IT’S not a fun time of the year to be out and about on the city’s streets.

The dark nights and vicious winds make pounding the pavements a hazardous chore. And, as I found out just a few days ago, it can also be a bit of a frightening experience too.

Working late, I had to navigate the dimly-lit back streets of Brighton to retrieve the car from its free parking haven.

En route, I heard the clunking footsteps of someone following me.

At first, I shrugged it off.

But when the paces quickened and the noise followed me round not one, but two corners, I began to worry.

The adrenaline kicked in and all sorts of horrible thoughts ran through my head.

In a I-clearly-wasn’t-thinking-straight moment I turned around to confront my would-be attacker – to be greeted by a young mother being dragged along by her young daughter.

I smiled and then hurried off.

But the faked smirk failed to hide that for a fewseconds I didn’t feel safe on the streets.

Initial thoughts turned to blaming PC Plod for not pounding the pavements any more.

It was only when I reached the safety of my car and heard about a series of incidents on the roads which resulted in tragic loss of life that I realised that he was probably busy elsewhere that night.

And, if our local force carries on its own course, then old Plod is going to need the help of a clone machine to deal with all the requests coming his way.

The reason being because Sussex Police has announced it must find more than £50 million of savings in the next five years.

Wading through the Birtspeak rhetoric issued in the name of Deputy Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney two things were clear – jobs will be lost and change is on the way.

In a few years’ time, there will be fewer people to deal with incidents such as the horrendous road accidents of the past week.

As for patrolling the streets to ensure those who don’t feel safe as they look for their cars are ok, you can forget about it.

That’s if there is not some serious thoughts about changing the way the police operate – and that includes going beyond our current boundaries.

Believe it or not, the makings of a countywide force actually has its origins in Brighton. In the late 1950s, trust in policing was at an all time low with there seemingly being no way of holding those in charge to account.

Brighton Borough Police was monitored by a watch committee, a toothless body whose members held their own interests above those of the wider public.

In 1957, this very newspaper led the way in announcing the arrival of Scotland Yard detectives to investigate allegations of corruption in the Brighton Borough Police force. Three weeks later, Chief Constable John Ridge was arrested with two officers of Brighton CID and two members of the public.

All were charged with a variety of corrupt practices.

While the chief constable was eventually acquitted, others weren’t so lucky. And in summing up the judge demanded that the Home Office take more control over the running of local forces.

What followed was a wide-reaching inquiry and then in 1964 a new police act.

This in turn led to the amalgamation of the East and West Sussex constabularies, along with bringing borough forces in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings into one county-wide force.

Roll forward 50 years and we have reached a similar crossroads.

The world has got bigger, we no longer draw our lines at the county border and distrust in police is growing.

Midsomer is no more.

The age of the friendly local police force when the local chief of police knows everyone has gone.

Instead we rely on the internet to communicate with friends, family, acquaintances, even strangers a million miles away.

The danger now – as Sony well knows – lies not on our streets but in our homes.

One potential solution was put forward by Scotland Yard commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, who called for the culling of more than 30 forces in England and Wales.

They would be replaced by nine super-forces, based on the regional boundaries.

He has a point in that there is not enough money to keep the current system going for much longer.

And regionalisation appears to have worked for the ambulance service.

But policing still needs to have a local feel to it.

And for that reason, why not introduce a version of police marshals serving every district alongside the regional main force.

As a result parochial matters such as cycling on pavements are not swept to one side in the hurry to neutralise hackers in South Korea.

Granted, local marshals are not going to make people feel safe when they are followed on a dark grim night.

But it will mean that at least those keeping public order are held to account by the very people they represent.