I was lucky enough to be able to see the Pride parade from several vantage points.

What struck me most was the reception given to the police contingent who were as smart as pins, despite the boiling heat.

The crowds gave them a reception that no float - however colourful - could match, breaking into spontaneous cheers and applause all the way along the route.

Two points emerge from this. Firstly, by their actions the police in Brighton and Hove have gone a long way to regaining the trust and confidence of the LGBT community, which was at a low point a couple of years ago.

Improvements can always be made - especially in police response times - but a good start has been made on which the police can build.

Secondly, the community itself is beginning to accept that Sussex Police as an organisation are not institutionally homophobic.

The successful provision of community-based LGBT awareness training for Brighton police officers in April demonstrates that the police will not tolerate overt or covert homophobia in its ranks.

The community needs to work with the police to ensure that any incipient homophobia is rooted out and dealt with in the open.

So, well done the boys and girls in blue. And the boys and girls in feather boas. Together you make a formidable force.

-Dr Alan Bond, Brighton