…so add on another £200m here in the last 13 years!
Apparently they were still expensive to run…around £350,000 per annum on average in today’s money…the funding OPCC’s spend on commissioning services would be given back then to local authorities to spend & employ staff to support those so that was costly…not quite equivalent perhaps to OPCC’s
November 20, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Apparently they were still expensive to run…around £350,000 per annum on average in today’s money…the funding OPCC’s spend on commissioning services would be given back then to local authorities to spend & employ staff to support those so that was costly…not quite equivalent perhaps to OPCC’s
No…I’m not sure how much those have cost Matt each time around…I’ve known several independents who paid their £5k to be on the ballot & self-fund their campaign only to be wiped out by political party expenditure…good question to pop into the mix 👍
November 20, 2025 at 7:35 PM
No…I’m not sure how much those have cost Matt each time around…I’ve known several independents who paid their £5k to be on the ballot & self-fund their campaign only to be wiped out by political party expenditure…good question to pop into the mix 👍
If you’re looking at Office costs (not the commissioning grants etc) it’s roughly £2m a year x 37 forces (excluding the ones with mayors) then x 13 years…it’s roughly £500m so far…add in those with mayors offices and it’s in excess of £700m since the role was introduced
November 20, 2025 at 5:44 PM
If you’re looking at Office costs (not the commissioning grants etc) it’s roughly £2m a year x 37 forces (excluding the ones with mayors) then x 13 years…it’s roughly £500m so far…add in those with mayors offices and it’s in excess of £700m since the role was introduced
That’s utterly ridiculous Matt…the world is going to the dogs when it comes to all this…who’s setting the agenda on this and why? I spoke to a Scout leader recently who is giving it up because he has to complete risk assessments for weekly meetings that take longer to do than the actual meeting!
October 23, 2025 at 6:27 PM
That’s utterly ridiculous Matt…the world is going to the dogs when it comes to all this…who’s setting the agenda on this and why? I spoke to a Scout leader recently who is giving it up because he has to complete risk assessments for weekly meetings that take longer to do than the actual meeting!
Couldn’t some QE be introduced for funding public services? Employing more people for policing for eg (80% of police budgets are spent on staff) means those being paid to do it will spend more back in to the economy…I’ve asked this question before & the answer has been yes it could be beneficial
August 29, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Couldn’t some QE be introduced for funding public services? Employing more people for policing for eg (80% of police budgets are spent on staff) means those being paid to do it will spend more back in to the economy…I’ve asked this question before & the answer has been yes it could be beneficial
Absolutely! Some things are just a constant
August 29, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Absolutely! Some things are just a constant
Weren’t ports (river or sea) renowned hives of crime and often murder? Then there was Beer Street & Gin Lane in London that depicts all this…followed by the infamous Whitechapel or Deansgate in Manchester during Victorian days…crime hotspots aren’t a new phenomena
August 29, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Weren’t ports (river or sea) renowned hives of crime and often murder? Then there was Beer Street & Gin Lane in London that depicts all this…followed by the infamous Whitechapel or Deansgate in Manchester during Victorian days…crime hotspots aren’t a new phenomena
Don’t you just love technology!
August 29, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Don’t you just love technology!
Or “be one of the ‘extra’ police officers we are recruiting” where the word ‘extra’ does more heavy lifting than a crane 🏗️ building the next tallest structure in the world!
August 29, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Or “be one of the ‘extra’ police officers we are recruiting” where the word ‘extra’ does more heavy lifting than a crane 🏗️ building the next tallest structure in the world!
They never listened back then…they haven’t since and won’t in the future…there’s an inner circle monopolising clique that frequents far too many areas of public services like policing & why things don’t change…or the warnings are never heeded etc
August 17, 2025 at 7:53 PM
They never listened back then…they haven’t since and won’t in the future…there’s an inner circle monopolising clique that frequents far too many areas of public services like policing & why things don’t change…or the warnings are never heeded etc
The same thing happens in policing…you can go back a decade or more & the issues are very similar if not exactly the same…some of this is down to the same stakeholder influencers, advisors, civil servants, SPADS, think tanks & political ideologues mostly circulating old wine in new bottles
August 17, 2025 at 7:49 PM
The same thing happens in policing…you can go back a decade or more & the issues are very similar if not exactly the same…some of this is down to the same stakeholder influencers, advisors, civil servants, SPADS, think tanks & political ideologues mostly circulating old wine in new bottles
…the damage that’s been done in the last 2.5 decades is really coming home to roost now and it’s effecting things more & more in terms of delivery & efficacy…there’s a lot of talk but there doesn’t seem to be the political will to be bold & radical and a continuous cycle of ‘chat’
August 6, 2025 at 1:23 PM
…the damage that’s been done in the last 2.5 decades is really coming home to roost now and it’s effecting things more & more in terms of delivery & efficacy…there’s a lot of talk but there doesn’t seem to be the political will to be bold & radical and a continuous cycle of ‘chat’
…the world has changed around me in the last 50 odd years and so has crime & what challenges policing faces these days compared to way back then…essentially police forces whatever size etc need to be more financially resilient & political ideology avoid booming & busting the service so much…
August 6, 2025 at 1:21 PM
…the world has changed around me in the last 50 odd years and so has crime & what challenges policing faces these days compared to way back then…essentially police forces whatever size etc need to be more financially resilient & political ideology avoid booming & busting the service so much…
That should read ‘bigger is better’…just to add here that a more plural form of policing should be considered…the 43 model was devised back in the early 1960’s even if it’s only been in place since 1974…I’m as old as that model and creaking a bit these days just like that structural model…
August 6, 2025 at 1:18 PM
That should read ‘bigger is better’…just to add here that a more plural form of policing should be considered…the 43 model was devised back in the early 1960’s even if it’s only been in place since 1974…I’m as old as that model and creaking a bit these days just like that structural model…
The discussion always focuses on ‘a bigger & better’ structural model to replace the 43…why is there never a counter-focus towards a more localised model that’s fairer financially and more in line with what policing was originally intended for
August 6, 2025 at 1:00 PM
The discussion always focuses on ‘a bigger & better’ structural model to replace the 43…why is there never a counter-focus towards a more localised model that’s fairer financially and more in line with what policing was originally intended for
There is also the issue of the largest force in a merger or ‘mega’ force drawing a much larger proportion of resources & finance in a ‘needs most’ context and will leave outliers even more bereft than the present…basically big city’s with big problems get the most thrown at them
August 6, 2025 at 12:57 PM
There is also the issue of the largest force in a merger or ‘mega’ force drawing a much larger proportion of resources & finance in a ‘needs most’ context and will leave outliers even more bereft than the present…basically big city’s with big problems get the most thrown at them
…equalisation of band charges on council tax revenue are a major blocker…to have a North-East ‘mega’ force for eg would mean raising precept charges in Northumbria & Durham to mirror Cleveland’s charges which are much higher than Northumbria’s…the public simply won’t consent to this
August 6, 2025 at 12:54 PM
…equalisation of band charges on council tax revenue are a major blocker…to have a North-East ‘mega’ force for eg would mean raising precept charges in Northumbria & Durham to mirror Cleveland’s charges which are much higher than Northumbria’s…the public simply won’t consent to this
Shame there wasn’t more detail & debate about prospective mergers or ‘mega forces’ and the issues with these notions…notably funding & how the current formula with regards to precepts at local taxation level are a significant factor with the eg of Dorset merging with Devon & Cornwall…
August 6, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Shame there wasn’t more detail & debate about prospective mergers or ‘mega forces’ and the issues with these notions…notably funding & how the current formula with regards to precepts at local taxation level are a significant factor with the eg of Dorset merging with Devon & Cornwall…
Essentially 14 years of ‘hard’ neoliberalism…cut backs to push the ‘small state’ ideology…along with contract out & tender, sell off and/or privatise public services completely…it’s all about making us self-sufficient & ‘total football’ style citizens to eradicate any form of welfare state
July 31, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Essentially 14 years of ‘hard’ neoliberalism…cut backs to push the ‘small state’ ideology…along with contract out & tender, sell off and/or privatise public services completely…it’s all about making us self-sufficient & ‘total football’ style citizens to eradicate any form of welfare state
An interesting ideology trend change from 2018/19 (certainly something I experienced in case escalation from initial referrals with ‘more emphasis’ placed on XRW to “balance things”)…also no surprise to see a significant amount of XRW ideologue’s involved in sexual offending & IIOC in particular!
July 31, 2025 at 2:14 PM
An interesting ideology trend change from 2018/19 (certainly something I experienced in case escalation from initial referrals with ‘more emphasis’ placed on XRW to “balance things”)…also no surprise to see a significant amount of XRW ideologue’s involved in sexual offending & IIOC in particular!
Ah they’ll always say that! Glasgow had its own city police force for a century & a half…then a more regional police force in Strathclyde…and now a national model…and crime is still high in that city…it’s a city 🤷🏻♂️
July 29, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Ah they’ll always say that! Glasgow had its own city police force for a century & a half…then a more regional police force in Strathclyde…and now a national model…and crime is still high in that city…it’s a city 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks Carole…as you can tell at least I’ve got some passion about the subject! A model of policing devised 5 years before the first moon landing isn’t going to work in a world where we have AI and a much larger population…so change is needed
July 29, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Thanks Carole…as you can tell at least I’ve got some passion about the subject! A model of policing devised 5 years before the first moon landing isn’t going to work in a world where we have AI and a much larger population…so change is needed
It’s a bit like academia in this respect…lots of uni’s can offer courses on criminology for eg but they all do it a different way 🤣
July 29, 2025 at 8:51 AM
It’s a bit like academia in this respect…lots of uni’s can offer courses on criminology for eg but they all do it a different way 🤣